Iran's international air connections have contracted to a core of Iranian carriers, as all foreign airlines now avoid the country's airspace following the increase in hostilities between Tehran and Washington.

The latest downturn for Iran’s economy comes under refreshed NOTAM restrictions and renewed US sanctions, placing the squeeze on any country working with Iran, including notably with Turkey who has cancelled all flights according to available flight information.

The retreat is part to the deepening isolation of Iran's aviation sector during its war with the United States, cutting the country off from the European and Asian carriers that once used the Tehran flight information region (FIR) as a major corridor, and leaving its air bridge to the outside world dependent on national operators and a handful of Gulf and Caucasus routes.

Iran's airspace remains subject to an airspace-closure NOTAM, the Turkish transport ministry has said, with Europe's aviation regulator EASA advising operators not to fly the Tehran FIR at any altitude.

A snapshot of scheduled traffic at Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport on September 2 showed arrivals and departures dominated by Iranian carriers, including Iran Air, Mahan Air, Qeshm Air, Iran Airtour, Saha Airlines, Sepehran Airlines, ATA Airlines and AVA Airlines.

Routes on the board linked Tehran with Istanbul, Izmir, Tbilisi, Dubai, Beijing, Baghdad and Najaf, a network concentrated on Turkey, the Gulf, the Caucasus, Iraq and China.

Turkish carriers, among the last major foreign operators serving Iran, have repeatedly suspended flights during the conflict.

Turkish Airlines and Pegasus Airlines have cancelled services between Istanbul and Iranian cities, including Tehran, Isfahan, Mashhad, Shiraz, and Tabriz, during periods of heightened tension, citing security concerns and airspace risks.

IntelliNews has reached out to Turkish Airlines, with one, Pegasus, saying that flights would be available at a later date but “not known yet” due to the ongoing situation between Iran and the US.

Pegasus has kept its Gulf and Iranian routes suspended while operating its domestic and European network normally, as Turkish airspace has remained open throughout the war.

Iranian domestic carriers have continued to operate throughout, with passenger loads rising as foreign options thinned. The disruption has hit routes linking Iran with regional hubs such as Dubai, Doha and Istanbul, affecting passengers, business travel and cargo.

The squeeze has weighed on regional aviation more broadly, with the International Air Transport Association projecting Middle East carriers will swing to a $4.3bn net loss in 2026 from a $7.2bn profit in 2025, previous reports from IntelliNews syndicate partner Emerging Travel reported earlier in August citing released data from regional airlines.

The war began on February 28, when the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran and killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Iran responded by closing the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of the world's oil and gas passed before the conflict.

US Central Command said it struck IRGC targets in Iran on September 1, in an escalation that has kept the waterway and its airspace contested, although not close to the usual air paths, flights to and from the UAE appear to have ceased in recent days.