Page 44 - IRANRptFeb21

Trade, 468,699 units (including cars, vans and trucks) were manufactured in Iran during the first half of the current Persian year (March—September).
9.1.3 ​Aviation sector news
Iran’s air passenger arrivals plummet 85% in first eight months of Persian year
Air passenger arrivals in Iran during the first eight months of the current Persian calendar year (March 20-November 20) plummeted 85.35% y/y, according to customs officials.
Globally, the airline industry has fared very poorly amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has caused a collapse in air travel, but in Iran carriers have also faced the impact of rising ticket prices combined with declining spending power among the general population in an economy hobbled by US sanctions.
A total of 2.37mn air passengers arrived in Iran (2.1mn Iranian nationals and 268,969 foreigners) during the eight-month period in question, Arezoo Ghanniyun, a spokeswoman for the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) said.
Outbound passenger traffic also decreased sharply. It contracted by 85.16% y/y to 2.2mn passengers.
“The closure of borders, business closures and [pandemic containment] measures aimed at leisure and religious trips with strict quarantine introduced to contain the transmission of COVID-19 caused the dramatic decline in passenger traffic,” she added.
Among Iran’s airports, regional airports have been the worst hit in recent months. Sari and Kermanshah were shut down with air traffic moved to major airports to reduce costs.
The downturn forced Iran’s largest airport, Imam Khomeini Airport City (IKAC) outside Tehran, to take loans equivalent to $7.84mn from the government to stay afloat as income evaporated.
9.1.4​ Transport sector news
‘New rail transit era opening up for freight routes across Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan’
India delivers first
A new rail transit era for freight travelling across railroads linking Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan is opening up, the Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Ministry has declared, Iran’s Tasnim News Agency reported on January 27.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) on pursuing the opportunities offered by new links was lately signed by Turkish and Iranian rail officials in Ankara, it added.
The ministry said it expected around one million tonnes of cargo would this year be transported via rail between Turkey and Iran. Despite interruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic last year, three freight train services were run daily between Turkey and Iran and transported 564,000 tonnes of cargo, it noted.
The ministry said it anticipated that freight trains would soon also run between Turkey and Pakistan via Iran on a common tariff introduced by the three countries. Talks were ongoing to set this tariff, it added.
Finally, a recently completed railroad link between Iran and Afghanistan means it is now also possible to transport freight between Turkey and Afghanistan, via Iran.
The railroad administrations of Turkey, Iran, and Afghanistan are to meet in coming months to set conditions for the use of that link for rail transit between the three countries.
44​ IRAN Country Report February 2021 www.intellinews.com