Finally, and against all odds, Iran received on Jan. 12 the first passenger jet purchased from European aircraft maker Airbus. The move is a success for moderate President Hassan Rouhani, especially as he faces a bid for re-election in May.
The Airbus jetliner that landed in Tehran Jan. 12 is the first brand-new Western passenger jet delivered to Iran in decades. The country’s current fleet is mostly comprised of planes purchased before the 1979 Islamic Revolution and thus considered very old.