Iran Air, the national airline of Iran, is no longer expecting to receive about 100 aircraft from Airbus. This change is indicated in Airbus' year-end figures and has been noted after these aircraft were listed in Airbus’ orders for over five years. This cancellation increases the total number of Airbus order cancelations to more than 220.
FlightGlobal reports that in 2016, following the relaxation of sanctions linked to Iran's nuclear energy program, Iran Air placed an order for these aircraft. The easing of sanctions was a result of a political agreement negotiated by the Obama administration, marking the first time since the 1979 Islamic revolution that trade between the US and Iran was allowed. The order from Iran Air included 16 A350-1000s, 28 A330-900s, eight A330-200s, 32 A320neos, eight A321s, and A320s, with an addition of two A330-200s originally meant for Avianca.
The agreement was significant, as it followed a deal where Boeing sold 80 aircraft to Iran. The deliveries were planned to start in 2017. However, there were concerns from some US lawmakers in 2016 about the possibility of blocking these deliveries due to Iran's designation as a sponsor of terrorism.
The agreement for aircraft delivery to Iran required approval from the United States government due to the advanced technology used in the planes. Concerns were raised by some US officials that Iran might utilize these aircraft for transporting weapons and troops. Despite Airbus being a non-US company, it still required clearance from the US Treasury Department for delivering planes to Iran, as over 10% of the components in Airbus planes are manufactured in the US.
Of the total order of 100 jets, only three - two A330-200s and one A321 - were actually delivered to Iran. This limited fulfillment was due to escalating political tensions between the US and Iran in 2018. Consequently, the remaining 97 aircraft were included in Airbus' order backlog until the end of 2023.
Recently, Airbus disclosed its commercial aircraft orders and deliveries for 2023. FlightGlobal reports that the 97 aircraft initially designated for Iran Air have now been removed from Airbus' order backlog. This represents over 40% of the total order cancelations for Airbus in the previous year, which amounted to 225.