Page 59 - IRANRptSep20

auto sales in Iran attracts 350,000 would-be buyers
Iranian automaker Iran Khodro Company (IKCO) for its end-of-May sales restart following a two-month delay in the enterprise once more making vehicles available to buyers, Tasnim News Agency has reported.
IKCO and SAIPA—which lately overtook IKCO to become the number one auto producer in Iran—rule the road in the Islamic Republic, running a duopoly over the Iranian car market. Such is the misarranged state of auto sales in Iran, imported cars, which make up less than 5% of overall sales, get stuck in port-side yards for up to three years, as state officials work out pricing for vehicles.
Sales website, esale.ikco.ir, which serves as the main portal for IKCO online sales, saw some 350,000 people who signed up for vehicle purchases receive a user code enabling them to play a part in one of the largest pre-order events in recent memory.
The sale of vehicles comes after delays in reopening the portal in recent weeks due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in Iran. It partially shut down auto production. Another factor in the delay was a recent hike in vehicle
9.2.3​ Aviation corporate news
Turkish Airlines to resume flights to Iran in September
Tehran-Madrid flights resume amid biggest downturn in aviation history
Turkish Airlines has announced that it will resume flights to Iran in September.
The flag carrier had recommenced flights to Iran, but suspended them once again on July 19 after coronavirus (COVID-19) cases surged in the Islamic Republic in a second spike.
Turkish Airlines will launch scheduled flights to Tehran, Tabriz, Shiraz and Mashhad in Iran as of next month.
Turkey has completed discussions with 92 countries for the resumption of flights, Adil Karaismailoğlu, the country’s Transportation and Infrastructure Minister, said last week.
Turkish Airlines reported that its total passenger traffic declined nearly 61% on an annual basis to 17mn in January-July. The domestic passenger tally dropped 56% y/y to 7.8mn while the number of international passengers plunged 64% y/y to 8.7mn.
Given how hard the coronavirus crisis hit global air traffic and tourism, the airline reported a net loss of $324mn for the first quarter of 2020 versus a $150mn loss in the same period of the previous year. The company’s revenues declined 8.5% y/y to $2.5bn in Q1. The carrier, however, reported a 15% y/y increase in its revenues from cargo services to $466mn for the quarter.
The Iranian Embassy in Spain has announced the resumption of weekly IranAir flights between Tehran and Madrid after a 17-year hiatus, IRNA reported.
The fact that flag carrier IranAir is expanding its routes amid the collapse in passenger numbers caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis has perplexed many industry observers in recent months. However, the IranAir flight to Spain essentially takes over from Iranian competitor Mahan Air’s Tehran to Barcelona flight which, according to Mahan’s ​website​, is no longer operational. US sanctions on Mahan Air have this year been tightened.
A new licence allows for the operation of regular Iran Air flights on the Tehran-Madrid route. Flights are expected to operate every week on Wednesday starting from September 2, the embassy said.
The airline lately pushed ahead with reopening other defunct routes, including the ​Manchester-Tehran weekly flight​.
59​ IRAN Country Report September 2020 www.intellinews.com