Tehran, Iran, November 1
By Mehdi Sepahvand -- Trend:
Iran has bought 13 Boeing-737-400 passenger planes, two of which will arrive in the country on November 2.
Three of the airplanes were purchased by Caspian Airlines, two by Aseman Airlines and eight by Nasim Airlines, Fars news agency reported November 1.
Also, a source said that a BAE AVRO had been bought by Mahan Airlines two days earlier.
The source said that the two airplanes to be brought into the country have been purchased by Nasim Airlines, which is a newly-launched company headed by a former chief executive of the Iranian Airlines Company.
The airplanes were manufactured between 1995 and 2000.
This comes despite a recent regulation that has prevented the country's airline companies from importing planes greater than 15 years old.
Justifying the purchase, the official said basic arrangements to buy the airplanes had been made before the regulation came into effect.
According to the official, Nasim Airlines is based in the city of Isfahan in central Iran, which is Iran's tourist hub, and has been dubbed as the country's cultural capital.
He added the airline company will start operation in February, next year.
Iran has a decrepit civil aviation fleet, with some airplanes averaging 25 years of age, partly due to international sanctions. The country is in the midst of a drive to upgrade its fleet. It is planning to add some 400 new airplanes in the first five years after sanctions are removed.
The sanctions are to be lifted according to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action reached between Iran and the 5+1 group (the US, the UK, France, Russia, China and Germany) in July.