News / Economy

‘Iran’s Aseman Airlines has no flights to EU’

Friday, 09 December 2016 11:26 AM [ Last Update: Friday, 09 December 2016 11:26 AM ]

Iran’s Aseman Airlines has rejected that it has been banned by the European Union from making flights to Europe.

Iran’s Aseman Airlines says has downplayed an announcement that it has been banned from EU skies, stressing that no flight to the Union has been on its agenda.

The European Commission announced on Thursday that Aseman Airlines had been added to EU’s air safety list of airlines which do not meet international safety standards.

“Following a report by a foreign news agency that Aseman Airlines has been banned from making flights to Europe, it is announced that this airline currently has no flights to Europe and has also received no requests from [Iran’s] Civil Aviation Organization (CAO) to that effect,” Reza Jafarzadeh, the public relations manager of Aseman Airlines said.

Jafarzadeh was further quoted by the domestic media as saying that as soon as there is a request to establish flights to the Europe Union, Aseman Airline would consider the required safety standards.

Reuters in a report on Thursday announced that the privately owned regional carrier which is Iran's third largest by active fleet size has been banned from European skies.

It also portrayed the development as a blow to Iran which is buying new jets to renew its ageing air fleet following the lifting of long-term sanctions.

“This issue has nothing to do with Iran’s plans to purchase planes as portrayed by the foreign news agency,” Jafarzadeh emphasized.

This, he added, is rather an attempt to create ballyhoo over Iran’s plane purchase plans.

Iran has over the past months signed provisional deals worth around $50 billion with Boeing and Airbus to buy some 200 airliners to renew its ageing fleet. The country is also pursuing similar plans with Canada’s Bombardier and Brazil’s Embraer among others.

Talks are also underway with Japan’s Mitsubishi to purchase 25 mid-range jets for Aseman Airlines.

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