Tehran, Iran, January 8
By Mehdi Sepahvand –- Trend:
The first airplane recently bought by Iran from Airbus will enter the country by January 13, said Farhad Parvaresh, CEO of the Airline of the Islamic Republic of Iran (Iran Air).
The airliner has received the registration certificate from the Civil Aviation Organization of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Parvaresh told Fars news agency January 8.
He said that the airliner will be used for domestic flights for the time being.
“We are currently installing some software inside the cockpit. The airplane will be brought to Iran with the Iran Air logo, the Iran flag, and by Iranian pilots,” the official said.
He hoped that by the Iranian New Year (March 21), more of the Airbus airplanes purchased under the same deal would be delivered to Iran Air.
Airbus signed a firm contract December 22 for the sale of 100 aircraft to Iran Air, as Tehran and Western companies race to re-open trade almost a year after sanctions against Iran were lifted.
Airbus said the contract, which Iran flagged earlier this week, covered 46 Airbus A320 planes, 38 A330 planes and 16 A350 XWB aircraft, with deliveries due to begin in early 2017.
The timetable for the deal suggests the first Airbus A321 could arrive before the Jan. 20 inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump, who has opposed the deal to lift most sanctions on Iran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear activities, and well ahead of Iranian presidential elections in May next year.