Iran - Andrew Burke [335]
Air Arabia (code G9; www.airarabia.com) Sharjah; budget airline.
Air France (code AF; www.airfrance.com) Paris.
Air India (code AI; www.airindia.com) Delhi.
Alitalia (code AZ; www.alitalia.com) Milan.
Ariana Afghan Airlines (code FG; www.flyariana.com) Kabul.
Armavia (code U8; www.u8.am) Yerevan.
Austrian Airlines (code OS; www.aua.com) Vienna.
Azerbaijan Airlines (code J2; www.azal.az) Baku.
British Airways (code BA; www.britishairways.com) London.
China Southern (code CZ; www.cs-air.com/en) Beijing, Urumqi.
Emirates (code EM; www.emirates.com) Dubai.
Etihad Airways (code EY; www.etihadairways.com) Abu Dhabi.
Gulf Air (code GF; www.gulfair.com) Bahrain.
Iraqi Airways (code IA; www.iraqiairways.co.uk) Baghdad.
Jazeera Airways (code J9; www.jazeeraairways.com) Kuwait.
KLM (code KL; www.klm.com) Amsterdam.
Kuwait Airways (code KU; www.kuwait-airways.com) Kuwait City.
Lufthansa (code LH; www.lufthansa.com) Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich.
Pegasus (code LH; www.flypgs.com/en) İstanbul.
Qatar Airways (code QR; www.qatarairways.com) Doha.
Syrian Arab Airlines (code RB; www.syriaair.com) Damascus.
Tajik Air (code 7J; www.tajikair.tj) Dushanbe.
Turkish Airlines (code TK; www.turkishairlines.com) İstanbul.
UM Airlines (code UF; www.umairlines.com) Kiev.
Tickets & Routes
If you’re going to Iran you probably know how to find a fair-priced plane ticket, so we’ll keep this brief.
Most travellers fly into Tehran, though Shiraz is a good alternative if you want to avoid back-tracking. Buying tickets in Iran for flights from Iran is best done through an agent; Iranian airlines have yet to master internet bookings or even reservations.
The Middle East is a popular staging point, with several airlines connecting Tehran, Esfahan, Shiraz and Kish to the rest of the world via various Gulf airports. Iran Air and other Iranian and regional airlines fly to/from Abu Dhabi (UAE), Bahrain, Beirut (Lebanon), Damascus (Syria), Doha (Qatar), Dubai (UAE), Kuwait, Sharjah (UAE), İstanbul and Ankara, among others. It’s worth checking whether your airline flies to Shiraz, Bandar Abbas, Qeshm or Kish Islands, because shorter flights are cheaper and it could save you doubling back to Tehran.
Flights to Central Asia are less frequent and more expensive than you might expect, though things are getting better. Iran Air, Iran Aseman and Caspian Airlines fly between Tehran and Almaty (Kazakhstan), Ashgabat (Turkmenistan), Baku (Azerbaijan), Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan), Dushanbe (Tajikistan) and Tashkent (Uzbekistan), and the respective national carrier usually does too. Ariana flies to Kabul.
Elsewhere in Asia, India, Pakistan, China, Japan, Thailand and Singapore are all connected by direct flights to Tehran. Travellers from Australia and New Zealand usually stage through these (usually Singapore or Bangkok) or the Middle East. Connecting to Africa is best done on Emirates or Etihad in the UAE.
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CLIMATE CHANGE & TRAVEL
Climate change is a serious threat to the ecosystems that humans rely upon, and air travel is the fastest-growing contributor to the problem. Lonely Planet regards travel, overall, as a global benefit, but believes we all have a responsibility to limit our personal impact on global warming.
Flying & Climate Change
Pretty much every form of motorised travel generates CO2 (the main cause of human-induced climate change), but planes are the worst offenders, not just because of the sheer distances they allow us to travel, but because they release greenhouse gases high into the atmosphere. The statistics are frightening: two people taking a return flight between Europe and the US will contribute as much to climate change as an average household’s gas and electricity consumption over a whole year.
Carbon Offset Schemes
Climatecare.org and other websites use ‘carbon calculators’ that allow travellers to offset the level of greenhouse gases they are responsible for with financial contributions to sustainable travel schemes that reduce global warming – including projects in India, Honduras,