Iranian carrier Mahan Air announced on 23 April that it will restart nonstop passenger services to China from 26 April after a two-month suspension triggered by regional airspace closures. The initial schedule lists three weekly Tehran-Beijing/Guangzhou rotations and four weekly Tehran-Shanghai flights until 25 May, with further frequencies under review. Background: The airline halted services in late February when several Gulf states restricted overflights amid the U.S.–Iran conflict. China remains a critical market for Iranian airlines, carrying business delegations tied to energy and infrastructure projects as well as thousands of Iranian students enrolled at Chinese universities. Operational considerations: Mahan Air says it has secured alternative corridors through Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan, adding about 40 minutes to flight time but avoiding the most volatile zones. Travel-risk consultancies advise corporates to review insurance clauses for flights transiting conflict-adjacent FIRs and to brief travellers on potential reroutings.
![Iran’s Mahan Air resumes passenger flights to Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou]()
If passengers on these revived routes need help obtaining Chinese visas, VisaHQ can streamline the application process end-to-end. Its intuitive portal (https://www.visahq.com/china/) offers document checking, real-time status updates, and tailored support, making it easier for business travellers, students, and engineers to secure the right entry documents without delays.
For Chinese mobility managers, the resumption re-opens a direct channel for engineers working on joint petrochemical ventures in Iran’s South Pars field and for supply-chain visits connected to the Iran-China 25-Year Cooperation Agreement. Chinese nationals still require visas to enter Iran, but Tehran’s e-visa portal has cut processing to five working days. Looking ahead, Mahan plans to codeshare with China Southern and probe fifth-freedom rights via Kuala Lumpur, which could broaden one-stop options between provincial Chinese cities and Tehran.
If passengers on these revived routes need help obtaining Chinese visas, VisaHQ can streamline the application process end-to-end. Its intuitive portal (https://www.visahq.com/china/) offers document checking, real-time status updates, and tailored support, making it easier for business travellers, students, and engineers to secure the right entry documents without delays.
For Chinese mobility managers, the resumption re-opens a direct channel for engineers working on joint petrochemical ventures in Iran’s South Pars field and for supply-chain visits connected to the Iran-China 25-Year Cooperation Agreement. Chinese nationals still require visas to enter Iran, but Tehran’s e-visa portal has cut processing to five working days. Looking ahead, Mahan plans to codeshare with China Southern and probe fifth-freedom rights via Kuala Lumpur, which could broaden one-stop options between provincial Chinese cities and Tehran.
