IRAN EXPANDING AIR FLEET

Fars News Agency
2009-08-11

Economy

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Minister of Road and Transportation Hamid
Behbahani said on Tuesday that the country has purchased 35 passenger
planes during the last year in an effort to renew and expand its fleet.

"During the last 11 months, an average number of 3.3 airplanes have
been added to the Iranian air fleet each month," Behbahani told
reporters, noting that 29 of the 35 purchased planes are western-made
and the other 6 have been manufactured in Eastern European.

He also reiterated that the ministry has recently bought 5 airplanes
from foreign companies which are all almost brand new.

Noting that purchasing planes needs ample time and energy due to
the special conditions created by economic sanctions against Iran,
Behbahani declined to explain more about the type, name or model of
the newly-purchased planes or the countries of their origin.

Iran witnessed two air crashes recently. The first incident happened
when a Tupolev-154M crashed shortly after take-off from Tehran en
route to the Armenian capital of Yerevan on July 15, killing all 168
passengers onboard.

Ten days later, 16 people were killed and 21 others were injured when
an Aria Air plane crash-landed in the northeastern city of Mashhad.

The Iranian government is urged by the aviation officials and the MPs
to take appropriate and rigid measures against the western sanctions
on Iran’s aviation industry.
From: Baghdasarian