IAG Cargo commenced its new London-to-Tehran service earlier this, making it one of the few cargo carriers to directly connect the two cities.

Shippers can benefit from six flights per week to and from Iran, which will improve connectivity between European and Middle Eastern markets and provide businesses with greater flexibility over where and when they ship their goods.

The route will be served by a British Airways B777- 200 aircraft, providing forwarders with belly-hold capacity of six pallets and up to 20 tons of lift on each flight.

The new route comes into service following the easing of EU sanctions against Iran. With the Islamic Republic’s economy in 2016 and 2017 expected to grow by 4.8 percent and 5.4 percent, respectively, the service will offer businesses a significant trading opportunity.

“With the second largest economy in the Middle East-North Africa region, Iran offers a huge opportunity for global trade,” said David Shepherd, commercial head at IAG Cargo. “The country’s predicted economic growth over the coming years means that connecting Iran via our London hub to the rest of the world will be of real benefit to our customers.

“IAG Cargo is committed to delivering against market demand to meet the needs of global businesses,” Shepherd added, “and, with one of the world’s largest cargo networks and a wide range of high-quality premium products we’re confident that this new service will be well received.”

Flights to Tehran depart London Heathrow daily at 21.10, arriving at 06:25 local time. Returning flights leave Tehran at 08:35 and arrive into Heathrow at 11:10, enabling next day connections to almost all destinations on the IAG Cargo network.