Iran to buy Russian passenger planes

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http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hTUXUHL8bOo_Zz4aMMhENawhcD3w

5 hours ago

TEHRAN (AFP) — Iran is buying passenger planes from Russia to boost its dilapidated air fleet which is hit by US sanctions, government spokesman Gholam Hossein Elham said on Tuesday.

"We are completing our air fleet by buying planes from Russia," he told reporters about the purchase of Tupolev Tu-204-100 aircraft.

"This contract is being executed," he said, without giving any further details.

Russia's Ria Novosti agency said on Monday that Ilyushin Finance was in talks with the Islamic republic's Iran Air Tour over the sale of 30 aircraft and that the first planes would be delivered in 2009.