Tehran, Iran, Oct. 25
By Mehdi Sepahvand – Trend:
Three major Iranian airlines owe a sum of $365 million to the National Oil Product Distribution Company (NOPDC), the company’s CEO Mansur Riahi said.
Naming the three airlines as Iran Air, Asman, and Mahan, he said their debt constitutes 77 percent of all the debt owed to NOPDC by Iranian airlines, Tasnim news agency reported Oct. 25.
He added that NOPDC proposed a plan to banks according to which the fuel fee will be automatically subtracted from the fare paid by passengers and go to the NOPDC account.
The NOPDC has been trying to make airlines pay their debts over the past years.
In June the company’s former CEO said a plan was to be launched soon for airlines to pay for their fuel by cards, which would require instant payment.
However, sources later said that airlines had lobbied against the implementation of the plan.
Last week, an Oil Ministry official said the implementation of the plan had been postponed to further notice due to payment system problems.
He also said however that the airlines have been paying for all their purchases since a year ago, but have been refraining from paying their past dues.