Emphasizing that the aviation industry needs 550 planes to account for the country’s population, climate, and number of airports, Mohammad Mohammadi-Bakhsh said that the 55 used aircraft will gradually join Iran’s air fleet, IRNA reported.
Speaking at a press conference, Mohammadi-Bakhsh maintained that the ICAO aims to purchase medium-range aircraft to keep the runways of underprivileged airports busy.
“But to keep the industry resilient in the face of sanctions, our first task was to replace some of the 330 planes that have been grounded for more than 10 years,” the deputy minister of Roads and Urban Development added.
“Today, we have 180 operational planes, some of which have been repaired and subsequently reintroduced into the air fleet.”