Iran and the A380
 

The Airbus order signed contains 12 A380s. If reports are true that they intend to use their location to challenge Emirates, Turkish etc as a well placed intercontinental hub, it could lead to a lot more sales......

Bigger than Dubai?

Iran is targeting more than fleet renewal after the lifting of aviation sanctions

Could Iran Become the Next Dubai, an Aviation Superpower?

Very interesting , they'd have a lot of cultural changes to make and a change in their attitude to alcohol for a start !

Get in now before you are just a number on the long-list. Welcome back Iranair.

While I see the logic, I won't be using Iran as a travel hub until the US rescinds their ESTA exclusions.

Now let me think shall I travel through Dubai or Teheran? Dubai,Teheran, Dubai, Teheran.....difficult NOT!!!:}

This ESTA exclusion is very easily avoided by having 2 passports, which is a simple request to your local authority for Airline pilots.

I am partially with Landflap: order now, you may always cancel or resell the plane.

Secondly there is a lot of old aircraft that is past needing replacement...

And there is the local market, Iran is a big country and even an a380 might be filled on some national routes. The a380 will certainly come in handy for hajj charters to Mecca.

Add some smaller planes for routes to Asia and Europe for both the local market and people with destination Iran (an oil producing country...)

Somehow, as long as Iran prohibits serving any sort of alcohol on it's flights, I suspect it's appeal for long haul travel and a major international hub will be rather limited.

What will they serve in first/business, Moet or Saudi Champagne?

Don't forget most nationalities require a visa for Iran. Unless they have an extensive airside set up it makes transiting more difficult if disruption happens. Not to mention women having to wear veils and no booze on flights. Hardly appealing to most international travellers.

The choice of in flight entertainment and food might also be a little limited given the Islamic Republic's politics. Iranian airports aren't the most user friendly with limited duty free and shopping opportunities, and as others have pointed out the flights would also be dry. As such I think the stories the OP linked might be more pie in the sky than reality.

I think Landflap was thinking of pre-revolution Iranair. Now that was something else!

Back in the 1970s, Iran Air was a top level airline with a safety record equal to QANTAS. They managed to keep going through over thirty years of sanctions.

With the business opportunities becoming available and the large Iranian diaspora the airlines future is very bright. Unfortunately I can't see them serving alcohol and women will need to cover up so they will have limited appeal like Saudi Arabian or Kuwait Airways. A stopover 72 hour visa on arrival similar to China would be a major boost as there are a few sights worth seeing.

I can see Iran Air being a good origin/destination airline and a cheap option for transit flights for adventurous and budget travellers.

I think LANDFLAP was also looking at employment / recruitment opportunity too. Far too early for anyone to join the recruitment list. Pre- revolution of 1979 was THE place to be. Those who were there lost the lot after the change.
Post revolution (?) no thanks. Lots of changes to be made by the current regime before they can claim a "long-list" of employment seekers. But, we professional pilots always seem to be attracted by the latest shiny big jets and fat wallets, eh ?

Heavens, it must have been at least a week since the last discussion on the A380........

slowjet,

"Lots of changes to be made by the current regime before they can claim a "long-list" of employment seekers."

Has recruiting begun already ?

https://www.pilotcareercentre.com/Pi...Air%20-%20IRAN

Given the current order backlog at Airbus it will be several years before they get many aircraft.
They will most likely start off with an assortment of dry leases and build their services slowly.

"Have you been to Iran, Iraq, Sudan or Syria since 2011, yes or no".

If you lie, and are found out, you are done. Lengthy ban from the US, can never use the VWP again. Lack of integrity might mean employment consequences too.

Do you actually count as having entered the country while transiting without leaving the airport?

Where I have been is non of the US damn business.
2 passports works and is even recommended by my authority.

Just like when visiting Israel, Saudi, Iran for the job, 2 passports to avoid trouble.
Legal.

By the way, Roadster280, how exactly will the US find out that I ever did a layover in Khartoum?!

