Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 28
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
No aircraft can be imported by Iranian airlines without permission of the country's Civil Aviation Organization (CAO), the organization head, Ali Abedzadeh said.
Abedzadeh made the remarks while reacting to reports about signing contracts by Iranian airlines for buying Russian twin-engine Superjet 100 aircraft.
Before buying any aircraft the CAO studies its flight standards as well as compliance with the country's airports and some other needed parameters, Abedzadeh said, Iran 's official IRNA news agency reported Sept. 28.
After the studies, the organization makes decision on issuing license for aircraft import, he underlined.
He further said that signing contracts for aircraft buying is out of his organization's authority.
Only aviation companies are responsible for purchase or lease of aircraft, Abedzadeh added.
Manouchehr Manteghi, secretary of Iran's Technology Development and Knowledge-based Aviation and Aeronautical Industries Headquarters said Sept. 23 that Tehran has signed $21 billion worth of contracts in the aviation field including documents for buying Russian Superjet 100 aircraft on the sidelines of the MAKS-2015 International Aviation and Space Salon held in Russia in August.
Iranian airlines are interested in using the aircraft in their fleet, Manteghi said, adding alongside with buying the planes, Tehran plans to indigenize plane-manufacturing technology to build some parts of the aircraft inside the country.
The 108-seat Sukhoi Superjet is the first new airliner Russia has developed since the fall of the Soviet Union.
It was earlier announced that three Iranian Kish Air, Zagros and Caspian airlines have held talks with Russian Sukhoi to buy Superjet 100 aircraft.
It is while Iranian Roads and Urban Development Minister Abbas Akhoundi said Sept. 22 that no negotiations have been made with the Russian aircraft manufacturer, and all the talks have been made with Airbus and Boeing. Iran has no plan to use Russian Sukhoi to revamp its aviation fleet, the minister added.
Iran has announced that needs about 400 passenger planes in ten years to modernize its fleets, which would cost about $20 billion.
The country's four largest carriers -- Iran Air, Aseman Airlines, Mahan Air and Iran Air Tours -- all have average fleet age above 22 years, according to the Iranian media outlets.
Edited by CN
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