President of Iran Civil Aviation Authority, Muhammed Muhammedibehş, said that 50 planes and helicopters were purchased and brought to the country in the last 18 months, 20 of which joined the flight fleet.
According to the Iranian official agency IRNA, Muhammedibehş made a statement regarding the need for aircraft in the country.
Muhammedibehş stated that the civil aviation sector needs 550 aircraft, “50 aircraft and helicopters were purchased and brought to the country in the last 18 months. They are gradually being included in the flight fleet.” said.
Stating that the planes and helicopters purchased from different countries are second-hand, Muhammedibehş said that 20 of them are already included in the flight fleet, and the rest will take flight gradually.
The Iranian official stated that the aim of the institution is to buy medium-range aircraft, and in order to cope with the embargo and strengthen the sector, they plan to prepare some of the 330 aircraft above 10 years old, which are lying on the ground, for flight.
Muhammedibehş noted that 180 aircraft are currently actively used in the country, and some of them are repaired and included in the fleet.
AIRCRAFT EMBARGO TO IRAN
The US embargo, which started after the Iranian revolution in 1979, also included the sale of civil and military warplanes to Iran and the supply of spare parts for these planes as of 1995.
The planes in Iran Air’s fleet consist of Boeing, Airbus, Fokker and Tupolev bought before the 1979 Iranian revolution. From time to time, Iran buys second-hand planes from other countries, registers them on behalf of different countries to overcome the embargo, and then brings them to the country.
Due to the old age of the Iranian planes and the problems in the supply of parts, the malfunctions in the planes lead to the postponement or cancellation of the flights.
After the 2015 nuclear agreement between the Tehran administration, permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and Germany (P5+1), the USA gave permission for the sale of aircraft to Iran.
Wanting to take advantage of the optimistic atmosphere brought by the agreement, Iran made a $40 billion deal with the US aircraft manufacturer Boeing and the European aircraft manufacturer Airbus, which is a partnership with American companies.
Iran, which ordered 20 aircraft of the “72-600” type from the joint aircraft manufacturer company of France and Italy, ATR, was able to receive only 13 of the aircraft. (AA)