The unprecedented surge in the number of overflights and the need to observe International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) requirements has necessitated the allocation of $200 million credit to purchase new air-navigation equipment and systems, Ebrahim Shooshtari, operation vice-president of Iran’s Airports Organization said to IRNA.
Based on the comparative studies that have been conducted at the recommendation of ICAO in the past two years, air-navigation infrastructures are in need of renovation and for this purpose, the purchase of modern and advanced equipment is vital for Iran’s airline industry. “Upon the completion of purchase, we are hopeful to start using the new equipment in airport terminals across the country in accordance with our plans,” he said.
The number of overflights over Iranian sky has surged dramatically this year from an average number of 500 overflights per day last year to 950. In the meantime, the number may increase further based on seasonal changes and special occasions.
“Local flight control, communication and navigation specialists have made it possible to use the existing equipment and navigation radars to direct overflights that do not land or take off on Iran’s soil but pass through our airspace on their way to another country,” Shooshtari explained.
The number of Iranian airlines has reached 96 as a result of “the recent surge in the number of overflights and a growing interest among airliners”. Iran currently holds 24-hour air traffic with 11 neighboring countries.
Shooshtari said the sustainable security of Iranian skies, direction of overflights based on ICAO standards by suitable communication and air-navigation systems and the unrest in Ukraine, Iraq and Syria as the main factors behind the surge in the number of overflights in the past few months.
