Azernews.Az

Iran plans to start manufacturing "Iran 141" a small passenger plane, head of Iran's aviation organization Manouchehr Manteghi said on November 15, Mehr news agency reported.

Manteghi said the plane would be one of the new generation-type aircrafts, and would be doing inter-city flights inside Iran.

He also said the plane would be doing flights of one hour or less in length.

"Some parts of the plane have already been designed, and if there is sufficient budget, the manufacturing will continue," he said, expressing hope that by the end of the current Iranian calendar year, the construction of the plane would be finished.

Previously, on October 30, Deputy head of Organization of Aviation industry of Iran, Mohammad Mehdi Hadevi said that Iran's 150-seat passenger plane - the first of its kind manufactured in the Middle East - will be ready by 2017.

He added that Iran already held talks with China and Russia for cooperation in manufacturing one such plane, and in 2017 it will have its test flight.

Head of Iran Civil Aviation Organization Hamidreza Pahlevani in July 2013 said that the plane will be designed in cooperation with the Ministry of Defense, the Plane Manufacturing Company of Iran (HESA), Sharif, Amirkabir, Elm-o Sanat, and Isfahan universities. It will be equipped with turbojet engines.

Iran has several private and public airline companies in operation. The oldest is state-run Iran Air. Due to imposed sanction on Iran, international companies are banned from selling aircraft or their spare parts to the country.

Iran is currently cooperating with Ukraine and Russia in the production and operation of the Antonov An-140 airliner which can carry 52 passengers.

After purchasing the production license for the An-140 from Ukraine in 2000, Iran built its first Iran-140 passenger plane in 2003.