Iran has reached a deal with the European consortium Airbus to buy 114 passenger planes once international economic sanctions are lifted as part of a nuclear deal, Iran's transport minister said Saturday. Abbas Akhondi was quoted by the official IRNA news agency as saying that the first shipment of planes will arrive in Iran before March 20 to upgrade Iran's aging fleet. Iran has said it is looking to buy 400 passenger planes over the next decade. "An agreement was reached with Airbus to buy 114 planes to gradually enter carrier Iran Air fleet upon the lifting of sanctions," IRNA quoted Akhondi as saying. He said an unspecified number of planes will arrive before Nowruz, Iran's new year, which falls on March 21. Airbus did not confirm a formal agreement with Tehran. The company released a statement pointing out that the sanctions have yet to be lifted and the nuclear agreement has yet to be implemented. "Once it is, we will evaluate the commercial implications in strict compliance with any international accord," the statement said. <br/>
unaligned
Kuwait Airways will operate its last flight between New York City and London on Saturday, deciding last month to drop the route after about 35 years of service rather than transport Israeli citizens between the two cities. The DoT found in September that the airline’s policy discriminated against Israeli citizens and ordered the practice to stop. Instead, the airline announced in December that it would drop the flights. The decision does not apply to the airline’s three weekly nonstop flights between Kennedy International Airport in New York and Kuwait City. Those flights are not affected because Israelis are not allowed to visit Kuwait and are not granted visas. Passengers in transit through another country are another matter, according to the Transportation Department, which said that Kuwait Airways’ refusal to carry Israeli citizens between New York City and London amounted to “unreasonable discrimination” because Israeli passport holders have the legal right to travel between the United States and Britain. “An airline does not have the right to refuse to sell tickets to and transport a person between the US and any third country where they are allowed to disembark based on the laws of that country,” said Namrata Kolachalam, a spokeswoman for the department.<br/>
The COO of Allegiant Air is resigning. Steve Harfts is leaving after serving in the position for about a year. He first joined Allegiant in December 2014. His resignation follows questions about the airline’s safety record and several incidents involving emergency landings and mechanical issues. The airline recently ordered additional training for pilots and dispatchers after a plane had to land because it was low on fuel. <br/>
Hawaiian Airlines says an e-cigarette illegally put in a checked bag may have caused smoke and an emergency landing. The cargo-smoke indicator in the cockpit lit up during a flight from Honolulu to Maui on Tuesday, an airline spokesman said Friday. Alex Da Silva said the captain turned on the plane's fire-suppression system, declared an emergency and landed quickly at the Maui Airport. After the plane landed, fire crews found two pieces of checked luggage that seemed to have fire damage caused by an e-cigarette in one of the bags, he said. The FAA bans electronic cigarettes from checked luggage, although they are allowed in carry-on bags.<br/>