Iran has taken delivery of five second-hand planes to boost the fleet size of its domestic airlines amid sanctions that have effectively barred the country from purchasing brand new aircraft.
Head of Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization (CAOIRI) Mohammad Mohammadi Bakhsh said on Thursday that the five Airbus and Boeing planes that had arrived in the country in recent days had an average age of 15 years.
Mohammadi Bakhsh said the planes will be supplied to three domestic airlines without identifying their names.
He hailed the arrival of the planes as a success for Iran amid US sanctions that seek to paralyze the civil aviation system in the country.
“Despite the sanctions, the country’s aviation fleet is being renovated and rejuvenated,” the official told the IRIB News.
CAOIRI spokesman Hassan Khoshkho indicated in a statement late on Wednesday that four of the newly-arrived planes were Airbus A340s that had been manufactured in France. The official would not elaborate on more details.
Iran’s flag carrier Iran Air had announced in mid-November that it had plans to increase its active fleet size by five planes until March.