Qeshm Airlines (QB, Tehran Mehrabad) has outlined its proposed European operational network weeks after it secured its Third Country Operator (TCO) licence from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
Airline Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mahmoud Shekarabi told the semi-official Fars news agency in an interview that from the northwestern city of Tabriz, Qeshm Air would ideally serve Hamburg Helmut Schmidt, Germany, as a matter of priority. The carrier is looking to tap into growing tourism demand in Iran's East Azerbaijan Province, he said.
Thereafter, pending regulatory approval, Qeshm Air will also seek to serve Brussels National, Paris, Cologne/Bonn, Amsterdam Schiphol, and Stockholm Arlanda.
Operations will likely be on-board one of the carrier's three A320-200s or five A300-600Rs. In a recent interview with Arabian Aerospace, Shekarabi confirmed Qeshm Air's plans to acquire acquire widebody jets "like the A330". Preference, he said, would be given to aircraft between six and eight years of age with leasing terms running for up to ten years.
With the formal upliftment of economic sanctions against Iran, Qeshm Air also plans to place orders directly with aircraft manufacturers.
At present, the carrier is looking to dispose of its four mothballed Fokker 50s and even its four ARJ-100s and one ARJ-85. The BAe Systems quadjets' removal may, however, be deferred given the availability of suitable replacement aircraft, the CEO added.
