European, Asian Firms Ready to Fund Iran’s Plane Purchases: Deputy Minister
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s Deputy Minister of Road and Urban Development for International Affairs Asghar Fakhrieh Kashan said several major institutions from Europe and Asia have expressed readiness to fund the country’s purchases of planes from global aviation giants Airbus and Boeing.
Nine financial institutions from Norway, Denmark, Ireland, Britain, China and Japan are ready to fund the purchases, Fakhrieh Kashan said, declining to mention the names of the interested financers, according to Press TV.
He added that a tender had been put out earlier to choose the financer for the purchases, adding that tender documents would be sent out to potential bidders within a month.
Back in December, the chairman of Iran Air said the flag carrier had finalized an initial deal with Boeing to purchase 80 passenger planes.
He added that the first deliveries are expected in 2018.
The agreement envisaged the purchase of 50 twinjet narrow-body Boeing 737 planes and 30 long-range wide-body Boeing 777 aircraft at a total cost of $16.6 billion.
During a January 2016 visit to Paris by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Tehran also signed a major contract with Airbus worth about $27 billion to buy 118 planes.
