Iran's Minister of Roads: Only Eight Out of 60 Airports in the Country Are Operational

Abbas Akhoundi, Iran's Minister of Roads and Urban Development, stated on Tuesday, July 27, that despite investments made, only eight out of a total of 60 airports in the country are operational. According to IRNA, Akhoundi made these remarks during a meeting with contractors, economic, civil, and transportation activists in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, emphasizing that increasing welfare, living standards, and wealth of the people are among the ministry's policies. He noted that improving air communications in the country is part of the ministry's agenda. The minister specified that only eight airports are currently operational, while the remaining airports, despite significant investments, are underutilized. Akhoundi also mentioned that currently, there are only 12 airplanes in the country that were manufactured after the year 2000. He added that the national airline fleet is completely outdated, with an average aircraft age of 23 years, just one year shy of the retirement age of 24 years. The Minister also stated that Iran Air (Homa) was the fifth airline in the world that needs to be revived. Following the nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers last year, Iran signed contracts with Airbus and Boeing for the purchase of passenger aircraft. Iran signed an initial contract for the purchase of 118 Airbus aircraft worth $27 billion in January. As part of extensive plans to modernize its transportation industry after the lifting of sanctions, Iran has ordered a total of seven different models of aircraft from Airbus and Boeing. However, some experts express doubts about the integration of new models into Iran's air fleet without improvements in infrastructure and marketing in the Iranian air travel industry.