MOSCOW, July 24 (RIA Novosti) – Commercial aircraft manufacturer Boeing has signed a contract with Iranian flagship carrier Iran Air, becoming the first US company to do so since 1979, Agence France-Presse reported Thursday, referencing to the company’s report.
According to the contract, Boeing will provide the Iranian airline with airplane parts, manuals, navigation charts, and consultations on plane modification, parts installation and checks.
Boeing is also negotiating a similar deal with Iran Air’s subsidiary, Iran Air Tours.
In April 2014 the US Treasury issued a license to Boeing allowing the company to sell airplane parts, needed by Iranian planes to ensure safe flights, as part of the West’s relaxation of sanctions against Iran. The license does not, however, allow the sale of new aircraft.
Iran Air’s fleet is comprised of various aircraft that includes models made in Russia and Boeings manufactured before 1979. The sanctions, imposed against Iran because of its nuclear program, precluded the country from purchasing new airplanes and some service parts. The situation resulted in an increased number of plane crashes by the airline.
On November 24, 2013, an action plan was adopted in Geneva, according to which the six world powers and Iran had to settle on an agreement that would guarantee the peaceful nature of Tehran’s nuclear program, in exchange for lifting of international sanctions against Iran. The document has to be signed a year from the Geneva Accord, which gives the parties until November 24, 2014, to agree on the matter.
