Page 44 - IRANRptJul18

infrastructure including charging stations to meet estimated demand.
9.2.3 Transport corporate news
Franco-Italian short-haul aircraft manufacturer ATR has said it will not deliver any further aircraft to Iran due to anxieties it may fall foul of US secondary sanctions, according to a June 27 report carried by Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting and citing France’s La Tribune .
The decision is particularly frustrating as two jets readied for delivery, and previously earmarked for the regional fleet of IranAir, are reportedly already sat on the tarmac in France. "In 2018, our delivery target could be impacted given the Iranian context," ATR CEO Christian Scherer said in an interview published on LaTribune.fr. "Of the 80 planes we expected to deliver in 2018, there were 12 for Iran, that's a lot," added the boss of ATR, 50:50 owned by France-based Airbus and Leonardo of Italy.
Scherer said Iran wished to take delivery of the planes “but ATR will not take any risk of falling out with US authorities and exposing our shareholders Leonardo and Airbus to US sanctions".
He added that the two completed planes sat in France had been specifically designed with features that take into account Iran’s often mountainous environment. It remains to be seen if ATR can find new buyers for the pre-ordered Iranian planes.
Scherer added that ATR was trying to lobby the US to allow it to deliver the planes before the applicable sanctions deadline kicks in, but he conceded that there was little chance of a waiver being issued by the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
Kazakh flagship airline Air Astana is expected to end all flights between Tehran and Kazakhstan by July 31, Aviation Iran reported on June 22. Flights between Tehran and largest Kazakh city Almaty began on June 30 last year. However, reports say that despite the three-day-a-week route being offered even with significant discounts, it proved unpopular.
The low-key announcement by the airline comes as the US continues to target friendly countries flying to Iran, as well as the bulk of the Islamic Republic’s private and semi-government-owned airline operators.
On May 23, the US Treasury Department targeted Iran’s second largest airline Mahan Air and smaller operator Meraj Air in the latest attempt at undermining Iranians’ travelling potential for around the Middle East and Central Asia and beyond.
IranAir’s CEO fears Iranian airlines flying to foreign airports will soon have to deliver cash in suitcases to obtain enough fuel as US sanctions squeeze the Islamic Republic’s companies out of the world financial system. According to a report published by Tasnim News Agency, Farzaneh Sharafbafi openly aired her fears about the rough environment that could be created for Iranian airlines by the impending heavy Trump administration sanctions. Pointing out that the average age of Iran’s fleet of passenger planes is 24 years-old, Sharabafi said that given the emerging scenario one should not expect too much from an industry that has not been well supported in the past. After the nuclear deal took effect in January 2016, lifting crippling sanctions against Tehran, IranAir and other Iranian airlines moved to place orders for modern aircraft and parts which they were unable to obtain during the previous sanctions years. Now, with sanctions coming back into the picture, their new plans face ruin. Boeing has already cancelled plans to
44 IRAN Country Report July 2018 www.intellinews.com