Imam Khomeini Airport, Tehran
 

Any idea what the unsafe runway issues that the UK and Canada have with this airport now finally open? Seems that there is a major diplomatic row brewing with Britain and Canada posting warnings advising against travel to this particular airport, and the Iranians threatening to sever diplomatic ties in retaliation. Emirates started operating there yesterday and have stated they are fully satisfied the airport is safe. What's going on....Mutt you were very impressed with your 'Field trip' there last year, maybe you can shed your two halalas worth on the situation

Oceanic, we toured that airport about a year ago which was when it was supposed to open. EK were supposed to be the first airline. We certainly didnt have any complaints about the airport nor did the EK airport review team!~

We are compelled to stay at the old airport due to the type of passengers that we carry, I've therefore not looked at the airport in the last year. I would be interested in knowing what the UK/Canada are complaining about.

Mutt.

Please let me lead by stating that this is a RUMOUR site....

When the airport was abruptly closed last year by the Iranian military, there was a rumour doing the rounds that there had been a major radioactive spill at the airport.

If true, that would probably be the uranium or plutonium (or whatever) that the Iranians were / are importing for umm... peaceful purposes.

Yeah apparently they were all sneaking around and bumping into each other in the darkness of the wee hours, loading buckets of bombs onto trucks when one of "the help" with two right-feet tripped over his dress and spilt something you could see glowing from A418.

I'm sure it's all okay now though. They wouldn't re-open it unless it was absolutely safe.

[B]A bit of the real story:[/B]
 

April 27, 2005 (Reuters)

Iran said on Wednesday it would re-open the country's flagship international airport on Saturday, almost one year after military vehicles took over the runway and shut it down on its first day in operation.

The Imam Khomeini International Airport, built to serve the capital Tehran, has been a political hot potato for President Mohammad Khatami's reformist government, which has been forced to delay its re-opening several times.

Revolutionary Guards took over the airport, located 30 miles (45 km) south of Tehran, after just one flight had arrived on the opening day last May, citing security concerns.

Hardline parliamentarians took up the cause soon afterwards, criticizing the government's decision to entrust the operation of the airport to a Turkish engineering consortium TAV.

The airport will now be operated be a group of local airline companies led by flagship carrier Iran Air, Reza Jafarzadeh, spokesman for Iran's Civil Aviation Organization said.

As with last year's aborted opening, flights to and from the new airport will start on Saturday with routes to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

"Starting May 9, all flights from Tehran to UAE, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait and vice versa will be from Imam Khomeini International Airport," the Civil Aviation Organization said in a statement.

International carriers serving Iran have expressed concerns about the lack of public transport links to the new airport, which, due to Tehran's heavy traffic congestion, lies more than 90 minutes travel time away from parts of the capital.

The airport, plans for which were drawn up over 30 years ago, is designed to replace Mehrabad Airport closer to Tehran's city center which handles around 9 million domestic and international passengers a year.

"It is not yet definite when all flights will be moved to the new airport," Jafarzadeh said.

The real story is nowhere near as interesting though!:E

Another twist (or should that be 'spin'?) to the original tale at the time of the sudden closure last year was that the Iranian military (read 'a couple of top generals') were upset that the commercial contract for the running of the new airport went to a Turkish/Canadian consortium and not to the people they thought should have got it - ie, they/them/themselves.

Now that rings even more true than the radioactive spill story. (Still, it might be interesting to see what happens to your trusty dosiemeter [if you have one] when and after a visit to Imam Khomeini International.)

Todays newspapers are saying that the British have become aware of ancient irrigation channels known as qanats underneath the runway, they are concerned that these could impair the runway strength!

Sounds like utter tosh~!

As for the closure of the airport, I would agree with 7x7, I believe that it has more to do with the fact that the airport was built by a foreign consortium who were going to operate it for X years before handing it back to the country. As the airport is now going to be operated by a local airline consortium, I would be interested in knowing if the foreign group got refunded for their initial investment?

Mutt.