Iran purchases 80 passenger planes, IRNA news agency says, marking biggest agreement with US company since 1979 revolution

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Iran said on Sunday it has finalized a $16.8bn deal with Boeing to purchase 80 passenger planes, a deal made possible by last year’s landmark nuclear agreement.

The state-run IRNA news agency said 50 Boeing 737s and 30 Boeing 777s would be delivered over the next decade, in the biggest agreement to be struck with an American company since the 1979 revolution and US embassy takeover.

Boeing had no immediate comment.

In September, Washington granted permission to Boeing and its European competitor Airbus to sell billions of dollars’ worth of aircraft to Iran.

The US and other world powers agreed last year to lift crippling sanctions on Iran in exchange for it curbing its nuclear activities.

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President-elect Donald Trump and several Republican lawmakers have criticized the nuclear deal, but it’s unclear whether they would scrap the agreement, which was reached with Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China.

The Iranian transport minister, Abbas Akhoundi, who attended the signing ceremony, said it was a “historic” day for Iranian aviation and that the deal would create 8,000 jobs for Iranians.

“The deal has a clear message for the world: we support peace and security as well as the growth of Iran based on a win-win policy,” he was quoted as saying.

“We hope that despite changes in the US administration, the country will remain loyal to its commitments.”

Most of Iran’s aging fleet of 250 commercial planes was purchased before 1979, and as of June, only 162 were operational, with the rest grounded because of a lack of spare parts. Iran Air, whose website lists a fleet of 43 planes, offers direct flights to more than 30 international destinations, including London.

Iran Air chief executive Farhad Parvaresh said the first Boeing plane was expected to arrive in April.