KISH, Nov. 9 (Mehr News Agency) -- Iran's first wide-body plane will be
introduced in 2013, the managing director of Iran Aviation Industries
Organization (IAIO) said here on Tuesday.
Manouchehr Manteqi added that in the first phase some $200 million will be
invested in the project.
"Negotiations for importing technical knowledge for building wide-body plane are
currently underway with a number of countries," he said, expressing hope that
soon an agreement will be reached with one of the countries.
Iran-140 plane
The IAIO head said in October that the organization plans to equip the countries
airlines with 90 to 120-seat airplanes with the help of a number of foreign
companies, Press TV reported.
"At the moment, the country is constructing some types of aircraft, including
general aviation planes which are built by the Aviation Industries Organization
as well as the private sector," Manteqi told Fars News Agency.
On the production of 90 to 120-seat planes, Manteqi said the number was decided
on after research into the number of seats occupied in different airplanes per
year.
"Given that many countries are concentrating on producing planes with this
capacity and that we are making 59-seat aircraft inside the country, it has been
decided to shift focus to 90 to 120-seat airplanes in the next step," he went on
say.
"We are negotiating with a number of countries in this regard and the plan will
be announced once it is finalized."
Manteqi said Iran has made noticeable progress in the aviation industries sector
in the face of sanctions imposed by the United States and its European allies on
Iranian airlines.
With a population of 70 million, Iran needs to have 6,300 airplanes while it
does not possess more than nine aircraft for every one million individuals, the
Iranian official regretted.
