Airbus officially removes Iran Air's order from books

Iran’s national carrier, Iran Air, is no longer expecting nearly 100 aircraft from Airbus as they have reportedly been omitted from the manufacturer’s order backlog. The development is allegedly indicated in the European aircraft maker’s year-end figures.

The aircraft have been listed in Airbus’ order books for over five years. However, the latest change reportedly pushed the number of the company’s order cancelations to over 220, Simpleflying.com reports.

What was once a significant addition of planes

According to FlightGlobal, Iran Air placed an order for the planes in 2016 following the easing of sanctions due to a political agreement over Iran’s nuclear energy program. The agreement, negotiated by the Obama administration, was the first time US trade with Iran was unblocked since the 1979 Islamic revolution when the US Embassy in Tehran was seized, according to USA TODAY.

The airline reportedly agreed to 98 aircraft: 16 A350-1000s, 28 A330-900s, eight A330-200s, 32 A320neos, eight A321s, and A320s. Two additional A330-200s originally intended for Avianca were also assigned to the airline. When the aircraft were ordered, the A320s were reportedly valued at $98 million, and the A330-200s started at $231 million.

The firm contract initially planned for aircraft deliveries to begin in 2017 and was part of a significant addition of planes, following Boeing selling 80 aircraft, according to USA TODAY. In 2016, some lawmakers in the US reportedly argued that the deliveries could be blocked due to Iran’s status as a sponsor of terrorism.

Only three aircraft delivered

The orders reportedly needed approval from the US government due to the technology onboard the planes. Some officials contended that Iran could use the aircraft to transport weapons and troops. Although Airbus is based outside of the US, the company still needed approval from the US Treasury Department to deliver aircraft to Iran because at least 10% of the materials used to develop its planes are American-made.

Out of the 100 jets, only two A330-200s and one A321 were delivered to the carrier due to political tensions between Iran and the US resurfacing in 2018. Since then, the remaining 97 planes have been included in Airbus’ order backlog – until the end of 2023.

More than 40% of order cancelations

Airbus shared its 2023 commercial aircraft orders and delivery figures on Thursday. According to FlightGlobal, all 97 remaining aircraft assigned to Iran Air are no longer included in the backlog of orders. It represents more than 40% of order cancelations Airbus recorded last year, which were 225.

Iran Air is one of the oldest airlines in the Middle East. Headquartered in Tehran, the carrier bases its operations at Imam Khomeini International Airport for international and Mehrabad International Airport for domestic flights. According to the airline, it carries 6 million passengers per year.