Iran to get 10 new airlines within six months

EghtesadOnline: Iran says it has authorized the creation of 10 new airlines within the next six months in what appears to be part of the country’s aggressive campaign to expand its air mobility infrastructure.

News ID: ۷۴۲۳۹۷

30 June 2017

Ali Abedzadeh, the head of Civil Aviation Organization of Iran, said the financial supporters of the new airlines were already purchasing planes from global providers, according to PressTV.

Abedzadeh expressed hope that some of the new airlines would become operational before or in early 2018.

He added that the new carriers would provide a variety of services that focus on flights to domestic, regional and international destinations.  Some of them, the official emphasized, would only provide charter flight services.

Abedzadeh said the minimum investment required for launching a new airline in Iran is around $90 million.

He further emphasized that the establishment of new airlines would encourage competition among carriers - what he said would eventually lead to the improvement of services in Iran’s aviation industry.

The announcement over the establishment of new airlines comes as Iran is pushing ahead an aggressive campaign of purchasing planes from global provides like Airbus, Boeing and ATR.

On Thursday, Forbes said the European aviation major Airbus had won a race from its American rival Boeing in selling planes to Iran.

It added that Airbus had already attracted a mix of firm orders and memorandums of understanding for 173 aircraft with a collective deal value of tens of billions of dollars.

The report said Boeing had accrued orders and options for 140 planes, while the smaller European turboprop-maker ATR attracted orders and options for 40 aircraft.

Iran’s shopping spree, Forbes added, already promises a complete overhaul of its aviation sector. The report added that the number of planes ordered amount to almost double the current active Iranian fleet.