Over 1,284 tons of commodities worth $231.32 million were exported from the airport during the same period, according to the director general of IKIA’s Customs Department.
“The exports saw a 125% rise in terms of value compared with the corresponding period of last year,” Gholamreza Saffari Taheri was also quoted as saying by IRNA.
The main exported goods included saffron, gold, carpets and medicine, he added.
Taheri said 6,396 tons of goods worth $824.77 million were imported from China, Germany and India through IKIA during the same period.
“Medicines, raw materials for medicines and medical production equipment were the top imported goods during the period under review,” he added.
The official noted that IKIA handled 65,057 passengers during the three-month period under review.
“A total of 46,495 passengers entered Iran through IKIA, while 18,562 exited the country during the period,” he said.
According to the director general of IKIA’s Customs Department, the airport earned 5.83 trillion rials ($24.59 million) in customs revenues in Q1 to witness a 24% year-on-year growth.
He highlighted the strategic potential of IKIA as Iran’s biggest international airport, announcing that 30,000 tons of goods worth $4 million were cleared and transited through the customs of IKIA’s Free Zone in the three months.
Taheri noted that more than 1,150 tons of Covid-19-related medical equipment, such as ventilators, mask production machines, coronavirus test kits and thermal scanning machines have been imported into the country through IKIA since the virus showed up in the country in mid-February.
Fiscal 2019-20 Trade via IKIA at $5.6b
Iran's trade from the airport in the last fiscal year (March 2019-20) stood at more than $5.6 billion.
According to Taheri, $862 million worth of goods were exported through the airport's customs during the period, indicating a 58% rise in terms of value compared to the preceding year.
Around 36,300 tons of commodities worth $4.8 billion were imported through IKIA’s customs during the same year, up 12% YOY.
Last fiscal year's customs revenues hit 32.3 trillion rials ($136 million) to register a 38% rise compared to the year before.
About 6.7 million people were transported through the airport last year, of whom 3.36 million were incoming travelers and 3.41 million went overseas.
Biggest Share of Int'l Flights
IKIA has the biggest share of international flights operating in Iran, making it the third fastest-growing major airport in the world.
Operated by Iran Airports Company, IKIA is located 30 kilometers southwest of Iran's capital city Tehran.
IKIA's new Salaam Terminal officially launched its first flight on June 22, 2019. It is Iran’s first smart terminal designed by domestic experts and designers.
The terminal has the capacity to transport five million passengers per year, increasing IKIA's overall capacity by 80%.
IKIA authorities have planned the construction of a new terminal to boost the major hub’s capacity to handle more passengers and goods.
Imam Khomeini International Airport registered 41,168 takeoffs and landings in the last Iranian year, registering a 13% YOY decrease, and transported more than 133,369 tons of cargos, showing a 6% decrease YOY. IKIA ranked third on the list of Iran’s busiest airports during the 12-month period after Mehrabad and Mashhad international airports respectively.