British Airways has confirmed it is relaunching direct flights from London to Iran – the first British airline to offer the service in four years.

British Airways has confirmed it is relaunching direct flights from London to Iran – the first British airline to offer the service in four years.

Travelers will be able to fly direct from London Heathrow Terminal 5 to Tehran from July 14 when the six-weekly service launches.

The flights – available to book from February 3 – will then increase to daily flights from this winter, IRNA news agency reported.

Up until now, only the national carrier Iran Air has offered direct flights between London and Iran, as sanctions, travel warnings and poor relations have kept foreigners and investors away from the Islamic Republic.

Iran Air’s London services are limited due to restrictions on the airline using European airspace, so most British tourists en route to Iran have had to fly indirect, often via Istanbul.

Confirming the return of the direct service, Neil Cottrell, British Airways’ head of network planning, said Iran is a “large and growing economy” and that it had “exciting new prospects” , as a tourist destination.

Willie Walsh, British Airways’ chief executive, hinted that the London-Tehran route would return last month, telling a conference the company was “actively looking” at services and hoped Iran would form part of its flight network, in “the very near future.”

The airline suspended flights in October 2012 when British Midland International (BMI) became part of British Airways and the route was “no longer commercially viable”, according to a BA spokesperson.