DUSHANBE, April 20, Asia-Plus -- Iran’s private air company, Mahan Air, offers Tajik national airline, TajikAir, wet lease solution for requirement for A-320, the TajikAir director general Hokimsho Tilloyev remarked at a news conference in Dushanbe on April 20.  

Wet or damp leasing aircraft is a leasing formula keeping the operational responsibility with the lessor.  The lessee determines the flight program and the aircraft operates with the flight number of the lessee.

 “Our company is able to pay the wet leasing,” Tilloyev said, noting that the aircraft is expected to arrive in Tajikistan in several months.  The TajikAir top manager, however, refrained from giving further details.   

As far as work of the consulting company Ernst & Young on seeking aircraft for leasing and training crew to operate it is concerned, Tilloyev said that it had yielded no results.  “However, $100,000 form a $5 million loan provided by the European bank for reconstruction and Development (EBRD) have been paid for its services,” Tilloyev said.    

TajikAir and EBRD are currently conducting negotiations on signing of a new agreement on shifting Tajik national air carrier to a new air navigation system and air traffic control.   

Established in 1991 as a private airline, Mahan Air is based in Kerman and is the airline arm of Mola-Al-Movaheddin Charity Organization, an Iranian business entity.  It began its journey with two TU-154Ms passenger jets purchased from Egypt and its first flight was from Kerman to Tehran on May 16, 1992 and first international flight from Tehran to Damascus in December 1992.  The company began cargo operation in 1994 with two IL-76-TDs. The first Airbus A-300-B4 joined the Mahan Air fleet in 1999.  Mahan Air operates to Antalia, Bahrain, Bangkok, Budapest, Dubai, Jeddah, Muscat, Colombo and Bangkok.  The airline also has traffic rights to Manchester, Shanghai, Seoul, Johannesburg, Nairobi, Damascus, Sofia and Male. The airline has interline and commercial agreements with Korean Air, Thai Airways, Asiana, Oman Air, Malev, MEA, Kuwait Airways and Swiss Air.