TEHRAN - The Iranian airline company, Iran Air Tour is planning to purchase five Tu-204 passenger airplanes from Russia, the Persian service of IRNA said here on Saturday.
The agreement on the purchase of the Tupolev airliners from the producer company in Russia will be finalized after receiving the approval from Iran's Civil Aviation Organization (CAO), noted Mansur Hakim-manesh, an official with the airline company. An Iranian company has leased a number of Tu-204 airliners from Russia and is currently using them, he said. "Purchasing the aircraft, however, is not the whole thing. Other issues such as the pertaining flight tests and parts supply should be also considered."
The contract, worth some 180 million dollars, is due to be signed before December 15, with the airplanes to be supplied starting in 2008.
Referring to the government's recent report on the causes of the crash of the Tu-154 Tupolev passenger aircraft on September 1, in Mashhad Airport, the airline official refrained from comments on the reasons of the crash. He said that the people should be informed of the crash causes through CAO.
Twenty eight passengers and crew members on board the plain were killed in the accident.
© Tehran Times 2006
