Kish International Airport — Kish Island, Iran

KIH serves Kish, a small coral island in the Persian Gulf that Iran designated a free trade zone in the 1990s, transforming what had once been a private retreat for the country's last shah into a duty-free shopping and resort destination for Iranian and regional visitors. Because of its special economic status, many nationalities have historically been able to enter Kish without the visa normally required elsewhere in Iran, making the island and its airport a comparatively easy entry point for travelers exploring the country or simply visiting for leisure. Shopping malls, beach resorts, and dive operators drawn to nearby coral reefs support much of the local economy, alongside curiosities like the restored Kariz underground water system, an ancient qanat structure reopened as a tourist attraction. Domestic flights connect KIH primarily to Tehran, Shiraz, and other Iranian cities, with the airport handling especially heavy traffic during Iranian holiday periods.