TEHRAN - Head of Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization (CAO) has said the number of the country’s passenger airplanes will increase to 250 by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (late March 2024).

Speaking in a televised program on Wednesday, Mohammad Mohammadi-Bakhsh said some 70 airplanes are going to be added to the CAO fleet by the yearend, Tasnim News Agency reported.

Back in August 2022, Mohammadi-Bakhsh said his organization was implementing a comprehensive program based on which the number of the country’s passenger airplanes would increase to 550 within 10 years.

Speaking in a meeting with the country’s senior aviation officials, Mohammadi-Bakhsh said: “Under the framework of this program, fleet expansion up to 550 airplanes, repairing airplane parts, and indigenizing the knowledge for the construction of aircraft inside the country are set on the agenda.”

“Following President Raisi's orders, we have focused all our efforts on a few areas, including buying airplanes, manufacturing airplanes, and repairing grounded airplanes. We need 550 airplanes to meet the country’s air transportation demands,” Mohammadi-Bakhsh said.

According to the official, based on the said program, the government has allowed the private sector to purchase small-scale airplanes and operate them as part of the country’s civil aviation fleet.

Knowledge-based companies have also been tasked to work on new programs for the domestic manufacturing of passenger aircraft, Mohammadi-Bakhsh said.

“In this regard, three platforms including 50, 72, and 150 passenger aircraft have been suggested to be used for designing domestic airplanes, but what is currently being pursued is the manufacturing of 50-passenger planes in collaboration with Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industry and the ministries of Defense, Transport and Urban Development as well as Industry, Mining, and Trade,” he explained.

The official further noted that a consortium of Russian, Chinese, and Indian companies has been formed to participate in the organization’s overhaul programs.

Having the oldest airline in West Asia and the second oldest in Asia, Iran started developing its aviation industry nearly 80 years ago and this industry is still improving in the country, however, despite its long history general aviation (GA) in Iran has been almost completely neglected.

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