Iran, Airbus sign deal for 118 planes worth $27 billion

PARIS: Iran has agreed to buy 118 Airbus jets worth $27 billion at list prices, including a dozen A380 superjumbos, after international sanctions were lifted against Tehran this month.
The planemaker said the deal, signed amid a raft of others during a visit by President Hassan Rouhani, was conditional on getting US export licences because more than 10 per cent of Airbus jetliner parts come from the US.
The order for 73 wide-body and 45 narrow-body jets allows Airbus to steal a march on US rival Boeing as Iran seeks to renovate and expand its worn-out fleet of 225 planes.
The inclusion of A380s — the world's largest jetliner — sends a commercial signal to established carriers in the Gulf, and is a boost for Airbus, which has been struggling to sell them. However, they will not be delivered before end-decade as Iran expands its airports and focuses on urgent needs.
Deputy transport minister Asghar Fakhrieh Kashan told Reuters the deal would be financed using a mixture of European export credits — which guarantee loans by commercial banks — and lease financing.
In an unusual move, Iran plans to set up a national leasing company with foreign investors invited to take a stake and no automatic restriction on basing it outside Iran.