TEHRAN (FNA)- Officials in Tehran said Iranian aviation experts and engineers are working to increase the country's airport facilities and equipment in a bid to attract more international corridor and transit flights by foreign airlines."We are consulting with international airlines in order to accommodate more transit flights through Iran's airspace, but this needs a development of airport equipment, which is a project currently underway," the senior Iranian aviation official told FNA on Wednesday.
The official pointed to the rise in the number of international corridor flights through the Iranian airspace, and said, "The foreign airlines are using Iran's airspace due to its high safety."
He noted that the number of foreign flights passing through the Iranian airspace hit a record on October 12 by reaching 1015 flights.
In August, an Iranian aviation official said Iran has the safest and most secure airspace in the region, adding that over 20,000 flights passed through Iran's airspace in a single month (July 21-Auguat 20) without experiencing any security problems.
Deputy Head of Iran Civil Aviation Organization for Aeronautical Operations Ebrahim Shoushtari said passing flights through the countrys airspace have increased 68 percent in July.
He further added that in July 7,192 more flights passed through Iran airspace compared to that during previous month; "This number is 8,831 more flights compared to the same time last year".
Pointing to the recent developments in the region, Shoushtari said that the country saw impressive rise in number of passing flights through its airspace.
In July, Iran announced preparedness to open its airspace to passing flights after Ukraine closed its airspace after a Malaysian passenger plane crashed in that country.
Deputy Head of Flight Standards of Iran Civil Aviation Organization Hamid Habibi voiced the country's readiness to admit some flights passing through the Iranian airspace.
Following the Malaysian plane's crash in Ukraine and closing the country's airspace, he declared Iran's readiness to admit passing flights which intend to change their route and use Iran's aerial space.
A Malaysia Airlines Boeing-777 with over 290 people on board crashed in Ukraine, close to the border with Russia, on July 17.
The shooting down of a Malaysian Airlines passenger plane occurred in rebel-controlled Eastern Ukraine by unknown persons.
In mid-July, Australian airline, the Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services (QANTAS), announced that it has changed its flight path from Iraq to Iran.
QANTAS declared that it has stopped its flights using Iraqi airspace in the wake of the MH17 disaster in Ukraine to avoid using the skies over conflict regions, adding that it preferred Iran's airspace for its regular flights.
A QANTAS spokesman said the airline has closely monitored flight paths over conflict zones since Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine two weeks ago.
By Fars News Agency
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