May 4 – Iranian Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi has announced that Iran has designed a 150-seat passenger plane. “We have designed a medium size passenger plane which can carry between 100 and 150 passengers and we are cooperating with the civil aviation authority to build bigger planes,” said the ministry’s website on Sunday. However, no details were given about when production for the plane will start.
Iran has already manufactured a twin-turboprop aircraft, the Iran-140, a licensed copy of the Ukrainian Antonov An-140. It can carry 52 passengers, or six tonnes of cargo, has a medium-haul range of 2,100 kilometres (1,250 miles) and is being built with Ukrainian help.
