Former deputy Iranian air force operations commander Alireza Barkhor has been named as the new chief of flag-carrier Iran Air.
The Iranian transport ministry has confirmed Barkhor’s appointment.
He previously held several senior military roles including commanding Isfahan’s Shahid Babaei air base.
Barkhor succeeds Touraj Dehghani Zanganeh who is to take over as the head of the Civil Aviation Organisation, the country’s air transport regulator.
Zanganeh says there is still “no clear vision” regarding the timeline to emerge from the coronavirus crsis.
He points out that estimates have varied from 2022 to 2024. “But the forecasts are constantly updated, and we do not know when we will return to normal,” he says.
The CAO is the Iranian air accident investigation authority and Zanganeh is taking over from current head Ali Abedzadeh while inquiries continue into the destruction of a Ukrainian Boeing 737 shot down by a missile after departing Tehran in January.
Abedzadeh was appointed in 2015 and oversaw measures aimed at liberalising the air ticket regime in the country during his tenure.
