Iran announced that several major European and Asian financiers have announced their readiness to fund the purchases of planes from global aviation giants Airbus and Boeing.

Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development for International Affairs Asghar Fakhrieh Kashan was quoted by Press TV as saying that nine financial institutions from Norway, Denmark, Ireland, Britain, China and Japan had already approached Iran to fund the purchases.

He did not disclose the names of the interested financers.

Nevertheless, he underlined that arrangements to hold a tender to choose the financier for the purchases were underway, adding that tender documents would be sent out to potential bidders within a month.

Last week, he was quoted by THE media as saying that Britain’s key export credit agency — UK Export Finance (UKEF) — had informed Iran’s Ministry of Roads and Urban Development that it was ready to provide funding for all of Iran’s purchases from Boeing and Airbus.

He stressed that Iran wanted to have an open hand in choosing the best financiers and that a tender to this effect would be held soon.

“Iran Air is preparing the tender documents so that they would be sent to all credible financiers worldwide,” Fakhrieh Kashan told IRNA.

“We are in conditions that permit us to choose our desired financiers in a competitive atmosphere that a tender creates.”

Also, Iran’s media last October quoted an unidentified government official as saying that Boeing had sealed a deal with an American bank to provide financing for Iran’s purchase of airliners in cooperation with a Japanese bank.

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Head of Civil Aviation Organization has said four European countries have been commissioned to finance Iran’s possible plane purchases from world air industry giants.

Ali Abedzadeh told Mehr News on Thursday that Germany would be the most probable candidate to finance through credits Iran’s prospective plane purchase agreements, with Italy, Ireland, and France possibly as contributors.

“This is the most viable path to provide airlines with much-needed planes and to resuscitate the country’s antiquated fleet; the method is popular around the world in heavy deals such as plane purchase and the Ministry of Roads and Urban Planning had been since long working to secure purchases through this method,” he added.

“4 European countries hailed the initiative by Iran during negotiations; Ireland and Italy enjoy excellent backgrounds in financing international purchases and the CAO will continue keeping contacts with these creditors,” Abedzadeh told Mehr News.

Earlier, Abedzadeh had said in an interview that domestic creditors would also contribute to the international plane purchase agreements, to attract the participation of the private sector and to encourage enterprises in the airline industry.

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