Tehran, Lisbon sign air transportation contract

Tehran, Nov 10, IRNA - Iran and Portugal have signed an air transportation contract, announced the head of the Civil Aviation Organization of Iran on Sunday. Alireza Jahangiri added that for the first time in the past 35 years, Iran has concluded an aviation deal with an EU member-state. He said in the recent visit of an Iranian delegation to Portugal, both sides discussed expansion of mutual aviation ties. Jahangiri noted that the contract was temporarily signed by the heads of the two countries’ aviation organizations after two days of intense negotiations in Lisbon on November 5 and 6. “Both sides also signed an MoU pertaining to air flights between Iran and Portugal,” he said. Jahangiri said since the EU has drafted a special protocol for its member-states defining conditions for signing a contract with a non-member country, negotiations with EU states is much more sensitive than holding talks with other nations. He stressed that the contract between Iran-Portugal was signed according to the framework of the new protocol and after holding extensive talks. As stipulated in the contract, the two countries are allowed to operate seven flights per week and an unlimited number of charter flights after making arrangements with each other’s aviation organizations. Tehran and Lisbon have introduced Iran Air and Euro Atlantic Airways as their respective aviation companies. Iran Air is the flag carrier airline of Iran, operating services to 80 destinations. The airline’s cargo fleet, operated by its subsidiary Iran Air Cargo, operates services to 20 scheduled and five charter destinations. Its main bases are Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport for international flights and Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport for domestic flights.