Iran's Deputy Minister for Roads and Urban Development, Asghar Fakhrieh Kashan, says Tehran has been informed that the United States will shortly issue it with the relevant export licenses needed to proceed with its aircraft purchase orders with Airbus, ATR - Avions de Transport Régional, and Boeing. Speaking during the CAPA Iran Aviation Finance Summit in Tehran this past weekend, Kashan told Reuters that approval had, in fact, been expected by the end of August, but that has been pushed back to the end of September. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Department of the Treasury, which administers and enforces economic and trade sanctions according to US foreign policy and national security goals, is responsible for the issuance of the licences. Although the United States removed nuclear-related “secondary sanctions” against Iran in January, it has kept primary sanctions in place in the form of a domestic trade embargo which forbids, with limited exceptions, US citizens and firms from engaging in transactions or dealings with Iran or its government. As a result, even though OFAC has removed Iran Air from its list of "Specially Designated Nationals" (SDN), the carrier has been unable to finalize Memoranda of Understandings (MOU) signed with Airbus, ATR, and Boeing pending OFAC's issuance of the necessary licenses. Concerning Airbus, Iran Air has indicated it may order: twenty-one A320ceo family jets; twenty-four A320neo family jets; twenty-seven A330ceo family jets; eighteen A330neo (-900) jets; sixteen A350-1000s; and twelve A380-800s. Concerning ATR, Iran Air has indicated it may commit to forty ATR72-600s of which twenty are firm orders while the rest are options. Concerning Boeing, the US manufacturer has unofficially indicated Iran Air has said it may acquire: forty B737 MAX; six B737 NextGens; fifteen B777-300(ER)s; fifteen B777-9Xs; and possibly four B747-8s. It also plans to lease twenty-nine B737s (variant unspecified).

Air Serbia (JU, Belgrade) is considering using its incoming fleet of A320neo to tap into markets in North Africa and Asia airline Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dane Kondić has said. According to Ex-YU Aviation News, Kondić told Aero International magazine that with a range of 6,500km, the type would allow the Serbian national carrier to develop routes into North Africa as well as Central Asia. "These are destinations that are within a two and a half-hour radius. The Far East is also a potential market for us if you consider relations between Serbia and the People's Republic of China," he said. "We believe that Serbia has enormous potential. When we grow we aim to do it responsibly." Air Serbia's first of ten A320neo is scheduled to arrive from the second half of 2018 through to 2020. Air Serbia's existing fleet of eight A319-100s and two A320-200s are currently used on regional European flights as well as services to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Russia, and Israel. Its longest range aircraft, the A330-200, is currently deployed on flights to New York JFK.

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.