Iran Air takes ownership of first new-build Western aircraft

Iran Air (IR, Tehran Mehrabad) has taken ownership of its first A321-200 (sl) marking the first official delivery of a new aircraft to Iran by a Western manufacturer since 1994.

According to Reuters, Airbus Industrie (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac) confirmed the official transfer of EP-IFA (msn 7418) to the Iranian registry in a statement issued on Sunday, January 8. The twinjet will be positioned to Iran later this week.

The aircraft is part of an order for 100 aircraft signed between the Iranians and the Europeans late last year. Broken down, Iran Air is acquiring forty-six A320 Family, thirty-eight A330 Family, and sixteen A350 XWB aircraft. A similar agreement with Avions de Transport Régional (Toulouse Blagnac) for twenty ATR72-600s is expected to be finalized in the coming days.

For its part, Boeing (BOE, Chicago O'Hare) is expected to begin deliveries of its first of eighty aircraft in 2018. The order includes fifty B737 MAX 8s, fifteen B777-300(ER)s, and fifteen B777-9s.