17 Airbus Passenger Aircraft to Join Iran's Air Fleet by Year-End

On Monday, November 8, Reuters reported on an agreement between Iran and a foreign leasing company for the purchase of aircraft. By signing this contract, Iran will add 17 passenger aircraft from Airbus to its air fleet. According to the report, for Tehran, signing this contract, given the opposition in the U.S. and Iran to selling aircraft to Iran, signifies overcoming a significant barrier to the modernization of its air fleet following the lifting of economic sanctions against the country. Iranian officials have not disclosed the name of the foreign company, but it is likely that the Emirati company 'Dubai Aerospace' is the one that, after necessary discussions with Iran, has agreed to finance the purchase of these aircraft and has reached an agreement with Airbus. This Emirati company is expected to lease the passenger aircraft to Iran. Airbus and Dubai Aerospace have yet to respond to this news, and the full execution of this contract is contingent upon obtaining a license for the sale of U.S.-made parts for these aircraft. After reaching a nuclear agreement with the P5+1 group, Iran announced its desire to purchase over 100 passenger aircraft from Boeing and Airbus. According to Reuters, Iran is expected to soon sign a similar contract with the American company Boeing with the help of a third party. Fakher Dagestani, a spokesperson for Boeing in the Middle East, told Reuters that the U.S. government has allowed discussions with Iran for the sale of aircraft to Boeing, but finalizing a contract with Iran still requires U.S. government approval. Reuters added that achieving such contracts benefits both Western aircraft manufacturers and helps President Hassan Rouhani's government strengthen its policy of engagement and rapprochement with Western countries. While Reuters reported that a hardline member of parliament views the aircraft purchase as part of Hassan Rouhani's election policies, a senior government official emphasized that flight safety for citizens is the government's top priority, stating that at least twenty aircraft will join Iran's air fleet by the end of the current solar year. Iran's air fleet is very outdated, and due to sanctions, it has not been allowed to modernize and purchase advanced aircraft. Therefore, President Hassan Rouhani has declared the modernization of the air fleet as one of his policy priorities. The newspaper Donya-e-Eqtesad reported on Monday, citing the Minister of Roads and Urban Development, that 'currently, there are 266 aircraft in Iran's passenger air fleet, of which 110 are inactive. Therefore, we only have 156 active aircraft with an average age of 23 years.' Saeed Leilaz, an economic expert in Tehran, stated on November 6 to ILNA news agency that Iranians spend about five to six billion dollars annually on tickets from foreign airlines. He said that in this situation, those who oppose the purchase of new aircraft are actually speaking in favor of foreign companies and defending these companies.