Germany’s Lufthansa is excited by the possibilities offered by the opening up of Iran, especially for its maintenance and catering divisions, the airline group’s chief executive told Reuters.
Carsten Spohr said he would be traveling to Iran shortly and that talks with partners had intensified.
“I think there’s a high interest for Lufthansa Technik and catering services, but also for additional destinations and capacity on the cargo and passenger side,” he said on Friday in an interview at the group’s main Frankfurt base.
Austrian Airlines, part of Lufthansa, has said such destinations could include the cities of Isfahan and Shiraz.
Iran and six world powers struck a deal on Tehran’s disputed nuclear program on July 14, as part of which sanctions against the country are soon to be lifted.
Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines have been able to maintain flights to the Iranian capital Tehran through the sanctions, Spohr noted.
“Lufthansa has always kept services into Tehran over the last difficult years, so did Austrian and this is now paying off.”
Last week, member of Commission of Representatives at Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture, Mahmoud Najafi, said, “Lufthansa has been in talks with the government over the past weeks for direct investment in airport construction in Iran in addition to establishing new flights.
Iran is planning to upgrade its aging air fleet after years of sanctions imposed by the West over Tehran’s nuclear energy program prevented the country from doing so. As part of a landmark nuclear deal reached in July, economic sanctions are about to be lifted.
