The Iranian charter airline Mahan Air is close to finalising a deal for three Airbus A300s as part of its fleet restructuring from Russian to Western equipment.
The five-year-old airline, based in Kerman, southern Iran, operates an all-Russian fleet of two Tupolev Tu-154Ms and two Ilyushin Il-76s. Negotiations are under way for it to acquire three ex-Philippine Airlines (PAL) A300s - two A300B4-100s and one A300C4- 200 - all General Electric CF6-powered - in a lease/purchase deal.
The 20-year-old A300s, which have been in storage for three years, are owned by the Al Rajhi Bank and are being remarketed by Fortis Aviation. The airline has been in negotiations for several months and the deal is thought to be close to completion.
Mahan Air is also seeking to acquire Western narrowbodied aircraft types, such as the Boeing 727 or 737.
Source: Flight International
