Iran acquires four ex-Turkish Airlines Airbus A340s

Iran's Civil Aviation Authority recently purchased four Airbus A340 aircraft that formerly flew with Turkish Airlines. Despite international sanctions, the authority confirmed the purchase, which occurred in December. The move comes as the Middle Eastern country's government is reportedly seeking newer aircraft in its fleet due to the aging equipment currently flying. The planes arrived in Tehran last week, according to social media. The four ex-Turkish Airlines birds were recently registered in Burkina Faso, according to AeroTime. On December 24, 2022, the planes departed for a scheduled flight from South Africa to Uzbekistan but disappeared from flight tracking services over Iran. Days later, satellite imagery spotted the planes at Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran. A spokesman for the Civil Aviation Administration of Iran announced on December 29th that the four aircraft had been purchased for use by one of Iran's airlines. With the country successfully acquiring the planes, details have not been shared about how the administration was able to avoid longtime sanctions. Iran's civil aviation is reportedly in dire need of new aircraft, according to AeroTime. Since the 1970s, the country has been under international sanctions following the Iranian Revolution and the US Embassy hostage crisis. The penalties were also extended during the war between Iran and Iraq, preventing Iranian airlines from purchasing new aircraft and increasing the difficulty of getting parts for older aircraft.<br/>