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Fourth Fokker plane added to Iran Air Oil Fleet

Ahvaz - Iran Air Oil Fleet's 4th Fokker 100 plane was added to it at a ceremony attended by fleet's managing director and staff members here Monday. According to IRNA reporter in Ahvaz, the IAOF Managing Director Captain Hossein (Shahriar) Talebzadeh said at the ceremony, "This plane was manufactured in 1996 and was flying till a couple of weeks ago at a reputable and standard European airline."

Captain Talebzadeh added, "The plane whose code is EP-SUS (after the oldest city in Khuzestan Province and the entire world, Susa), can carry 100 passengers and thus the IAOF passenger capacity increases from the former 520 into the new 620 passengers."

He reiterated, "The maximum flight speed of this cruise type plane in 845 km/hr and its average flight speed is 737 km/hr," adding, "The flight length of the plane with 109 passengers is 505 kilometers."

Talebzadeh reiterated, "Although the production of this type of planes ended in the year 1996, some countries' airlines filed demands for buying more of them later on and therefore Fokker increased its production of Fokker 100 and Fokker 70 several times later on."

The IAOF managing director said that his affiliated fleet's number of planes is now increased into 9.

He reiterated, "The 3rd Fokker 100 was added to our fleet two months ago and in order to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the country's oil industry its code is EP-MIS." (After Masjed Soleyman Oil Field - the country's first of its kind).

He said that the fleet has 24 pilots at the time and has recently hired ten more that are passing their training courses and getting ready for flying.

Captain Talebzadeh said that the country's oil industry has 900 hours of monthly flights of which 450 hours are covered by the IAOF.

He said that in accordance with international standards each IAOF plane can fly 200 hours a month, while they are currently flying 160 hours each, which is why increasing the total flight hours up to 600 to 700 hours in currently possible.

He added, "The National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) and the National Iranian Petrochemical Company (NIPC) owe 120 billion rials (over 12 million US dollars) to the IAOF, arguing, "If that money would be paid faster and on time the air fleet's status would improve noticeably."

Talebzadeh said that the IAOC has 190 flights weekly from Tehran, Ahvaz, Mash'had, Tabriz, Bushehr, Shiraz, Isfahan, Jam, Lamerd, Bahregan, Abadan, Bandar Lengeh (port city), Asalouyeh, and the Iranian islands of Kharg, Lavan, Siri and Kish.

Captain Talebzadeh added, "The IAOF is one of the safest airlines and has in recent years been offering services to the country's industries, particularly in passenger transfer field in Khuzestan Province.

© IRNA 2009