Iran Air Receives 2nd New Airbus

Iran Air's first Airbus A330-200 with the registration number EP-IJA will leave Toulouse Airport tomorrow for Tehran. It will land in Mehrabad Airport 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, according to Iran Air's website.

Iran Air has taken delivery of its first new A330-200, the first of 45 A330 family on order, The Airbus Group said in a statement on Friday.

"The delivery of the aircraft is part of Iran Air’s major fleet renewal plan and is the first wide body from a firm order placed by the national carrier of Iran in December 2016 for 100 Airbus aircraft (46 single aisle and 54 wide-body jets) to renew and expand its fleet with new aircraft," the statement read.  

Iran Air’s A330-200 features a two class cabin layout, seating 32 passengers in business and 206 in economy.

"The delivery, which took place at the Airbus delivery center in Toulouse, marks yet another milestone for Iran Air, as it celebrates its 56th anniversary since establishment," it added.

Meanwhile, news went viral in the local Iranian media over the weekend that Iran would on Saturday receive the second passenger jet as part of the multibillion-dollar agreements it signed with major planemakers following the signing of the July 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and the ensuing removal of sanctions, though no relevant official was available to confirm it.

New Wide-Body Airbus Jet Lands in Tehran

Iran Air's new Airbus A330-200 landed in Tehran's Mehrabad Airport on Saturday 8:57 a.m. On board the plane were deputy minister of roads and urban development, Asghar Fakhrieh-Kashan, and the flag carrier's CEO Farhad Parvaresh who had officially received the plane in Airbus delivery center in Toulouse, France late Friday.

Iran Air's new Airbus A330-200 landed in Tehran's Mehrabad Airport on Saturday 8:57 a.m. On board the plane were deputy minister of roads and urban development, Asghar Fakhrieh-Kashan, and the flag carrier's CEO Farhad Parvaresh who had officially received the plane in Airbus delivery center in Toulouse, France late Friday.

Iran Air's new Airbus A330-200 landed in Tehran's Mehrabad Airport on Saturday 8:57 a.m. On board the plane were deputy minister of roads and urban development, Asghar Fakhrieh-Kashan, and the flag carrier's CEO Farhad Parvaresh who had officially received the plane in Airbus delivery center in Toulouse, France late Friday.

Iran Air has said it hopes to receive another Airbus A330 aircraft by the end of the current Iranian year (March 20, 2017). The second Airbus A330 (EP-IJB) has been spotted in Toulouse Airport.

On January 12, Iran Air was delivered an Airbus A321.

A background check of the incoming A330 shows the plane was initially built for the Sao Paulo-based Avianca airline, which canceled its order before delivery. The delivered A321 was also sold to Iran after it was canceled by another buyer.

Iran finalized the Airbus contract to receive a total of 100 jets on December 22. The deal is worth $18-20 billion based on list prices though Iran Air CEO Farhad Parvaresh has been quoted as saying that the value of the contract would not exceed $10 billion, considering the number of placed orders and the current market conditions.

The contract covers 46 of the narrow-body A320 family that includes the A321 model, 38 long-haul A330s and 16 of Europe's newest long-range model, the A350.

In addition to the Airbus deal, Iran Air has also signed a deal to purchase 80 planes from Boeing and is close to a deal to buy turboprop aircraft from Toulouse-based ATR.

Uncertainty has been surrounding the implementation of the Boeing deal since Donald Trump was elected as US president. However, the Trump administration's Treasury Department stated on Monday that it would continue to grant licenses to companies such as Boeing so that they can pursue multibillion-dollar deals with Iran, The Washington Free Beacon reported.

Iran Air has been in talks with ATR for over a year to purchase 20 short-haul aircraft, with the option of adding 20 more in future. This contract is worth $400 million.

Iran Air executives had said that they expected a few ATR deliveries by March 20, which marks the end of the current Iranian year.

Nonetheless, deputy minister of roads and urban development, Asghar Fakhrieh-Kashan, recently said the deliveries might be postponed as there remain difficulties to resolve before signing a final contract.

“Considering that technical negotiations with ATR are still in progress, the delivery of a few planes might be postponed to after Norouz holidays,” the official was quoted as saying.

Norouz holidays mark the beginning of the new Iranian year (March 21, 2017) and last about two weeks.

“Issues regarding after-sales services for Canadian engines of the plane have yet to be resolved,” he added.

ATR and the Iranian carrier have failed to reach a final contract as yet, amid uncertainty over licenses for engines made by a Canadian subsidiary of Pratt & Whitney. It is America's top military engine-maker that supplies to the F-35 fighter project.

Political risks of dealing with Iran has forced Pratt & Whitney to adopt a cautious stance, at a time when Trump is attacking the F-35 project, as part of his general criticism to aerospace firms for going over budget.