Despite sanctions, Iran purchases four used Airbus aircraft BAG reports: 12,632 new corona cases ++ In hospital: 390 ++ 25 new deaths

Despite current sanctions, Iran has received four used passenger jets to replace machines in its aging fleet. Iran’s aviation authority confirmed on Friday that four planes had arrived in Iran.

“The four Airbus 340 aircraft have arrived in the country and will soon be deployed in civil aviation,” a spokesman for the authorities told news portal Khabar-Online on Friday. He did not say how Iran managed to get hold of the four planes despite the sanctions.

According to consistent media reports, these are aircraft that were taken out of service by Turkish Airlines in 2019 and subsequently parked at South Africa’s Johannesburg Airport by the new owner. Turkish Airlines initially did not comment.

Iran’s aviation authority spokesman admitted that the sanctions have made procuring new passenger jets extremely difficult for Iran. Therefore, the country has to drive “with the lights off” in this regard. The term is used in Persian for improper business conduct.

Old aircraft – missing spare parts

Iran has had problems with its passenger planes for years. It is unofficially said that most of the planes are still Boeings from before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The civil aviation authority also has problems with spare parts, as they are no longer supplied by the US, especially for Boeing aircraft. According to reports, nearly 60 percent of the country’s more than 330 aircraft are already grounded.

After the Vienna nuclear agreement, the then moderate government of President Hassan Rouhani signed a billion-dollar deal in Paris in 2016 between the Iranian state airline and Airbus. This would require 100 Airbus machines to be delivered to Tehran. At that time there was still a deal with the French-Italian manufacturer ATR. There was also talk of a deal with Boeing, at least for the supply of spare parts.

But because of the renewed nuclear dispute with the US, Iran only got 16 machines from the two manufacturers. Since then, according to persistent rumors, Tehran has been trying to get its hands on used Airbus aircraft through foreign shell companies. The deals were never confirmed. (sda/dpa)