Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 10
By Rahim Zamanov - Trend: Iran has imported seven aircrafts, former Head of Iran Civil Aviation Organization Hamidreza Pahlevani said on Sunday.
"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 aircrafts 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 costumers 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 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.