Franco-Italian aviation player ATR has delivered two more turboprop planes to Iran’s national flag-carrier airline Iran Air thus bringing the total number of deliveries to six from a package of 20.
The planes can carry 70 passengers and would be used in flights over a maximum distance of 1,528 kilometers.Iran Air took delivery of the first four ATR aircraft in May, with the rest due to be handed over to the country by the end of 2018, including a further three this year.
Iran Air’s deal with ATR that was signed in early 2017 includes options for a further 20 aircraft and a training program for Iranian pilots and engineers.
The planes will be operating among regional cities as part of a commercial plan, covering a populous crescent straddling Iran’s northwest and northeast.
Iran’s aviation officials had already said the ATR fleet may be based in the Caspian city of Rasht to connect small towns to big cities such as Tabriz and Mashhad in Iran and the Azerbaijani capital of Baku.
Iran is also renovating its aging fleet for international or long-distance flights under deals signed with Airbus and Boeing.The deal with Boeing, signed in December, is for the purchase of 80 passenger planes.
In January, Iran Air signed agreements to buy 118 planes from Airbus, before cutting the number to around 100.Given the type of the orders, the total value of the three contracts for the purchase of 200 aircraft from Airbus, Boeing and ATR is less than $18 billion.
The country has so far received three Airbus jets and will get another by end-year. The first Boeing is due around May 2018.—Agencies
(realiran.org)
