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TEHRAN, Iran — Iran has appointed a female CEO to lead its national airline for the first time since it was established in the 1940s.

The state-owned IRAN daily reported Wednesday that the transport minister appointed Farzaneh Sharafbani, 44, who holds a PhD in aerospace engineering and previously served on the board of Iran Air.

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Iran is in the process of revamping its aging passenger fleet following the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, which lifted international sanctions. It has struck billion-dollar deals with Boeing and Airbus to buy scores of passenger planes.

The administration of President Hassan Rouhani, a relative moderate who was re-elected earlier this year, has appointed women to a number of management posts, breaking with tradition in the Islamic republic.