Iran hopes Boeing deal speeds up Airbus contract

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said he hoped that Tehran’s deal with US planemaker Boeing would pave the way for finalizing another contract with its European rival Airbus.
Boeing said earlier it has signed an agreement to sell jetliners to IranAir.
The tentative agreement marks Boeing’s first sale of aircraft to Iran since the country’s Islamic Revolution in 1979.
The agreement helps the US aerospace and defense company catch up with a $27 billion, 118-plane order Iran placed with Airbus in January.
Both deals are conditional on receiving export licenses from the US Treasury due to significant US technology in all modern jetliners, whether built by Boeing or Airbus.

“We thought to speed up our ties with Airbus, we should make a deal with Boeing first. Now we feel the situation is ripe for both,” said Foreign Minister Zarif in a meeting with the foreign affairs commission of the French Senate in Paris, according to Iran’s ILNA news agency.
An Iranian official said the provisional deal between Iran and Boeing covers 109 aircraft, including Boeing’s 737, 777 and 747 models.
A provisional deal between Iran and Boeing to acquire jets for the country’s national airline covers 109 aircraft, split about equally between narrow-body and long-range wide-body aircraft, the official told Reuters.
In addition to the 737 and 777 models announced earlier this week, IranAir also envisages acquiring some of the latest version of Boeing’s iconic 747 jumbo under the deal, which is subject to approval by both the Iranian and US governments, the official said.
About half of the 109 aircraft will be narrow-body 737 jetliners, the official added.
The payment mechanisms and financing of the deal, including the currency in which it will be carried out, have yet to be finalized, the official said.

Source: Arab News