Despegue : Roaster280 has it exactly right.That is how it was explained to us 2 weeks ago by an official the State Department. So all of us affected have appointments at the US embassy to get 10 years visas.
Ever heard of PNR and biometric passports scanning? you may have 10 passports, your biometrics are one. Everytime your passport is scanned on your way to or from a destination, the data goes into a central database. Welcome to the XXIst century.

ME4 is pregnant :)

Quite right, as long as you don't intend to visit the US, then it remains your business. But if you want to visit the US, then you have to follow the rules set by the US.

If you are found to deliberately lie to the US immigration authorities, they will have a sense of humor failure and you will be denied entry, banned from the US for a period, and forfeit the privilege of traveling visa free. That's the least sanction you can hope for.

Whether or how they find out is immaterial, and I have no idea how they do that, but it doesn't seem beyond the wit of man to compare computerized records (like the ESTA itself).

The old green I-94Ws had seemingly silly questions on it like "Have you ever committed an act of terrorism or supported a terrorist organization?". I highly doubt anybody, ever, answered yes to that question. But the point of it was not to have someone answer it honestly. It was a tool to efficiently deport or detain those individuals. The act of lying to the authorities is a serious thing in the US. Never mind the actual immigration issue, you've just committed a federal offense by lying to an immigration officer. Clang, mind your fingers.

I'm not making the case for whether it's right or over the top, I'm just explaining how it is. Having two passports doesn't mean you can lie on one of them.

Badk in the 70s there were serious sanctions against Rhodesia.
Just put a blank sheet of paper in your passport next to your photo and the border guards on both sides would stamp the blank sheet without a word being said. Problem solved.

Love the level of naivety in Roadster280s post! Typical Yank nonsense!

Despegue is spot on. The two passport method works a treat, trust me. For exactly the reasons he mentioned. And not just entering the US, but all over the world. Biometric passports make **** all difference.

:D

Consol states"
 

"Not to mention women having to wear veils and no booze on flights. Hardly appealing to most international travellers."

What utter nonsense. Iranian women have NEVER been required to wear "veils".

Just out of curiosity was Iran Air dry before the Mullahs moved back?

May be confusing with headscarves, there are signs at IKA Airport in Tehran reminding women to observe the dress code.

No, but then it's no more dry now than Saudi Arabia is.

Relatively easy way to overcome the stamping of passports of transiting and that is for country to read and not stamp passports. Therefore no proof they have transited Tehran.

Quote:
Originally Posted by crewmeal View Post
Just out of curiosity was Iran Air dry before the Mullahs moved back?
No, but then it's no more dry now than Saudi Arabia is.

I once, post revolution, had an invite to a well connected Iranians Teheran home for a function. A large impressive house. As we entered and were ushered into a large room servants were serving glasses of chilled champagne. A very Impressive spread was laid out including a table laden with bottles of Johhny Walker Black label. Other drinks such as beer and vodka were available.

The host told me that alcohol was freely available to those in the know and with the right connections. He also said there was a market in town where smugglers plied their wares to the ordinarily folks as well.

Just the usual Islamic hypocrisy same old same old:ok:

You crack on mate.

I still see cash being a potential obstacle to all these orders becoming reality. Oil prices are currently really low (I realize that will not stay the case forever), some banks still seem a bit reluctant to offer loans, and sanctions could get snapped back into place....

Yes, but Airbus will be "pulling out all the stops" to ensure that Iranair get the funding they need - especially for the A380 !

I think earlier in this thread or somewhere aviation related there was a mention about the accounts unfrozen held in the US bank. So there were some serious money on those account.

Serious money indeed. Depending on which source you use the frozen assets are believed to range somewhere between $20billion and $180billion. Obama initially stated that the sum totalled some $100billion but later reassessed it at $50 to $60billion.

Iran?s frozen funds: how much is really there and how will they be used?

When I visited Cuba some time ago the border guys used to do exactly that (I don't have a US passport) so that you wouldn't get any hassle if you subsequently visited the States. I suspect if they hadn't it might have affected the number of people who were willing to visit and spend their tourist dollars.

Trust me, he was.
 

Ignorance is such a delightful attribute - especially when one's mouth is open.

right
 

Not that Christians can ever be accused of hypocrisy, right?

You have no idea ...
 

.... how much money is available in Iran :p