Iran to take delivery of ATR planes soon
By Trend
Iran's Deputy Transport Minister Asghar Fakhrieh Kashan said the
country would take delivery of European turboprop aircraft in less
than three months.
Several ATR 72-600 planes will be delivered to Iran over the next
three months, Fakhrieh Kashan told ILNA news agency on May 21.
The aircraft will be part of 20 ATR 72-600s deal which flag carrier
Iran Air signed in 2017 as part of the country’s bid to rebuild its
aviation fleet after years of sanctions.
Iran took delivery of the first four ATR aircraft in May 2017 and
two more in September, the same year.
The 70-seat planes are aimed at underserved local economies, used
in flights over a maximum distance of 1,528 kilometers. They will
be operating among regional cities as part of a commercial plan,
covering a populous crescent straddling Iran’s northwest and
northeast.
Elsewhere in the interview, the Iranian deputy minister said Tehran
has entered fresh round of talks with Airbus to determine the fate
of its contract with Iran.
In December 2016, France-based Airbus Group signed a deal to sell
Iran 100 jetliners worth about $19 billion at list prices. It has
delivered three planes so far.
However, Airbus may backtrack on its promise to deliver the rest of
the planes following US President Donald Trump’s decision to leave
the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers.
In a speech from the White House on May 8, Trump announced the US
withdrawal from the 2015 agreement, officially known as the Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action, between Iran and the Group 5+1
(Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany).
The US plans to reinstate sanctions against Tehran, with firms
given 90-day or 180-day grace periods, depending on their business
sector.
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