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Peugeot cars, 50,095 Samand, 50,257 Dena and 35,630 Rana), while SAIPA’s volume decline 3.4% to 304,533 vehicles and Pars Khodro’s production total dropped 6.4% to 109,838 vehicles.
The Industry, Mining and Trade Ministry’s auto manufacturing target for last year was 1.2mn units.
In January, Industry, Mining and Trade Minister Reza Fatemi-Amin said that this year would see the structure of the country of 84mn’s automobile industry and relations between parts manufacturers and automakers reformed in order to boost production.
9.1.4 Aviation sector news
40% of Iran’s commercial aircraft fleet grounded by sanctions squeeze on parts says civil aviation chief
Tehran and Moscow agree up to 35 weekly Iran, Russia flights and other aviation cooperation
Around 40% of Iran's commercial aircraft fleet of around 330 planes are inactive, largely because of the unavailability of parts caused by US sanctions, according to the country’s civil aviation chief, as cited by ISNA.
Mohammad Mohammadi Bakhsh said planes were generally out of action because of parts supply shortages or engine problems.
Bakhsh noted how plane and aircraft parts suppliers terminated contracts and cut off after-sale services arranged with Iran after the US restored heavy economic sanctions on the country in 2018.
Should the sanctions be removed once more under a revived nuclear deal, or JCPOA, that Tehran and Washington are attempting to negotiate, Iran may look at returning to multi-billion-dollar deals with aviation giants Boeing and Airbus for the supply of scores of passenger jet aircraft.
Separately, Press TV reported Baksh as unveiling plans for Iran to produce a 50-seat passenger plane.
“The idea and plan to build a passenger plane has been around for years. It is an order and strategy that the Islamic Republic is following,” Bakhsh was reported as telling a news conference on the eve of Iran’s Government Week. The plane is to be produced by Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industries Corporation, based in the central city of Shahin Shahr.
Weekly flights between Iran and Russia are to be expanded to up to 35, IRNA has reported Iranian officials as saying.
The move would be made in line with memoranda signed by the two countries, which also provide for a limitless number of cargo flights and aviation cooperation under which Iran will supply aircraft parts and equipment to Russia and service Russian aircraft, the news agency said, citing officials at the Civil Aviation Organisation of Iran.
Since Moscow was hit by waves of sanctions unleashed by the West in response to its invasion of Ukraine, there has been a rapid expansion of efforts to widen trade and investment links and cooperation between Russia and Iran. While Russia is now the most sanctioned nation in the world, Iran is the second most sanctioned and has many years of experience of how to run an economy, including industries such as aviation, burdened by sanctions.
Only around 20 countries still provide direct flight access to Russia.
Due to sanctions, Russia also faces a struggle to source enough components to maintain its fleet of civilian aircraft. In this regard, Iran has relied on black market operations and other under-the-radar sourcing activities for many years.
Under provisions of one of the signed memoranda, it also looks likely that Iranian engineers will work on repairs and technical support for aircraft operated by Russian carriers.
60 IRAN Country Report September 2022 www.intellinews.com