Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 27
By Dalga Khatinoglu - Trend:
Iran has no plan to establish a direct flight with the US, said Mohammad Baqer Nobakht, the government spokesman and the head of Iran's Management and Planning Organization.
He made the remarks during a press conference on Jan.26, Mehr News Agency reported.
Nobakht said that Iran's airplanes can conduct flights to any country, now that the sanctions over fuel have been lifted.
Further speaking about the direct Iran-US flight, he expressed hope that Iran's airlines would compete with foreign companies, however currently there are no plans to establish a direct light to the US.
Nobakht's statement is contradictory to the previous statement of Iran Air CEO Farhad Parvaresh, who said on Jan. 24 that negotiations are in progress for conducting direct flights between Iran and the US.
The US-led sanctions on aircraft and spare parts exports to Iran have left the Iranian airlines saddled with not only some of the oldest fleet in the Middle East, but in the world. Iranian officials say the country needs to buy up to 500 passenger planes in the next 10 years to renovate its ageing fleet.