EurasiaNet Eurasia Insight - Iran May Buy Russian Tupolev Planes

EURASIA INSIGHT

IRAN MAY BUY RUSSIAN TUPOLEV PLANES
8/23/07
A EurasiaNet Partner Post from RFE/RL

Russian plane manufacturers Tupolev have reached an agreement to sell passenger planes to Iran, and are discussing a joint project to construct planes, Radio Farda reported on August 22, citing Reuters. Tupolev chief Igor Shevchuk told Reuters in Moscow that talks with Iran have so far yielded good results. He said Iran and Russia are continuing to discuss Iran’s purchase of Tu-214 and Tu-334 models and the joint construction of these and other models, Radio Farda reported. IRNA separately reported on August 22 that Iran is to buy five Tu-204 passenger planes, following an agreement made in Moscow by Mehdi Sadeqi, the head of Iran Air Tour, and Aleksandr Rubtsov, the general director of Ilyushin Finance. The signing of the deal was attended by the Iranian and Russian transport ministers, Mohammad Rahmati and Igor Levitin, respectively. The Tu-204 can seat 180 passengers and fly about 4,000 kilometers without refueling, IRNA reported. The agreement was signed on the sidelines of this year’s Moscow International Air Show. VS

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