European Company 'ATR' to Sell 20 Twin-Engine Aircraft to Iran

The aircraft manufacturing company 'ATR' announced on Thursday, April 13, that it has signed a $536 million contract with 'Iran Air' for the delivery of at least 20 aircraft to Iran. This is the latest instance of contracts between international aircraft manufacturing companies and Iran following the nuclear agreement with Tehran and the lifting of sanctions against Iran. According to the Associated Press, David Vargas, spokesperson for 'ATR', confirmed the sale of 20 twin-engine aircraft of the model 72-600 and stated that 'Iran Air' has the option to purchase an additional 20 aircraft. He added, 'These aircraft will undoubtedly help modernize and improve domestic flights across Iran.' Vargas did not disclose the total amount of the contract. The confirmed and announced figure for this contract, according to the aircraft sales price list, is about $536 million, although buyers typically request discounts when purchasing in large quantities. Farhad Parvaresh, CEO of Iran Air, told the IRNA news agency that this French-Italian company will deliver 9 aircraft of the model 72-600 in 2017 and the remaining orders in 2018. He added that four of the aircraft will arrive in Iran one month after the contract is finalized. The Associated Press reminds that the contract with 'ATR' is also a result of the lifting of international sanctions against Iran, which was implemented after the nuclear agreement between Tehran and the major global powers to limit the Islamic Republic's nuclear program. This agreement ended years of sanctions on the aviation industry and the sale of civilian aircraft to Iran, and aircraft manufacturing companies quickly began to contract with Iran. Boeing has so far signed a $16.6 billion contract with Iran Air, and its European competitor Airbus has also signed a contract worth an estimated €22.8 billion. In addition, Boeing earlier this month signed a $3 billion contract to sell 30 aircraft of the model 737 MAX to Aseman Airlines. Some American politicians have expressed concern about the sale of these aircraft to Iran, and Donald Trump still holds a critical view of the nuclear agreement with Iran overall.