Construction and initial opening

The Iranian government decided prior to the 1979 revolution to build a new airport for Tehran. The city was then the centre of the Middle East, and air traffic was increasing quickly at the existing Mehrabad Airport.^[1] The new airport was initially called Tehran or Aryamehr International Airport, and the original designers were the American company Tippetts-Abbett-McCarthy-Stratton and the Iranian firm Farman-Farmayan.^[1][2][3] In 1977, construction began 35 kilometres (22 mi) southwest of Tehran. The revolution and war with Iraq caused delays, and work on the runway recommenced in 1989. Due to the economic impact of the war and Iran's isolation in the international community, President Akbar Rafsanjani focused on other endeavours in the early 1990s.^[1] In 1995, the French firm Aéroports de Paris was selected as the primary consultant, and construction of the terminal, which Paul Andreu had redesigned, started.^[1][2] By 2000, the airport had been renamed after Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran.^[1]

The reformist administration of Mohammad Khatami signed a memorandum of understanding with Tepe-Akfen-Vie (TAV), a Turkish-led consortium, to operate the terminal and construct a second one.^[4][5] The agreement symbolised a shift away from the viewpoint that foreign investment was a form of imperialism.^[6] President Khatami inaugurated the airport on 1 February 2004 during celebrations marking the 25th anniversary of the revolution.^[7] The plan was for Imam Khomeini Airport to handle all international flights to Tehran.^[8] The government hoped that Imam Khomeini Airport would become the largest in the Middle East, and the The Washington Post wrote that it was meant to represent Iran's "opening to the world".^[1][6] The Economist Intelligence Unit commented that the Dubai airport already served as a hub in the region and that the new airport was unlikely to overcome existing barriers to tourism such as the government's rigid social rules.^[8]

On 8 May 2004, an Emirates flight from Dubai became the first to land. Hours later, however, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) closed the airport by driving tanks onto the runway.^[6][9] It threatened to use anti-aircraft fire against the second incoming flight, which fighter jets escorted to Isfahan.^[4][9] The rest of the flights were diverted to Mehrabad. In addition, TAV's staff were forced to leave the premises with their equipment, and management of the facility was granted to Iran Air.^[4] The IRGC and conservatives in parliament said the consortium had done business with Israel, putting Iran's security at risk; the two nations had a hostile relationship.^[10][11] TAV responded that it had not done any business with Israel.^[11] According to The Washington Post, the IRGC also opposed TAV's involvement for financial reasons.^[6] The debacle soured relations between Iran and Turkey.^[12] After the company left, the IRGC said the airport could reopen, but the government decided not to do so until it finished investigating the closure.^[4]

Second opening

On 30 April 2005, the $350 million Imam Khomeini Airport reopened under the management of a consortium of four Iranian airlines—Caspian Airlines, Iran Aseman Airlines, Kish Air and Mahan Air.^[5][11] No ceremony was held to mark the occasion due to persistent tensions. The first arrival was an Iran Air flight from Dubai.^[5] In the beginning, the airport only had flights to a few Middle Eastern countries.^[11] By March 2008, all international flights excluding those for the Hajj and Umrah had relocated from Mehrabad to Imam Khomeini Airport.^[13]

Air France, British Airways and KLM resumed service to Tehran in 2016 following the Iran nuclear deal.^[14] All three carriers suspended their flights two years later, stating that they were not financially viable.^[15][16] Analysts said the main reason for the airlines' decisions was that the United States had exited the nuclear agreement and decided to reinstate sanctions on Iran.^[15] In June 2019, President Hassan Rouhani inaugurated the Salaam International Terminal.^[17]

Passenger

Cargo