Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 12
By Rahim Zamanov - Trend:
Shaheen Air has recently purchased two Airbus 320 and one Dassault Falcon jet, director of Tosse'e Tarabar Iranian Investment Group, Delavar Najafi, said on January 12, the Fars News Agency reported.
"The aircraft have not joined the airlines' fleet yet," Najafi explained.
Head of Iran Civil Aviation Organization Alireza Jahangiri said on December 7 that most of Iran's current aircraft would be out of service by Iranian calendar year of 1404 (2025) so the country needs to annually add 30 aircraft to its air fleet.
"That would annually cost at least one billion dollars for Iran's aviation industry," the ISNA News Agency quoted Jahangiri as saying.
"Although the number of Iran's aircraft increased to 240 from the previous figure of 140 in the past 8 years, but since most of them are old, the country's air fleet was practically developed by only 20 percent in the mentioned period," he said.
Former Head of Iran Civil Aviation Organization Hamidreza Pahlevani said on November 10 that Iran has imported seven aircrafts.
"Six other aircrafts will be added to the country's air fleet in near future," the ISNA News Agency quoted Pahlevani as saying.
"The country has added 24 Airbus to its air fleet from the beginning of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21), 3 of them Airbus 320," he said, adding that 21 aircraft were imported to Iran previous year.
Pahlevani previously said that Iran plans to increase the number of its aircraft up to 550 by Iranian calendar year of 1404 (2025), adding that by continuing this trend the country will certainly achieve the goal.
The Iranian Roads and Urban Development Minister Abbas Akhoundi said on September 11 that the situation of Iran's aviation industry is not satisfactory.
"The country's air fleet is old which raises safety concerns," the Tasnim News Agency quoted Akhoundi as saying.
"The consumers are not satisfied with the services the domestic airlines provide," he added.
He went on to note that old airplanes consume more fuel compared to the new ones; therefore the new aircraft are economically justified.
Managing Director of Iran Airtour Airline Sirous Baheri said on September 1 that over 60 percent of Iran's total 220 airplanes are grounded due to technical and logistic issues.
Iranian airlines' air fleet is averagely 22 years old, the ISNA News Agency reported.