Iran to develop Kish into regional aviation hub

The Iranian government is planning to develop Kish into a regional aviation hub Moheb Khodaei, the deputy director for tourism affairs of the Kish Free Trade Zone, has said.

Khodaei told Iran's Press TV that plans are afoot to develop the airfield into the country's second largest airport with the imminent construction of a new terminal capable of handling 4.5 million passengers per annum.

While a popular international tourist spot prior to the Islamic Revolution of 1979, Kish has turned more insular with the only scheduled carriers to serve it all local operators. According to the ch-aviation airport database, those operators include: ATA Airlines (Iran), Iran Air, Iran Airtour Airline,Iran Aseman Airlines, Kish Air, Meraj Air, Naft Airlines, and Zagros Airlines (Iran).

With the advent of a new terminal, Tehran intends to attract more Muslim tourists - India in particular.