Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 31
By Farhad Daneshvar - Trend:
Iran and Airbus will ink the final contract on the acquisition of 118 airliners within 20 days, Iranian minister said.
So far, Iran and Airbus have signed a preliminary contract for the purchase of 118 Airbus craft, Iran's Roads and Urban Development Minister, Abbas Akhoundi, said in a televised interview with the state-run TV IRIB1 on Jan. 30.
Although he said that the contract is worth $10.5 billion, the contract value was earlier estimated about $25 billion.
Saying that Iran Air, the flag carrier airline of Iran, has signed an agreement with Airbus for the acquisition of 45 A320 family, 45 A 330 family, 16 A 350 and 12 A 380 airliners, Akhoundi added that under the terms of the contract, Airbus will deliver the aircraft, acquired by Iran under lease deal, within eight years as off mid-February.
Estimating that currently Iran Air carries about 4.5 million passengers per year, he expressed hope that the figure will reach 88 million by putting the new aircraft into service.
On Jan. 28 Iran signed a deal with Airbus for the purchase of 118 aircraft from the European manufacturer on the sidelines of a meeting between Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and French President Francois Hollande in Elysee Palace.