Azerbaijan, Baku, Sep.21/ Trend R.Zamanov /
Iran has added 2 Airbus 321 aircraft to its air fleet for the past two weeks, Head of Iran's Civil Aviation Organization Hamidreza Pahlevani said on Saturday.
"The country has added 22 Airbus to its air fleet from the beginning of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21)," the Mehr News Agency quoted Pahlevani as saying.
"Iran plans to increase the number of its aircrafts up to 550 by Iranian calendar year of 1404 (2025)," he said, 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 customers are not satisfied with the services rendered by the domestic airlines," he added.
He went on to note that old airplanes consume more fuel compared to the new ones; therefore the new aircrafts are economically justified.
The Managing Director of Iran Airtour Airline Sirous Baheri said on September 1 that over 60 per cent 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.
"Iranians airlines are facing great losses due to the low price of domestic flight tickets," Baheri said.
"Iranian airlines are currently having difficulties to compete with the foreign airlines," he added.
"Not having connection with the manufacturers is one of the main problems of the domestic airlines, which has made it difficult for them to repair their airplanes," Baheri stated.
The head of the association of Iranian airlines Abdolreza Mousavi said in May that Iranian airlines are unable to pay off their fuel debts to the Oil Ministry due to their bad financial situation.
"Many airplanes of the national fleet have been grounded due to financial problems," he said, adding that spare parts and components are purchased from second-hand sources with great difficulties.
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