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Iran Air said on Sunday it had finalised a contract to buy 80 planes from US firm Boeing, the official IRNA news agency reported.
“Fifty of the planes are 737 and the other 30 are the long haul 777 that will be delivered to Iran Air in a period of 10 years,” said Farhad Parvaresh, chief executive of the national carrier, who signed the contract with Boeing officials in Tehran. IRNA reported that the contract was worth $16.6 billion (15.7 billion euros).
Following an initial agreement in June, the sale of the planes was given final approval by the US government in September.
Washington lifted many of its sanctions on Iran under a nuclear deal that came into force in January, but many restrictions have remained in place that mean companies trading with Tehran must receive explicit approval from the White House.
EU bans Iranian carrier
The European Union has banned Iran’s Aseman Airlines from operating within the EU due to safety concerns, in a blow to Tehran which is buying new jets to renew the country’s ageing fleet following the lifting of long-term sanctions.
Aseman Airlines was added to the EU’s air safety list of airlines which do not meet international safety standards, the European Commission said in a statement.
The regional carrier is Iran’s third largest by active fleet size. Owned by Iran’s civil service pension fund, it is managed as a private company, according to an Iranian aviation expert.
Aseman Airlines was reported in August to be buying 20 regional jets from Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for use on domestic routes.
The lifting of economic sanctions in exchange for curbs on its nuclear activities has allowed Iran to strike provisional deals worth around $50 billion with Boeing and Airbus to buy some 200 airliners to renew its ageing fleet.
The Commission also removed all Kazakh airlines from the list, meaning they are no longer subject to restrictions on operating in Europe, because of improvements to aviation safety.
“After years of work and European technical assistance, we are today able to clear all Kazakh air carriers. This also is a positive signal for all the countries that remain on the list. It shows that work and cooperation pay off,” EU transport commissioner Violeta Bulc said.