From the Transfer of Domestic Flights to Imam Airport to the Possibility of Canceling the Airbus Contract

The Iranian aviation industry is not experiencing good days; last week it was announced that there is a possibility of canceling the Airbus contract, yet four ATR aircraft are ready for delivery to Iran. On the other hand, the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development announced that soon some domestic flights will be transferred from Mehrabad Airport to Imam Airport. Airbus has stated that it is reviewing the details of U.S. sanctions, but there is little chance that it will be able to deliver aircraft to Iran despite these sanctions. Currently, any passenger aircraft that has at least 10% of its parts made by American companies must obtain official permission from the U.S. Treasury Department or OFAC to be sold to Iran. The U.S. Treasury Department has announced that the license related to the sale of aircraft to Iran will be revoked after a 90-day period. Airbus had signed contracts and memorandums of understanding with Iran Air for the sale of 100 aircraft, with Iran Air Tours for 45 aircraft, and with Zagros Airlines for 28 aircraft. In total, Airbus was supposed to sell 173 aircraft to Iran. Furthermore, Airbus's cooperation with Iran Air is significant from another perspective, as Iran Air is one of the important customers for two new models of the company, namely the wide-body A330neo and A350 series 1000. Iran Air has placed the second-largest order for the A330neo model after AirAsia. According to Airbus, AirAsia ordered 66, Iran Air 28, and Delta Airlines in the U.S. ordered 25 of the Airbus A330neo series 900. However, the CEO of Iran Air has stated that before the return of U.S. sanctions, Iran Air will likely receive three Airbus and eight ATR aircraft. Four ATRs are ready for delivery to Iran. Four ATR aircraft with painted bodies are ready for delivery to Iran Air. ATR has announced that it will try to deliver a large portion of the agreed aircraft to Iran Air before the return of sanctions. ATR is set to deliver a total of 20 short-range aircraft to Iran, of which eight have been delivered and four others are ready for delivery. Generally, it can be said that the ATR 72 is one of the safest aircraft in the world in the short-range class. Production of this aircraft began in 1988, and six series of this model have been manufactured to date. ATR aircraft are small and have propeller engines. This factor leads some to claim that these aircraft are inefficient. However, contrary to the impression created by the appearance of this aircraft, the technology of this product is very complex and up-to-date. Additionally, the safety of this model is very high, and it can land on dirt or water in emergency situations. The speed of this aircraft is several hundred kilometers less than larger aircraft equipped with turbofan engines, but this lower speed is an advantage for short routes, as the fuel consumption of this aircraft is much less than that of larger aircraft, making it economically viable to fly to small and less crowded airports. The Ministry of Roads and Urban Development of Iran has announced that some domestic flights will be transferred from Mehrabad Airport to Imam Airport. Shahram Adamnejad, CEO of Imam Khomeini Airport City, stated, "This year, after the opening of the Salam Terminal, part of the existing terminal capacity will be allocated to domestic flights, provided that airlines welcome this plan. We are preparing another development plan in consultation with an advisor, which, if necessary, will establish a completely separate corridor for domestic flights." Some experts do not find the transfer of domestic flights to Imam Airport logical. These experts argue that Imam Airport does not have enough runway and is very far from the city of Tehran. Moreover, this airport currently does not even have the capability to provide adequate service for international flights. In contrast, proponents of transferring some domestic flights from Mehrabad Airport to Imam Airport argue that individuals who do not live in Tehran are forced to travel from Imam Airport to Mehrabad for flights to their cities within Iran, as most international flights go to Tehran. However, transferring some domestic flights to Imam Airport could make it easier for these passengers. The Boeing 777 turned 24 years old last week. This aircraft ended the dominance of four-engine aircraft on long-haul routes and effectively caused many to prefer this model over the Boeing 747. Iran Air also intended to purchase 30 of this model in its contract with Boeing, but after the cancellation of the Boeing contract following the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA, Iran Air was deprived of this model. After signing the contract with Boeing, Iran had the chance to receive this model sooner when Turkish Airlines canceled the purchase of two Boeing 777s due to financial problems. At this time, Boeing offered Iran Air the sale of these two models, but Iran Air did not accept this request. Some say that Iran Air and the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development of Iran rejected this golden opportunity due to fear of criticism from government opponents. An incident occurred with a Sukhoi Superjet last week when an aircraft experienced a motor problem during a domestic flight in Russia. The pilot faced a fire warning in one of the engines of this aircraft, which was a SaM 146 model, and quickly requested to land. After landing, it was determined that the issue was with the warning systems, and the engine had not caught fire. Currently, the airlines Aseman and Iran Air Tours have signed a contract to purchase 40 Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft. Aseman announced in a press release that this model of aircraft is the latest design from the Sukhoi Superjet 100 series, equipped with avionics and a series of other parts that are outside the scope of sanctions. The Sukhoi Superjet 100 family has a capacity ranging from 78 to 98 seats in various classes.