Page 56 - IRANRptJun20

News of the new airline comes amid a resumption of flights to Europe and elsewhere by Iranian airlines who have been hindered by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Flights to Amsterdam from Tehran resumed last week for the first time in two months. The operator is IranAir, the national airline.
Flights to Thailand and other destinations are expected to resume in coming weeks, Asadi-Samani said.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on April 30 called on countries to deny overflight rights to Mahan Air, Iran’s second biggest airline, under US sanctions. He said Mahan Air recently delivered cargoes of “unknown support” to the Venezuelan government.
Like Iran, Venezuela has been hit with tough sanctions by the US, with Washington attempting to force socialist President Nicolas Maduro from power.
Speaking at a State Department news conference, Pompeo, according to Reuters, said Mahan Air, Iran’s largest airline, delivered supplies to Maduro’s government. Last week, a Venezuelan official said Venezuela received materials via Iranian aircraft to help it start the catalytic cracking unit at its Cardon refinery. The unit is required in the production of gasoline.
Both Iran and Venezuela are oil-producing countries.
Washington in December and January sanctioned Mahan Air, claiming it had roles in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and transporting arms and fighters to Syria as part of Iran’s backing of Damascus in that country’s civil war.
9.2.4​ TMT corporate news
MTN-Irancell ‘ready to attract expatriate investors’
Digital in health and education
The chief executive of MTN-Irancell—the second-largest mobile telecoms business in Iran—told IRIB on April 20 that the company is actively seeking investment from expatriate Iranians.
MTN-Irancell has more than 50mn active users and has led the way in 4G mobile broadband in Iran since 2016. The network has 86%-mobile coverage of Iran, taking in 1,606 cities and towns. The group, backed by South Africa’s multinational MTN telco group, has also invested heavily in the applications market, with its biggest apps investment to date taking the form of a joint project with Rocket Internet that has created the Snapp​!​ ride-hailing app.
The CEO, Bijan Abbasi Arand, said that MTN-Irancell was looking at opportunities to bring in foreign income including from expatriate finance and cited Snapp​!​ as one of its success stories.
Abbasi Arand added that a subsidiary business has been created to facilitate foreign investment in the company and attract foreign capital. He added that the new entity is set up to support further investment in startups in the country.
He pointed to "health and education sectors" as important for MTN-Irancell, saying that the firm’s new approach is moving towards advancing digital services that improve people’s lives.
"Irancell's new approach is towards 'digital operator' and the development of digital services that will improve people's quality of life," he added.
The company has in recent years increased its investment in mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs), signing deals with several companies, including SamanTel, Shatel Mobile and others.
However, despite significant investment in the industry the MVNO market has failed to take off in Iran.
56​ IRAN Country Report June 2020 www.intellinews.com