Iran’s air traffic demand is bound to increase as the country joins the world market following a nuclear deal with P5+1 (the US, the UK, France, Russia, China and Germany), said the minister of roads and urban development. “The positive developments of late will enable us to purchase directly from the top global aircraft manufacturers,” Eghtesad News quoted Abbas Akhoundi as saying.
Referring to the need of 67 airports for short-range transport aircraft, Akhoundi said: “I personally held talks with two French short-haul aircraft manufacturers in my recent trip to Paris.” Talks were held with aerospace giants Boeing and Airbus as well and interim agreements will gradually be upgraded to also include operations. “We are trying to eliminate intermediaries in the coming months,” he noted.
One major breakthrough of the nuclear deal for Iran is the chance to tap into international credits such as export credit insurance systems or aircraft leasing types of wet and dry-leasing, which western countries grant to the aircraft manufacturers, the minister added.
“To regain our place in civilian aviation industry in the region we are bent to renovate and rebuild two domestic carriers namely Iran Air and Iran Aseman Airlines.”
He invited all western European carriers, which had halted their fights to Iran over sanctions, to resume their services. Akhoundi had stated earlier that Iran needs about 400 passenger planes to modernize its fleets.
In another development, Russia’s Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov announced that his country has initiated talks with Iran over the supply of Sukhoi Superjet passenger planes. “Not only Superjets, but also other technologies are being met with certain interest from our Iranian comrades,” The Moscow Times quoted him as saying. The 108-seat Sukhoi Superjet is the first jetliner Russia has developed since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
