TEHRAN - Director of the National Iranian Oil Products Distribution Company (NIOPDC)’s Chalous regional office said the first refueling unit of the newly renovated Ramsar International Airport has started operating with a capacity of 20,000 liters, Shana reported.

According to Touraj Amani, before the inauguration of the new runway in Ramsar Airport, only two airlines could land on the airport, but currently 16 airlines and over 70 percent of the country’s aviation fleet can have flights to this airport.

Iranian Transport and Urban Development Minister Mohammad Eslami inaugurated a new runway in Ramsar International Airport in the northern Mazandaran Province in late May.

Noting that the first Airbus 320 and Fokker 100 airplanes have landed on the new runway, Amani said: “In order to increase the number of airlines and flights to this airport and considering the urgent need for optimal refueling of aircrafts landing in this airport, the first refueling unit has started operating.”

The airport’s new runway, on which 1.5 trillion rials (about $35.7 million) was invested, has made it possible for Airbus planes to land in the mentioned airport for the first time after 52 years.

“As of now, all [the country’s] 16 airlines can fly to Ramsar Airport,” Eslami said in the inauguration ceremony of the runway.

Ramsar is one of the popular cities of northern Iran and the airport was constructed to serve tourists visiting the region.

The airport was previously closed, due to infrastructure limitations and no major flights were allowed to land in the airport.

EF/MA