Boeing Commercial Airplanes is confirming it has a “memorandum of agreement” to supply Iran Aseman Airlines with 30 737 MAX aircraft, which the OEM added carries a list value of $3 billion. The memo also includes options for an additional 30 jets, also 737 MAXs.
Iran Aseman Airlines has a fleet of 38 aircraft, of various models, including a few Boeing 727s and 737s. As such, the 737 MAXs would represent a significant fleet-modernization plan.
Aircraft deliveries would begin in 2022, according to Boeing.
Iran Aseman Airlines serves numerous domestic routes, plus a selected number of regional destinations, including Afghanistan, Armenia, Georgia, Russia, and Turkey, as well as several Gulf states.
Late last year Boeing made it known it would supply a total of 80 new aircraft to Iran Air, the flag carrier for the Islamic Republic, including 50 737 MAX jets. That deal, along with a parallel contract reached by Airbus, were the first results of the suspension of U.S. and EU sanctions on trade with Iran — a controversial deal that also returned hundreds of billions of dollars to Iran in exchange for its agreement to curtail its nuclear weapons research efforts.
Boeing emphasized that its new MOA was negotiated under authorizations from the U.S. government, following a determination that Iran had met its obligations under the nuclear accord. Boeing also noted it will continue “to follow the lead of the U.S. government with regards to working with Iran’s airlines, and any and all contracts with Iran’s airlines are contingent upon U.S. government approval.”
The 737 MAX is the newest version of Boeing’s latest narrow-body passenger jet series, the first of which will debut this year. Last month, the 737 MAX 8 earned U.S. FAA certification for commercial service.
