Page 60 - IRANRptMay21

crossover in production
production, AsrIran daily has reported the company as saying.
The crossover stems from a new national mega-platform for C-segment (the third smallest, or “medium”, European passenger car segment) cars known as the SP100 platform, co-developed with France-based PSA Group (now Stellantis following a merger with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, or FCA) prior to the US sanctions that were re-imposed on Tehran in 2018, forcing PSA to pull out of Iran.
Unveiled in the summer last year, the Aria then faced production launch delays caused by parts shortages stemming partially from the impact of US sanctions. However, with the commencement of production of the small family car, SAIPA has achieved the shortest ever gap for an Iranian automaker between a car unveiling and actual manufacturing, the company said. SAIPA said the gap is usually from eight months to two years.
The Aria features a panoramic sunroof, an anti-lock braking system (ABS) and a host of other modern features nowadays expected by many car buyers. The vehicle has not yet been tested by third-party companies for a crash safety certificate.
SAIPA, meanwhile, said it was working on meeting a sales launch target pencilled in for the end of March (subsequent to the start of the 2021/2022 Persian year) for the Shahin (“Falcon”), the production of which is conducted on the same SP100 platform.
9.2.3 Aviation corporate news
Longstanding plans to privatise Iran Air scrapped
Iran is offering major airlines overflight discounts to boost transit income
Longstanding plans to privatise flag carrier IranAir have reportedly been scrapped over concerns that the airline might be dogged by future financial problems under a non-state owner.
Iran’s Transportation Minister Mohammad Eslami was cited by Press TV as saying that the government decided to remove IranAir from its privatisation list following discussions between ministers that determined there was a risk of insolvency for the carrier after a few years of operations under private ownership.
“This company was available for privatisation for several years. However, the situation was not ripe for such a divestment because what would take place in practice could cause harm,” the minister said.
IranAir, founded just after WWII and known in Iran as Homa, is the largest airline in Iran. It operates both domestic and international routes.
The airline has faced financial difficulties in recent years caused by US sanctions that place new planes and parts out of its reach.
Eslami added that the transportation ministry was working on plans to carry out an overhaul of IranAir’s organisational structure to turn it into a major player in the global aviation industry.
Iran is offering overflight fee discounts to major airlines amid efforts by the government to boost transit income by increasing the number of flights through the country's airspace, Transportation Minister Mohammad Eslami has been cited as saying by Press TV.
A plan by Iran Airports and Air Navigation Company (IAC) to cut its overflight fees was approved by ministers, Eslami was reported as saying.
Xinhua news agency at the same time released a report quoting Eslami as stating that the government has been working with the Iranian armed forces to set up direct flight corridors to further assure foreign airlines of the safety of flying through Iranian airspace. A Ukrainian airliner was shot down by the Iranian military just outside Tehran in January 2020 in an apparent accident,
60 IRAN Country Report May 2021 www.intellinews.com