IRGC general appointed as Iran Air's acting CEO
A middle ranking IRGC general has been appointed as the new acting CEO of Iran Air amid hopes that he could use his influence end experience to lead the company out of a financial crisis.
Second Brigadier General Shamseddin Farzazadipour was appointed to lead the Iranian flag carrier on Monday upon a decree by Iranian transportation minister Rostam Qassemi.
The general served as a commander of aviation operations at the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps’ Air and Space Force before becoming Iran Air CEO.
Qassemi, himself a former IRGC commander, said in his appointment decree that Farzadipour would need to rely on his experience in the aviation sector to “optimize leadership roles” in the Iran Air, a company known domestically as Homa.
The appointment is expected to become permanent after formalities are completed within the next few months. Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization’s President Mohammad Mohammadi Bakhsh has been serving as Iran Air’s acting CEO since in late November.
Iran Air has been marred in a series of financial crises in recent years as the company has been unable to implement fleet modernization plans because of American sanctions while the spread of the coronavirus has affected its flight numbers.
The company is also facing a mountain of unpaid pensions while it has to settle several debts to the government and private companies.
Iran Air had massive route expansion plans before a former US government in 2018 revoked licenses for Boeing Co and France’s Airbus to sell commercial planes to the company.
Iran Air had ordered 200 passenger aircraft - 100 from Airbus, 80 from Boeing and 20 from Franco-Italian turboprop maker ATR after Iran and world powers reached a landmark nuclear agreement in 2015.
Only three Airbus planes and several ATR jets were delivered to the company before the US pulled out of the nuclear deal four years ago and imposed sanctions on Iran.
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