Skip to content

All airports

Airportist Score

Arrive

Security

Fastest

Cheapest

Lounges

On time

Guide

Alternatives

Nearby airports

HonestAirport

Directory Compare TSA tips Terms Privacy

Airportist Scores and guides are editorial content. Always verify live rules, terminals, and operational alerts with official airport and airline sources.

All airports

IKAOIIE

Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport

Tehran, IR

Airportist Score

Arrive

Security

Fastest

Cheapest

Lounges

On time

IKAGuide

Alternatives

Nearby airports

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

Security

Fastest

Cheapest

Lounges

On time

IKAGuide

Alternatives

Nearby airports

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

Sign in Join free

IKAGuide

IKAGuide

Worth it

Separate CIP hall beside Terminal 1Landside/airside CIP building opposite the tower — not inside T1

A separate three-floor CIP hall, not a Priority Pass room. Operator tariff 9,900,000 toman + 10% VAT. CIP.aero will not take Lufthansa, Austrian, Zagros, or Mahan to Guangzhou / Najaf / Baghdad on departure.

Access: Day pass · Business class ticket

Hours: Sold as 24/7; confirm when you book

Amenities: Buffet and tea · Wi-Fi · Shops · Prayer room · Private immigration / security · Apron transfer to the aircraft · Suites / showers as sold

Best for: Skipping T1 queues · Arrivals visa help as sold

Full access guide

Depends

Fast Track & Business Lounge

Terminal 1T1 departures — reception at the second door from the right

Inside Terminal 1, departures only, and explicitly not the CIP hall. Check-in and bags stay at the airline desk. No Priority Pass listing this pass.

Access: Day pass

Hours: Flight-led; T1 departures only

Amenities: Fast-track security and immigration · Lounge seating · Soft drinks as sold · Wi-Fi

Best for: T1 departures that CIP will not take · A cheaper skip of the T1 queues

Full access guide

Lounge & amenity notes

Lounge, food, and quiet-spot picks pulled from the markdown guide.

From Lounges, Food & Amenities

CIP Terminal: paid skip of T1, buffet, shops, prayer room, private immigration, apron transfer. 9,900,000 toman + 10% VAT (Esfand 1404). Worth it if you will actually use the building; not Priority Pass.
Fast Track & Business Lounge: T1 departures only, 2,800,000 toman, second door from the right. Bags still go to the airline. Depends — cheaper than CIP, thinner than CIP.
No Priority Pass, LoungeKey or DragonPass listing found this pass. Leftover aggregator pages that paste 'Priority Pass' onto IKA are leftover-wrong.
Food is Iranian sweets, saffron, pistachio, caviar and a few cafés — not a Gulf food court. No alcohol in duty-free.
Free Wi-Fi is advertised; leftover 'code at check-in' is leftover-unverified as a live SSID. Do not invent a network name.
Prayer rooms, Bank Sepah exchange, and SIM stalls sit landside. Charging points exist; do not count on a quiet work hall outside CIP.
Accessibility: CIP sells a wheelchair add-on (2,970,000 toman). Airline wheelchairs still need the 48-hour request.

Check your lounge access at IKA

Sign in, save your cards, airline status, and lounge programs once, and we'll check them against every lounge.

Sign in Create an account

🌙24°C / 75°F