The U.S. government cleared the manufacturer to begin talking with approved Iranian carriers about their fleet needs, a first step toward entering the countrys resurgent aircraft market, Boeing said Friday. The planemaker will still need a separate license to complete any commercial jetliner sales.
The stringent requirements arent limited to airframe manufacturers. Evendale-based GE Aviation, the worlds largest maker of jet engines, has also applied to do business in Iran, spokesman Rick Kennedy told Bloomberg News The license would cover new-equipment sales as well as maintenance and repair work, where engine manufacturers make most of their money.
GEs application was submitted in preparation for opportunities arising as the airframers open talks, Kennedy said. GE Aviation, through its West Chester-based CFM International joint venture with Frances Safran SA, makes engines powering many aircraft including Boeings 737 and models in Airbuss A320 family.
Europes Airbus Group SE, which faced fewer restrictions, grabbed an early lead with a $27 billion order announced on the day nuclear sanctions were eased last month, Bloomberg noted. While European aerospace rivals began scoping out potential sales last year, Boeing wasnt allowed to veer beyond safety-related items such as the aircraft maintenance manuals it sold to Iran Air Tours.
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