Iran to Hold Aviation, Aerospace Exhibition

The four-day exhibition will be mounted by the Iranian Aviation and Space Industries Association at the International Mehrabad Airport, Tehran.

The event will provide an opportunity for the Iranian state-owned and private companies, airlines, knowledge-based aerospace companies, academic centers, aviation publications and producers of aeronautical parts to showcase their abilities.

Iran has several private and public airline companies in operation. The oldest is the state-run Iran Air.

Iranian officials say the country has made eye-catching progress in the quantity and quality of national civil air services in recent years.

The developments, however, come against the backdrop of the US-led sanctions against the country's civil aviation industry over its nuclear energy program.

The US imposed sanctions of 1995 ban aviation companies from selling aircraft and repair parts to Iranian airlines. The US sanctions endanger the safety of civil aviation in Iran because they prevent Tehran from acquiring parts and essential support for aviation safety.

The sanctions are also contrary to article 44 of the Chicago Convention, to which the US is a signatory.

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), however, says aviation safety affects human lives and human rights, and stands above political differences. The organization says international public pressure must be brought on the US to lift the sanctions against Iran.