Boeing to sell 100 passenger planes to Iran

Tehran, June 19:  Iran has reached an agreement with the US Boeing to purchase 100 passenger planes to renew the country’s aging fleet, the media reported on Sunday. The deal awaits the US government’s approval, head of Iran’s Civil Aviation Organisation (CAO) Ali Abedzadeh said, Xinhua reported.

“We have 250 planes in the country, 230 need to be replaced,” said Abedzadeh, adding that there could be no precise timeline for the contract without the US Treasury’s permission.

Reportedly, the value of the deal amounts to $17 billion, but it is open for further negotiations. On Wednesday, Iran’s Minister for Roads and Urban Development Abbas Akhoundi said the deal with the US aircraft manufacturer was filised and more details would be disclosed in a few days. In January, Iran reached an agreement with Airbus to buy 118 passenger planes worth around $27 billion.

The country has announced its need for about 400 passenger planes in the next decade to modernise its aging fleet, according to Tehran Times daily. Reports said Iranian airliners are no longer interested in buying more Russian planes, as their performance during the period when Iran was under heavy Western sanctions was poor and unsatisfactory. (IANS)