Tehran, Iran, May 3
By Kamyar Eghbalnejad - Trend:
Purchase of short-haul regional planes by Iran following the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers has revived the country’s small airports, a report said.
According to the report from Iran's Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, plans for adding 20 planes to the country’s ageing aviation fleet in the light of the nuclear agreement has made Iran’s small airports busy again.
The 20 aircraft are ATR 72-600s, which flag carrier Iran Air signed in 2017 as part of the country’s bid to renew its aviation fleet after years of sanctions.
Iran took delivery of the first four ATR aircraft in May and two more in September. So far, Iran has received eight new ATR turboprops. The rest are expected to be delivered to the country by the end of 2018.
The 70-seat planes are aimed at underserved local economies, used in flights over a maximum distance of 1,528 kilometers. They will be operating among regional cities as part of a commercial plan, covering a populous crescent straddling Iran’s northwest and northeast.
Iran Air, using the short-haul planes, have been able to establish routes among various cities, including Sanandaj, Abu Musa, Sari, Jahrom, Khoy, Pars Abad, Bandar Lengeh and Kalaleh, the report added.
Iran’s aviation officials have reportedly said the ATR fleet are based in the Caspian city of Rasht to connect small towns to big cities, such as Tabriz and Mashhad in Iran and the Azerbaijani capital of Baku.
