TEHRAN - An Iranian airline has restored a Boeing 737 aircraft to its fleet as part of a domestic overhaul program that is aimed at offsetting the impacts of U.S. sanctions on the Iranian aviation industry.
Iran’s official IRNA news agency said in a report that the aircraft had returned to Aseman Airlines fleet after a successful test flight on Thursday that lasted one and a half hours.
The report said Iranian technicians had carried out heavy checks on the plane’s cabin and cargo sections, adding that two landing gears on the aircraft had also been replaced.
It said the repaired aircraft will increase Aseman Airlines’s seat capacity by 800 per day.
The airline had earlier restored a Fokker 100 by replacing its engine.
The Iranian government has supported domestic airlines in their efforts to restore some 100 jetliners that have remained grounded because of parts shortages as a result of U.S. sanctions.
Earlier this month, Iran’s Qeshm Air announced it had restored an Air Airbus A320 after 11 years of grounding.
The sanctions have also barred Iranian airlines from purchasing new aircraft. A first home-made aircraft is expected to come to the market within the next few years while airlines continue to place orders for second-hand planes from other countries.