Ten passenger planes with an average age of 11 years will join Iran’s air fleet by the end of the current Iranian year (March 19, 2016), says deputy head of Civil Aviation Organization of Iran, Mohammad Khodakarami.
“Negotiations with international manufacturers are at the final stage,” he was quoted as saying by ISNA, without disclosing any names.
However, Khodakarami noted that the incoming planes are not made by Russian planemakers Tupolev and Sukhoi.
His comment comes, as Russian media have repeatedly claimed Iran is planning to buy passenger planes from the country. Russian aircraft were also heavily advertised during a recent exhibition held in Tehran.
There is a widespread reluctance in Iran for flying Russian-made planes due to their poor safety record.
“No domestic airline has so far placed a request to import Russian planes,” Khodakarami said.
Following prolonged sanctions on Iran’s aviation industry, the average age of Iran’s civil fleet has grown to 23 years.
CAOI last year said Iran needs between 400 and 500 passenger aircraft during the next 10 years to upgrade its fleet.
