TEHRAN-The Managing Director of the Islamic Republic of Iran Civil Aviation Organization (CAO) announced that Airbus Group is to provide Iran with five to eight aircrafts by the end of 2016, the IRIB news agency reported on Monday.

“According to a previously signed contract between the French civil aircraft manufacturer and the Airline of the Islamic Republic of Iran (Iran Air), five to eight Airbus A-320 and Airbus A-330 aircrafts will be sold to Iran in the said time,” Ali Abedzadeh said.

The CAO head underlined that the European plane manufacturers are keen on selling their products to Iran and the existing barriers hindering the process of making contracts are mainly political, which would be solved in the near future.

Iran is seeking to modernize as soon as possible its ageing passenger plane fleet, which has been badly hit by sanctions over the past few years, according to the country’s Transport and Urban Development Minister Abbas Akhoundi. 

The national aviation fleet has an average age of 20 years, which is projected to be reduced to 12 years, Abedzadeh said previously.

Iran agreed on January 28 to buy 118 Airbus jets worth $27 billion, after international sanctions were lifted against Tehran on January 16.

Also, on February 1, Iran's national flag carrier Iran Air signed a deal for up to 40 turboprop planes from Franco-Italian producer ATR.
 
Boeing Co. also said in mid-February that it had gotten U.S. clearance to enter talks with airlines in Iran. 

Iran is also interested in buying 50 airliners from Brazilian plane maker Embraer SA.

HJ/MA