Iran, Tehran, Feb. Mar. 30
By Milad Fashtami - Trend:
Western companies still refuse to provide Iran with plane parts, Head of Iran Civil Aviation Organization Alireza Jahangirian said on March 30, Iran's Tasnim News Agency reported.
"This is against the Geneva deal which was signed between Tehran and the P5+1 countries," he said.
"The western companies say they need US Treasury's approval for doing business with Iran," Jahangirian said.
He went on to note that some new aircrafts would be added to the country's air fleet in spring.
"Iran has added 14 aircrafts to its air fleet in the past two months," he said.
Jahangirian explained that based on the Geneva deal only sanctions on plane part have been lifted, and purchasing aircrafts are still under sanctions.
Jahangirian said on December 7 that most of Iran's current aircrafts would be out of service by Iranian calendar year of 1404 (2025) so the country needs to annually add 30 aircrafts to its air fleet.
"That would annually cost at least one billion dollars for Iran's aviation industry," the ISNA News Agency quoted Jahangirian as saying.
"Although the number of Iran's aircrafts 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 per cent in the mentioned period," he said.
Iran plans to increase the number of its aircrafts up to 550 by Iranian calendar year of 1404 (2025).
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.