25 October 2010
Iran has added 108 passenger aircraft to its fleet since 2005, Iranian Roads and Transportation Minister Hamid Behbahani announced.
Behbahani said on Sunday that only 97 passenger aircraft have been in service before 2005, IRNA reported.
The Iranian minister further added that some 83 airports are active in the country, 13 of which are international airports.
In August, Behbahani said that Iran plans to add 8 Boeing MD and 6 Airbus passenger planes to its air fleet.
"Joining new Western planes into the fleet and replacing old planes show the ineffectiveness of US sanctions on importing new planes and aircraft spare parts," he told Fars News Agency.
Behbahani said 5 Boeing MD planes have already joined the country's air fleet as Iran is currently trying to renovate its planes.
In reaction to several accidents involving Russian-built Tupolev passenger planes in Iran, the country weighs discharging its entire Tupolev fleet.
More than 20 Tupolev airplanes are currently in service by different Iranian airline companies.
Iran has suffered a string of aviation disasters over the past decade, most involving private airlines using Russian-made planes and crew.
In the worst plane crash in Iran, a Tupolev-154M, crashed shortly after take-off from Tehran en route to the Armenian capital of Yerevan on July 15, 2009, leaving all 168 passengers onboard dead.
IRAN-140 Plane
Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi announced on Saturday that his ministry is ready to mass-produce the home-made IRAN-140 passenger and cargo plane.
"Once the Roads and Transportation Ministry makes the decision for purchasing such airplanes from the Defense Ministry, the Ministry is fully prepared to manufacture them," Vahidi told Fars News Agency.
He further pointed out that his ministry has already manufactured seven IRAN-140 planes and would soon finish production of the eight and nine planes.
The Defense Ministry is ready to mass-produce the airplane on demand, Vahidi said, reminding that the aircraft which can be used as a 52-seater passenger plane is also good for cargo transportation and marine patrolling.
The IRAN-140 is a double-engine turboprop aircraft which can fly almost 1,865 miles before re-fuelling and seats 52 people.
The head of Iran's Aerospatiale Industries Organization (AIO), Majid Hedayat, said in 2008 that the aircraft would be equipped with the needed technology for undertaking marine patrol missions.
The first IRAN-140 aircraft was introduced by Iran in 2003. Five domestically-manufactured IRAN-140 planes were completed in October 2008 to increase the country's transportation capacity and upgrade the Iranian air force.
Last month head of Iran Aviation Industries Organization (IAIO) Manouchehr Manteqi said that Iran plans to replace Topolov passenger and cargo planes with 'Iran-140' passenger planes for short-distance flights.
Speaking in a press conference on "Iran's Aviation and Space Capabilities" in Tehran, he pointed out, "Iran-140 planes will fly in the country's sky before the yearend (March 2011)."
He described Iran-140 as one of the most powerful planes of its class.
Iran has already manufactured a twin-turboprop aircraft, the Iran-140, which is a licensed copy of the Ukrainian Antonov An-140.
It can carry 52 passengers or six tons of cargo, has a medium-haul range of 2,100 kilometers (1,250 miles) and is being built with Ukrainian help.
Fuel Boycotts
Despite certain European airports' refusal to refuel IranAir planes, none of the company's flights have been cancelled, the head of the Iranian flag carrier said.
"In addition to European oil companies, some of non-European companies have also imposed restrictions on providing IranAir planes with fuel, but this issue has not resulted in the cancellation of the company's flights," the company's chairman, Farhad Parvaresh, said on Saturday.
Parvaresh added that Iranian planes were facing no refueling problems in other airports, explaining further that the Iranian airline would get its required fuel from other oil companies.
Pointing to international regulations and the Chicago Convention, the IranAir chairman said the fuel refusal was in violation of such laws in place, adding that Tehran would legally pursue the matter through international bodies.
"The Chicago Convention has clearly announced that sanctions should not be adopted against passenger airplanes," IRNA quoted Parvaresh as saying.
"When two countries sign aerial contracts, they are duty-bound to facilitate the safe and secure flight of the other country's national carrier," he explained.
"The Islamic Republic has provided all such facilities for aerial companies which have flights to Iran," Parvaresh said, adding that Tehran expects the same from these companies.
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said Tuesday that the measure was illegal and it did not even fall under the UN Security Council's (UNSC) resolution against the country, adding that Iran will not tolerate such illegitimate moves and will retaliate should such efforts continue.
This comes as The Washington Post reported last week that several major oil firms, including British Petroleum, Royal Dutch Shell and Q8, have abruptly cancelled jet fuel delivery contracts with IranAir.
On June 9, the UNSC imposed a US-engineered sanctions resolution against Iran's financial and military sectors over Western allegations that Tehran is pursuing a military nuclear program.
Following the UNSC sanctions, the US took unilateral measures against Tehran, seeking to prevent the country's access to refined oil products and penalize foreign companies that help Iran's energy sector.
Tehran refutes the charges, arguing that as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency the country has the right to use peaceful nuclear energy.
