Tehran, Iran, May 21
By Kamyar Eghbalnejad - Trend:
Iran's Deputy Transport Minister Asghar Fakhrieh Kashan said the country would take delivery of European turboprop aircraft in less than three months.
Several ATR 72-600 planes will be delivered to Iran over the next three months, Fakhrieh Kashan told ILNA news agency on May 21.
The aircraft will be part of 20 ATR 72-600s deal which flag carrier Iran Air signed in 2017 as part of the country’s bid to rebuild its aviation fleet after years of sanctions.
Iran took delivery of the first four ATR aircraft in May 2017 and two more in September, the same year.
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.
Elsewhere in the interview, the Iranian deputy minister said Tehran has entered fresh round of talks with Airbus to determine the fate of its contract with Iran.
In December 2016, France-based Airbus Group signed a deal to sell Iran 100 jetliners worth about $19 billion at list prices. It has delivered three planes so far.
However, Airbus may backtrack on its promise to deliver the rest of the planes following US President Donald Trump’s decision to leave the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers.
In a speech from the White House on May 8, Trump announced the US withdrawal from the 2015 agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, between Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany).
The US plans to reinstate sanctions against Tehran, with firms given 90-day or 180-day grace periods, depending on their business sector.
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