The government has reached preliminary agreements to buy 15 passenger planes by the end of 2015, IRNA quoted deputy minister of roads and urban development, Asghar Fakhrieh, as saying on Sunday. He did not elaborate on the type or age of the planned purchases. Earlier, Minister of Roads and Urban Development Abbas Akhoundi unveiled plans to buy 500 short-, middle- and long-range passenger planes by 2025. Iran is rejuvenating its aging air fleet after years of economic sanctions by the West over the country’s nuclear energy program. As part of the July 14 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, the sanctions are soon to be lifted.
