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Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport

Tehran, IR

Airportist Score

Arrive

Security

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Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport

Tehran, Iran · Middle East

Tehran's international airport is a 2005 arc plus a 2019 Salaam hall with a live but infrequent metro: paid CIP is the only lounge that changes the day, Uber does not exist, and European metal is still a maybe after the 2026 closure.

Airportist Score

6.4/ 10

Mixed

Ease of use6.6
Comfort & amenities6.4
Food & retail6.2
Ground access7.2
Reliability5.4
Lounges6.6

How the score works

An editorial 0–10 score. The overall is exactly the weighted sum of six traveler categories — not a Google rating and not a poll.

25%Ease of use — Wayfinding, security wait, and layout.
20%Comfort & amenities — Seating, Wi-Fi, cleanliness, and quiet.
15%Food & retail — Food and retail quality and variety.
15%Ground access — Transit, taxi, and parking to the city.
15%Reliability — Delays, cancellations, and weather resilience.
10%Lounges — Worth-it density and access quality.

Compare IKA with another airport

Arrive

Security

Fastest

Cheapest

Lounges

On time

IKAGuide

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All airports Official site

IKAOIIEModerate

Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport

Tehran, Iran · Middle East

Tehran's international airport is a 2005 arc plus a 2019 Salaam hall with a live but infrequent metro: paid CIP is the only lounge that changes the day, Uber does not exist, and European metal is still a maybe after the 2026 closure.

Airportist Score

6.4/ 10

Mixed

Ease of use6.6
Comfort & amenities6.4
Food & retail6.2
Ground access7.2
Reliability5.4
Lounges6.6

How the score works

An editorial 0–10 score. The overall is exactly the weighted sum of six traveler categories — not a Google rating and not a poll.

25%Ease of use — Wayfinding, security wait, and layout.
20%Comfort & amenities — Seating, Wi-Fi, cleanliness, and quiet.
15%Food & retail — Food and retail quality and variety.
15%Ground access — Transit, taxi, and parking to the city.
15%Reliability — Delays, cancellations, and weather resilience.
10%Lounges — Worth-it density and access quality.

Compare IKA with another airport

Arrive
3 h
before departure
Typical security
25 min
editorial average, not live
Fastest to city
45-90 min
Official airport taxi (1833)
Cheapest to city
Tehran Metro Line 1 (airport branch)
$ · 50-90 min
Lounges
2
1 rated worth it
Terminals
2
live: Terminal 1 (2005) + Salaam (2019). Iranshahr T3 not live. No airside walk.

11 photos

Alternatives

Nearby airports

Passenger airports within about 150 km. Scored airports show their Airportist Score so you can weigh a switch.

THRMehrabad International Airport
Tehran
34 km
PYKPayam International Airport
Karaj
50 km
GZWQazvin Airport
Ghazvin
136 km
NSHNoshahr Airport
Now Shahr
142 km

THRMehrabad International Airport
Tehran
34 km
PYKPayam International Airport
Karaj
50 km
GZWQazvin Airport
Ghazvin
136 km
NSHNoshahr Airport
Now Shahr
142 km

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IKAGuide

IKAGuide

Most important tips

Know before you go

A compact traveler cheat sheet for timing, terminals, food, and disruption checks.

Timing

Arrive 3 hours early — visa can eat the slack

IKAC spokesman: be at the terminals at least 3 hours before departure. Call 096330 or +98 21 5100118 before you leave.

Eligible e-visa / VOA travellers still wait at the arrivals visa windows (Exit / Baggage claim / Transfer signs). UK/US/Canada ordinary passports cannot use VOA. Night banks of departures are common — the metro will already be dead.

Terminals

T1 for most airlines; Salaam is live, Iranshahr is not

Terminal 1 is the 2005 international hall. Salaam (2019) takes Hajj/Umrah and overflow. There is no airside walk. T3 Iranshahr is not open.

Wikipedia leftover 'as of March 2026 all flights suspended' is leftover-stale: Mehr News says IKA resumed 25 April 2026 (Istanbul / Muscat / Medina first). Tasnim 9 September 2026: CEO says foreign flights were operating. Confirm your airline's terminal on the ticket, not a 2024 blog.

Food

Pistachio and saffron, not a food hall

Landside and airside shops sell Iranian sweets, caviar, saffron and leather. Cafés sit in the halls. Duty-free does not sell alcohol.

The photographed 'Iranian Traditional Souvenir / Persian Duty Free' island is the honest sit for a boxed sweet and a bottle. Do not invent leftover McDonald's / Starbucks / 24-hour hours. CIP's buffet is the only real meal if you paid for that hall.

Visa

e-visa grant notice — UK/US/Canada cannot walk up

MFA portal evisa.mfa.ir: apply at least two days before a visa-on-arrival pickup. Passport needs 6 months beyond travel. Israeli ink can refuse entry.

