Tehran, Iran, August 20
By Mehdi Sepahvand -- Trend:
Iran imported 15 secondhand airplanes last year to use their parts in its aging airline fleet, state agency IRNA reported August 20.
Iranian and Western aviation companies had started to cooperate well before the Iran and major world powers clinched a nuclear deal, the report says.
" An Iranian aviation company managed to purchase 12 second-hand liners and use it in domestic flights. In a year, following a preliminary agreement on nuclear issues between Iran and major world powers (2014), another Iranian company imported 17 more Airbus planes to the country of which 15 were used in international flights and two of them were dismantled to be used in Iranian aging planes".
The report also highlights that Iran's minister of road and urban development, Abbas Akhoundi had also discussions with Airbus officials two weeks before the nuclear deal reached.
Iran reached interim nuclear deal with P5+1 in November 2013 and the comprehensive nuclear deal was achieved on July 14, 2015.
According to the report, the Iranian minister in his news conference in International Diplomatic Academy even threatened France that Paris might lose 80 billion dollars worth trade with Iran if the country does not change its stance towards Tehran.
In a meeting between Abbas Akhoundi and French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, in Tehran two weeks after the nuclear deal was reached, Iran's urgent need for 50 passenger airplanes was stressed, the report says.
The report concludes, although the sides did not sign any agreement, however the way was paved to buy brand new planes from the world's famous companies.
Iran has announced that it needs 400 new airplanes with worth $20 billion in next 10 years.
Edited by CN