Iran’s aviation survived four years of sanctions without incident

The head of Iran’s Civil Aviation Authority said the country had successfully survived four years of brutal US sanctions without a single civil aviation incident.

Mohammad Mohammadi Bakhsh said on Sunday that Iran’s aviation industry had relied on “domestic expertise and the high potential” of its technicians and engineers to cope with the sanctions.

“The operation of six million flights without incident for almost four years, despite all the bottlenecks, sanctions and problems, is a testament to the competence, skill and great commitment of all those involved in the country’s aviation industry,” said Mohammadi Bakhsh.

Since 2018, US sanctions against Iran have prohibited it from importing new aircraft and spare parts that the country needs to modernize and renew its aircraft fleet.

The country had signed major aircraft purchase agreements with international giants such as Boeing and Airbus before Washington imposed sanctions on Iran.

However, the sanctions prompted Iran to launch its own program to maintain and overhaul its aircraft to meet the increasing demand for travel within the country.

This is because Iranian companies have been able to carry out maintenance on jets they received from other countries, including Russian airlines.

Mohammadi Bakhsh said Iran’s aviation industry is on the path to growth despite the sanctions.

He said Iranian airlines would receive new aircraft by the end of the calendar year in March to strengthen their fleet ahead of the busy travel season.

Also on Sunday, Iranian Airlines Association Secretary Maghsoud Assadi Samani said a court ruling upheld earlier this month allowing airfare liberalization in Iran would help the country’s airlines free up more funds for their aircraft maintenance programs.

Assadi Samani said the Iranian airline would need to raise about $500 million to repair a total of 113 grounded aircraft. He added that the return of the planes to the fleet would lead to a 100 percent increase in the number of passenger seats in Iranian aviation.

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