Lufthansa Technik seeks to open service center in Iran

/By AzerNews/

By Sara Rajabova

World’s leading provider of services in the aviation industry is seeking to open service center in Iran.

Lufthansa Technik, the maintenance division of the German flagship carrier, reportedly is in talks with Iranian airlines to repair and overhaul their aging fleet.

Lufthansa Technik Chief Executive Johannes Bussmann has said the company was open to setting up a facility in Iran, Press TV reported.

“There’s an aircraft fleet in Iran that needs to be taken care of to bring it up in the air,” a Dubai-based newspaper quoted Bussmann as saying at the Dubai Airshow.

He added that despite the discussions, there are currently no set plans to open a facility.

“We are open to it. If the government or airline wants support in the build-up phase, we will do that. If they want a partner to join them, then we can think about that,” Bussmann said.

Iran continues to take measures to renovate its aging aviation fleet with adding new aircrafts to the fleet.

Iranian airlines have reportedly bought 13 narrow-body Boeing 737 aircraft in their latest move to rebuild the country’s commercial fleet.

The Iranian aviation industry is under international sanctions. West's sanctions have barred Iran from buying western aircraft since the 1970s.

Moreover, the U.S. Treasury has barred Iranian airlines, including Iran Air, from landing or operating in the U.S. Furthermore, extraterritorial U.S. sanctions prevent European airports from providing Iranian carriers with fuel or accepting their money.

Years of U.S.-led sanctions have left many aircraft in Iran’s aviation inventory accumulating dust in absence of spare parts. Iran has kept its active aircraft in service through parts imported, cannibalized from other planes or reproduced locally.

However, under an interim nuclear deal in 2013, the West eased the ban on sales of spare parts but selling planes is still prohibited.

A nuclear accord reached with Tehran in July has provided Iran with a chance to renew its fleet of commercial aircraft. Iran earlier added nine new planes less than 10 years old to its air fleet.

Iranian officials earlier said Iran would need to buy 550 commercial aircraft of various models at a cost of $60 billion.

Iran’s civil aviation fleet consists of 248 aircraft with an average age of 19 years, 100 of which are grounded.