Iran says three deals signed with Boeing

Iran says it has concluded three contracts with US aviation giant Boeing after it signed the Geneva nuclear agreement with the P5+1 group of countries in late 2013. 

Farhad Parvaresh, the CEO and Chairman of the country’s flagship airline Iran Air, said on Saturday that the contracts with Boeing mostly involve repairing plane motors.  

“Iran Air has so far received seven motors of its planes after they were repaired as the result of the contracts with Boeing,” Parvaresh said.   

“There are several other motors that are being repaired by Boeing in a foreign country,” he said.

In November 2013, Iran and the five permanent members of the Security Council plus Germany – known as the P5+1 – signed an agreement in Geneva over the Iranian nuclear energy program. The agreement – the nature of which was to keep negotiations alive until disputes over the Iranian nuclear energy program are removed – envisaged the removal of certain sanctions against Iran in return for a short-term freeze of portions of the country’s nuclear energy activities. 

Some of the sanctions that were thus removed included providing and installation of spare parts for safety of flights for Iranian civil aviation as well as its associated services. 

Parvaresh further said Iran Air has repaired a number of undercarriages for its planes by importing new parts after the signing of the Geneva agreement in 2013.  Still, he said, a majority of the repair work for undercarriages of old planes is being carried out by domestic companies. 

The official further criticized that international aviation companies refuse to cooperate with Iran Air in supplying its required parts as well as the vital flight services.  

“We believe that even in absence of an agreement, Boeing and Airbus are still obliged to carry out their commitments toward aviation companies like Iran Air for the sake of flight security issues,” Parvaresh told IRNA news agency.  

“Refusing to provide the required parts as well as fuel to Iranian planes in certain international airports is against international regulations… Nevertheless, Iranian aviation companies like Iran Air and others have been able to maintain their flights and this shows that sanctions have not been effective against Iran’s aviation industry.”

Iran and P5+1 extended the Geneva agreement in November 2014 and talks were agreed to be continued until July 1 which is a deadline for both sides to reach a final agreement over Iran’s nuclear energy program. Negotiations to remove the remaining gaps in talks are currently underway in Geneva. 

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