Iran has added 108 passenger aircraft to its fleet since 2005, Iranian Roads and Transportation Minister Hamid Behbahani announced.
Behbahani said on Sunday that only 97 passenger aircraft have been in service before 2005, IRNA reported.
The Iranian minister further added that some 83 airports are active in the country, 13 of which are international airports.
In August, Behbahani said that Iran plans to add 8 Boeing MD and 6 Airbus passenger planes to its air fleet.
"Joining new Western planes into the fleet and replacing old planes show the ineffectiveness of US sanctions on importing new planes and aircraft spare parts," he told Fars News Agency.
Behbahani said 5 Boeing MD planes have already joined the country's air fleet as Iran is currently trying to renovate its planes.
In reaction to several accidents involving Russian-built Tupolev passenger planes in Iran, the country weighs discharging its entire Tupolev fleet.
More than 20 Tupolev airplanes are currently in service by different Iranian airline companies.
Iran has suffered a string of aviation disasters over the past decade, most involving private airlines using Russian-made planes and crew.
In the worst plane crash in Iran, a Tupolev-154M, crashed shortly after take-off from Tehran en route to the Armenian capital of Yerevan on July 15, 2009, leaving all 168 passengers onboard dead.
IRAN-140 Plane
Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi announced on Saturday that his ministry is ready to mass-produce the home-made IRAN-140 passenger and cargo plane.
"Once the Roads and Transportation Ministry makes the decision for purchasing such airplanes from the Defense Ministry, the Ministry is fully prepared to manufacture them," Vahidi told Fars News Agency.
He further pointed out that his ministry has already manufactured seven IRAN-140 planes and would soon finish production of the eight and nine planes.
The Defense Ministry is ready to mass-produce the airplane on demand, Vahidi said, reminding that the aircraft which can be used as a 52-seater passenger plane is also good for cargo transportation and marine patrolling.
The IRAN-140 is a double-engine turboprop aircraft which can fly almost 1,865 miles before re-fuelling and seats 52 people.
The head of Iran's Aerospatiale Industries Organization (AIO), Majid Hedayat, said in 2008 that the aircraft would be equipped with the needed technology for undertaking marine patrol missions.
The first IRAN-140 aircraft was introduced by Iran in 2003. Five domestically-manufactured IRAN-140 planes were completed in October 2008 to increase the country's transportation capacity and upgrade the Iranian air force.
Last month head of Iran Aviation Industries Organization (IAIO) Manouchehr Manteqi said that Iran plans to replace Topolov passenger and cargo planes with 'Iran-140' passenger planes for short-distance flights.
Speaking in a press conference on "Iran's Aviation and Space Capabilities" in Tehran, he pointed out, "Iran-140 planes will fly in the country's sky before the yearend (March 2011)."
He described Iran-140 as one of the most powerful planes of its class.
Iran has already manufactured a twin-turboprop aircraft, the Iran-140, which is a licensed copy of the Ukrainian Antonov An-140.
It can carry 52 passengers or six tons of cargo, has a medium-haul range of 2,100 kilometers (1,250 miles) and is being built with Ukrainian help.
Fuel Boycotts
Despite certain European airports' refusal to refuel IranAir planes, none of the company's flights have been cancelled, the head of the Iranian flag carrier said.
"In addition to European oil companies, some of non-European companies have also imposed restrictions on providing IranAir planes with fuel, but this issue has not resulted in the cancellation of the company's flights," the company's chairman, Farhad Parvaresh, said on Saturday.
Parvaresh added that Iranian planes were facing no refueling problems in other airports, explaining further that the Iranian airline would get its required fuel from other oil companies.
Pointing to international regulations and the Chicago Convention, the IranAir chairman said the fuel refusal was in violation of such laws in place, adding that Tehran would legally pursue the matter through international bodies.
"The Chicago Convention has clearly announced that sanctions should not be adopted against passenger airplanes," IRNA quoted Parvaresh as saying.
"When two countries sign aerial contracts, they are duty-bound to facilitate the safe and secure flight of the other country's national carrier," he explained.
"The Islamic Republic has provided all such facilities for aerial companies which have flights to Iran," Parvaresh said, adding that Tehran expects the same from these companies.
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said Tuesday that the measure was illegal and it did not even fall under the UN Security Council's (UNSC) resolution against the country, adding that Iran will not tolerate such illegitimate moves and will retaliate should such efforts continue.
This comes as The Washington Post reported last week that several major oil firms, including British Petroleum, Royal Dutch Shell and Q8, have abruptly cancelled jet fuel delivery contracts with IranAir.
On June 9, the UNSC imposed a US-engineered sanctions resolution against Iran's financial and military sectors over Western allegations that Tehran is pursuing a military nuclear program.
Following the UNSC sanctions, the US took unilateral measures against Tehran, seeking to prevent the country's access to refined oil products and penalize foreign companies that help Iran's energy sector.
Tehran refutes the charges, arguing that as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency the country has the right to use peaceful nuclear energy.
© Iran Daily 2010
