IRNA: Boeing to Deliver Two 777 Aircraft to Iran Air by Next Month

Iran's state news agency IRNA, citing an 'informed source' at Iran Air, reports that the airline will receive between two to three Boeing 777 wide-body aircraft from the American manufacturer Boeing by next month. The unnamed Iran Air official stated on April 8 that 'this aircraft was supposed to be delivered to a Turkish airline, but that company has withdrawn from the purchase.' The Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development for International Affairs also told IRNA that 'the first aircraft from the 80 planes that Iran Air has agreed to purchase from Boeing will join Iran Air's fleet within a month.' According to IRNA, the arrival of these aircraft could increase the passenger capacity of this state-owned company 'to 11,100 seats.' Iran Air has reached an agreement with Boeing to purchase 80 aircraft, of which 30 are 777 models and 50 are 737 models; the latter are set to be delivered to Iran Air 'over a 10-year period.' The Boeing 777 is a twin-engine wide-body aircraft capable of flying nearly 16,000 kilometers and can carry between 314 to 396 passengers. The Boeing 737 is a short to medium-range aircraft capable of transporting between 85 to 215 passengers. The latest generation of this aircraft, the 737 Max, is expected to be utilized starting this year. Iran Air and Boeing signed the final purchase agreement for 80 aircraft worth $16.6 billion in Tehran last December. However, Iranian officials have stated that they will pay half of the announced price due to a reduction in the purchasing options proposed by Boeing. Boeing has not commented on this matter. The Boeing-Iran Air contract is linked to the potential achievement of a nuclear agreement. Nonetheless, criticisms have arisen in the United States regarding this issue, which continued with the understanding between the airline 'Aseman' and Boeing; for example, Republican House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling recently criticized the understanding with 'Aseman.' The Republican-controlled House of Representatives had previously attempted to pass a bill to prevent the sale of aircraft. On the other hand, Republican Senator John McCain stated that although he is a critic of the nuclear agreement with Iran and 'has no interest in helping Iran,' the contracts are 'legal.' Democratic Senator Ben Cardin also mentioned that as long as agreements proceed based on the 'JCPOA,' the U.S. Congress cannot take specific actions to prevent them. Over the past decades, following various sanctions imposed on Tehran, Iran's passenger air fleet has become severely outdated; most of Iran's advanced aircraft were purchased before the revolution. Iranian government officials say they intend to bring up to 400 new aircraft into this fleet over the next decade.