Iranian MPs to Examine Purchase of Russian, Ukrainian Planes
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Iranian parliament's Civil Commission plans to hold a special meeting on Tuesday to examine the purchase of some planes from Russia and Ukraine, the chairman of the commission said.
Speaking to the Tasnim News Agency, Mohammad Reza Rezaei-Kouchi said a number of officials from Iran's Civil Aviation Organization (CAO) plan to attend a meeting with the members of the parliament's Civil Commission on Tuesday.
He added that in the meeting, the country’s contracts to purchase planes from the ATR, Airbus and Boeing will be discussed.
The lawmaker further said some reports on the purchase of Sukhoi Superjet 100 from Russia and Antonov from Ukraine will be examined.
Earlier this month, Head of the CAO Ali Abedzadeh highlighted the country’s need for at least 500 civil airplanes and said the CAO is trying to facilitate importing such aircraft.
Abedzadeh told Tasnim that the number of planes in Iran’s civilian air fleet is not sufficient and therefore, flights cannot be operated to all cities of the country.
He also said that some airlines have voiced intention for buying airplanes and the CAO is working to facilitate importing the aircraft.
The aviation official went on to say that given Iran’s huge market, the country needs 500 new airplanes.
The re-imposed US sanctions have hit Iran's aircraft industry alongside other important sectors. ATR, a French-Italian manufacturer, delivered five new commercial aircraft to Iran in August before the start of the sanctions. Boeing and its European rival Airbus have lost billions of dollars in aircraft deals with Iranian airlines due to the embargoes.