Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 7
By Khalid Kazimov - Trend:
Iran has launched its first all-concrete runway in Tabriz Airport in East Azerbaijan Province, IRIB news agency reported on Feb. 7.
The Iranian First Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri attended the official ceremony of launching the runway.
The runway is 4 kilometers long and 60 meters wide. Along with the lighting equipment, it cost 400 billion Iranian rials (each 34200 rials making one USD) to construct the runway.
The lighting network uses over 180 kilometers of wirework.
The surface concrete is 35 centimeters deep and was laid after a 105-centimeter layer of earth was removed and necessary foundation laid.
The runway is said to accommodate landing for all existing aircrafts, even the huge Airbus 380.
According to statistics from 2013, Iran had 319 airports which made it the 22nd country in the world with most airports.
Meanwhile, Iran's aviation industry has suffered greatly from economic sanctions.
A report on Dec. 27 said that 100 Iranian airplanes were still grounded due to technical and logistic issues caused by the sanctions.
On July 24, AFP reported that Boeing had struck a deal with Iran Air, the country's flag carrier, to provide plane parts, the first time the U.S. firm will be doing business with Iran since the U.S. embargo of 1979.
According to a regulatory filing published on July 23, Boeing will supply goods and services "related to the safety of flight" to Iran Air.
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