Official MFA visa-waiver list includes Turkey, China, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, Oman, Iraq, Egypt, Syria, Kazakhstan. A 15-day tourism waiver covers 27 ordinary passports (Gulf states, Japan, Singapore, Brazil, Mexico, Serbia, Croatia, and others named on the portal). UK FCDO: British citizens need a sponsored tour or an in-country sponsor; no VOA. FCDO passport 6 months after arrival.

Live conditions

Right now at IKA

Security waits and operational status from official feeds, where the airport publishes them.

Honest verdict

Who this airport works for

Best for

International arrivals who printed the MFA grant notice
Daytime metro to Tajrish with light bags
Travellers willing to pay CIP to skip Terminal 1

Watch out for

UK/US/Canada cannot visa-on-arrival; Israeli ink can refuse entry
No Priority Pass; leftover 'all flights suspended' Wikipedia copy is leftover-stale after 25 April 2026
EASA still advised EU operators out of FIR Tehran through 30 September 2026

Airportist Score

Why this score

Overall is the published weighted sum of six categories. No holistic fudge on top.

Ease of use · 25%

Wayfinding, security wait, and layout.

6.6

Comfort & amenities · 20%

Seating, Wi-Fi, cleanliness, and quiet.

6.4

Food & retail · 15%

Food and retail quality and variety.

6.2

Ground access · 15%

Transit, taxi, and parking to the city.

7.2

Reliability · 15%

Delays, cancellations, and weather resilience.

5.4

Lounges · 10%

Worth-it density and access quality.

6.6

Key stats

Editorial reference figures, not live readings.

Annual passengers

7,672,152 (2024)

Terminals

2 live: Terminal 1 (2005) + Salaam (2019). Iranshahr T3 not live. No airside walk.

Typical security

25 min

Guide quick facts

From the editorial guide for IKA.

Updated Sep 21, 2026

Live campus: Terminal 1 (reopened 30 April 2005; Paul Andreu arc) plus Salaam Terminal (opened June 2019). No airside walk between them. Iranshahr Terminal 3 is not live. All Tehran international flights sit here; Mehrabad (THR) is domestic.
Calendar 2024 traffic: 7,672,152 passengers (Iran air-transport annual reports via Wikipedia). Operator leftover ~7.5 million / 49,000 flights is Iranian year 1402. Leftover ~9 million for 1403 was a forecast — do not paste it as a year. 2026 closed ~28 Feb–25 Apr.
IATA IKA / ICAO OIIE. Operator Imam Khomeini Airport City Company (IKAC). ~35 km southwest of central Tehran. Elevation 1,007 m / 3,304 ft. Two runways 11L/29R 4,198 × 45 m and 11R/29L 4,092 × 45 m. ILS from August 2009. Time zone Asia/Tehran.
Official spokesman: be at the terminals at least 3 hours before departure. Flight info 096330 or +98 21 5100118. Official site www.ikac.ir. Do not invent a live SSID this pass.
Tehran Metro Line 1 branch to Imam Khomeini Airport station is live (opened 7 August 2017; T1 entrance photographed 31 December 2025). Infrequent and daytime-biased — leftover timetables conflict. Night arrivals take a taxi. Uber is not in Iran; Snapp / Tapsi are.
No Priority Pass listing this pass. Paid CIP Terminal is a separate hall (9,900,000 toman + 10% VAT, Esfand 1404 tariff). T1 Fast Track & Business Lounge is 2,800,000 toman, departures only.

7 official sources

https://www.ikac.ir/
https://evisa.mfa.ir/
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/iran/entry-requirements
https://www.cip.aero/fa/airportservices/cip/ikia/price
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tehran_Imam_Khomeini_International_Airport
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imam_Khomeini_Airport_station

Full guide

Explore the IKA guide

Each section answers one trip question in depth.

Getting There
4 ways into the city, compared on time, cost, and luggage.
Fastest: Official airport taxi (1833)Cheapest: Tehran Metro Line 1 (airport branch)
View Getting There
Lounges
2 lounges with access rules, hours, and verdicts. 1 rated worth it.
CIP Terminal
View Lounges
Traveler Tips
Print the MFA grant notice and a hotel voucher before you leave. The arrivals visa windows are not a kiosk, and the queue does not care that your phone has no data.
12 tips & hacks
View Traveler Tips
Amenities
6 rated amenities — food, Wi-Fi, quiet spots, family, and sleep.
CIP TerminalLine 1 metro at T1
View Amenities
Water
Where to refill for free, and where a bottle costs the least airside.
3 spots1 free or refill
View Water
Reviews
Editorial and traveler reviews — what people actually complain about.
View Reviews

https://www.easa.europa.eu/en/domains/air-operations/czibs/czib-2026-04-r1

🌙25°C / 77°F

Security wait times

Current security wait information is not available for this airport. Check the airport's official website or app before travel.

Official airport site

Operational status

Normal operations

No Flighty-reported operational issues for this airport.

Source: Flighty Airports

Status response Sep 21, 21:44 UTC · Confirm live conditions with official sources before travel.