Iran to purchase passenger planes from ATR

Tehran, Feb 5: Representatives of the French-Italian aircraft manufacturer ATR will arrive in the Iranian capital Tehran on Sunday to discuss the sale of passenger planes to the country, a senior Iranian aviation official said on Saturday.After finalisation of the deal, valued at $400 million, 20 passenger planes will be delivered to Iran in a scheduled manner, Iranian Deputy Road and Urban Development Minister Asqar Fakhriyeh Kashan was quoted as saying by the semi-official Fars News Agency."ATR will deliver three or four passenger planes to Iran Air, Iran s national flag air carrier, by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (ending on March 20)," Fakhriyeh Kashan said.In December 2016, Iran sealed a contract with Airbus to buy 100 aircraft worth over $18 billion. Airbus delivered the first plane to Iran in January.Also in December, Iran Air finalised another agreement with the US Boeing to purchase 80 commercial planes.The agreement envisages the purchase of 50 twinjet narrow-body Boeing 737 planes and 30 long-range wide-body 777 aircraft with a total value of $16.6 billion.The planes by Boeing would be delivered to Iran within 10 years. The first deliveries are expected in 2018.