Airports across the country are to be equipped with new radar systems made by western companies, said Mohammad Ali Ilkhani, the managing director of the Iranian Airports Company (IAC), on Monday.
"Three major companies from France, Italy and Spain are to provide Iran with the new radar systems and navigation equipment," IRNA quoted Ilkhani as saying.
He said the three companies are among major producers of radar systems in the world with one of them producing "nearly 35% of the world’s navigation equipment."
The Rouhani administration's foreign policy, especially its approach towards resolving the decade-long nuclear dispute with the West, has convinced European companies to return to the Iranian market, Ilkhani noted.
On November 24, 2013, Iran and six world powers signed an interim nuclear deal in the Swiss city of Geneva in an attempt to end a 12-year dispute over Iran's nuclear energy program. According to the agreement called the Joint Plan of Action, the world powers agreed to ease sanctions imposed on Iran in return for Tehran suspending part of its nuclear program.
Last year, Ilkhani said, "the western companies were not even ready to negotiate with Iran," adding that the new approach of the government has enabled Iran to purchase goods with higher qualities at lower prices in international tenders.
"According to our estimation, $250-$300 million is currently needed for the renovation of the country's radar systems," he said, adding that more investment has to be made on the radar systems in the next three years.
