Iran Air Outfitted with 9 New Planes

TEHRAN (FNA) – Iran Air, the national airline of the Islamic Republic of Iran, has purchased 9 new airplanes during the current Iranian calendar year (started March 21, 2007), Managing Director Saeed Hesami said here on Thursday.

The airplanes included 4 Airbuses, 4 Fokkers and one Boeing, IRIB News reported.

“The airline plans to add a few more planes to its fleet by the end of the current (Iranian) year (March 19, 2008),” Hesami said adding that currently the Iran Air’s fleet consists of 52 planes, a Tehran Times report said.

He explained that during the past year, 10 million out of the total 16 million domestic travelers have been transported by Iran Air, equaling 65 percent of the flights.

He also added that the average delay time of this airline’s flights is 15 minutes, which is less than the 35-40 minutes of delay in European and American airlines. “75 percent of Iran Air’s flights are done in due time,” he concluded.