Iran Signs Deal with Airbus for 118 New Aircraft

First major aerospace deal for post-sanction Iran.

The Airbus Widebody family: the A330, A350 and A380. (Image courtesy of Airbus.)

The Airbus Widebody family: the A330, A350 and A380. (Image courtesy of Airbus.)

Airbus is off to a good start this year.

Iranian officials have signed two agreements with the French company for new aircraft as well as a civil aviation cooperation package.

Iran Air has agreed to buy 118 aircraft (73 wide-body and 45 single-aisle) in an agreement that includes pilot and maintenance training as well as support services. The infographic below offers a breakdown of the 118 aircraft in the agreement:

(Image courtesy of Airbus.)

(Image courtesy of Airbus.)

Revitalizing Iranian Commercial Aviation

Iran’s minister of roads and urban development Abbas Ahmad Akhoundi has also signed a comprehensive agreement with Airbus as part of the country’s efforts to modernize its civil aviation sector.

Under this cooperation package, Airbus will support Iran’s development of:

  • Air traffic management (ATM) services
  • Airport and aircraft operations
  • Regulatory harmonization
  • Technical and academic training programs

“Today’s announcement is the start of re-establishing our civil aviation sector into the envy of the region and along with partners like Airbus we’ll ensure the highest world standards,” said Farhad Parvaresh, Iran Air chairman and CEO.

The agreements were signed at the Élysée Palace in Paris during Iranian president Hassan Rouhani’s official visit to France. An aviation summit held last week in Tehran hosted representatives from Airbus as well as Bombardier and Embraer.

Boeing representatives were supposed to attend as well, but their trip was apparently cancelled due to visa issues.

That one incident could be indicative of why Iran selected Airbus to revitalize its fleet. With the US presidential election less than a year away, Iranian officials may be hesitant to make a deal with an American company that could find itself “Trumped” by renewed sanctions.

For more information, visit the Airbus website.

Written by

Ian Wright

Ian is a senior editor at engineering.com, covering additive manufacturing and 3D printing, artificial intelligence, and advanced manufacturing. Ian holds bachelors and masters degrees in philosophy from McMaster University and spent six years pursuing a doctoral degree at York University before withdrawing in good standing.