Government Says It Will Add 25 Passenger Planes To Civil Fleet

The US and some other western nations are working to isolate the government of Iran over alleged nuclear weapons development, but some nations are exploiting the trade restrictions as an opportunity to gain new market share. Embraer has come under fire for its willingness to discuss supplying Iran with fighters. Now, Iran's minister of transportation says his government is considering buying new civil aircraft from Russia.

Iran's Press TV quotes Transportation Minister Ali Nikzad as stating Monday that a deal will be finalized when Iran's Civil Aviation Organization approves Russian planes. “We should see if the aircraft are suitable for Iran's geographic and climatic conditions, and whether their price is reasonable. If we reach a final agreement, we will buy some."

The news comes just after Russia was named in a recent study by the British consulting firm Ascend as the most dangerous country in the world to fly on a commercial airliner, ranking below even developing nations such as Indonesia and the Congo. Russian regulators have also announced a crackdown on small airlines in that nation, and Russian manufactured aircraft have not escaped part of the blame for the dismal safety record.

Nikzad does not sound worried. He's quoted by Press TV as commenting that that any type of plane will wear out after a while in service and will be phased out. "For example, Tupolevs were very good for a certain period of time, but were later phased out and replaced by newer aircraft."

The only specifics of the Iranian civil fleet expansion came on December 18, when the government said it wanted to add 25 fuel-efficient passenger planes.

FMI: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran