Airbus 330 Approaches Iran

After a Brazilian company canceled its order for two Airbus 330 aircraft due to financial issues, these planes will be delivered to Iran Air. Meanwhile, Iran Air's orders are delayed for several months due to Airbus's full capacity. Iran Air is set to receive two Airbus 330s by the end of this year, an order that will now be delivered sooner due to the cancellation by the Brazilian company. With the arrival of these aircraft, Iran Air's canceled flights on Asian routes, such as to China and Malaysia, will resume. Iran Air has temporarily suspended all its long-haul flights due to the grounding of its Boeing 747s. The company, which had flights to Latin America until a few years ago, has gradually reduced its long-haul services, first stopping flights to Japan, followed by those to Malaysia and China. East Asian countries, particularly China and Malaysia, account for the highest number of long-haul foreign travelers to Iran. Currently, part of this transportation is handled by Mahan Air and other Chinese airlines, as well as AirAsia. The addition of the Airbus 330 will help revive the lost routes of the airline. Until a year ago, Iran Air had about 50 operational aircraft, but due to aging issues, this year the fleet has only 26 operational planes. With the addition of one Airbus 321, this number has increased to 27, and with the addition of two Airbus 330s and two ATR 72 aircraft by the end of the year, the operational fleet will reach 31. Next year, about 16 new aircraft, including models from the Airbus 320 and 330 series and ATR 72, are expected to be added to the fleet, bringing the total to 47, which will alleviate the current crisis to some extent. The NEO model is the latest version of the Airbus 330, which has been in production since 2015. This aircraft can carry 400 passengers and has a flight range of 12,000 kilometers. Iran Air's orders primarily consist of the NEO model, which is the most advanced version. The two Airbus 330s were originally built for Avianca Airlines in Brazil and were supposed to be delivered through an airport in Spain. However, before final delivery, the Brazilian company canceled its order with Airbus due to financial problems. Therefore, these two aircraft have been transferred to France to be repainted and have the name 'Homa' inscribed on their fuselage before being delivered to Iran Air in the coming weeks. Iran has ordered a total of 100 Airbus aircraft, of which 38 are Airbus 330s in various series. Considering the price alongside factors such as range, seating capacity, and Iran's familiarity with Airbus, the Airbus A330 is the best option for wide-body aircraft purchases in Iran. The Airbus 330 in the 200 series can carry 250 passengers, and in the 300 series, it can carry 300 passengers in two classes. The price of this aircraft ranges from $230 to $260 million; this model has a flight range of 11,000 kilometers and can cover many of Iran Air's long-haul flights. Abbas Akhoundi, the Minister of Roads and Urban Development, stated: 'Soon, two Airbus 330s and several ATR aircraft will enter the country. Additionally, 9 Airbus A321 and A330 aircraft will be delivered in 2017. We used a simple lease-to-own method to purchase these aircraft, and Iran Air will buy the aircraft at an initial price... This is the first time aircraft purchases through leasing have been made in Iran. Due to sanctions against Iran, we have handed over the airline transportation economy to foreigners in recent years, and the people of Iran have paid $4 to $5 billion annually for tickets to travel abroad in recent years.'