Model Airplanes

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Boeing Co. said Tuesday it signed an agreement with Iran Air “expressing the airline’s intent” to buy its aircraft, setting up the biggest business deal between the Islamic Republic and America since the 1979 U.S. Embassy takeover in Tehran — if it goes through.

Already, one Iranian official has said the deal could involve 100 aircraft while another has suggested Iranian airlines may purchase airplanes worth $25 billion from Chicago-based Boeing, welcome news to workers on its massive assembly plants around Seattle.

However, the long-standing enmity between the U.S. and Iran, as well as other sanctions and even presidential politics still could complicate any agreement — even after last year’s nuclear deal. And even if the agreement is finalized, aircraft orders are often announced at list prices, meaning the actual price tag would likely be lower as airlines typically get steep discounts.

Boeing issued a statement to The Associated Press saying that it signed the Iran Air agreement “under authorizations from the U.S. government following a determination that Iran had met its obligations under the nuclear accord reached last summer.”

“Boeing will continue to follow the lead of the U.S. government with regards to working with Iran’s airlines, and any and all contracts with Iran’s airlines will be contingent upon U.S. government approval,” it said.

Boeing’s statement offered no further details. Fakher Daghestani, a Dubai-based spokesman for the manufacturer, declined to elaborate.

State Department spokesman John Kirby said, “The State Department welcomes Boeing’s announcement of this deal with Iran Air, which

Article source: http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/boeing-iranair-airplane-sale/

Long known as a precision sheet metal fabricator, Liberty Lake-based AccraFab Inc. has spent the last few years working to expand its services to include other industries, with a particular focus on aerospace. 

AccraFab manufactures parts to serve various industries, including energy and power, medical, communications, test and measurement, coffee equipment, and aerospace. 

Company President Greg Konkol says that while most of the company’s work is related to creating precision equipment to support those industries, the sector in which it has seen the most growth is aerospace. 

“The work we do is highly precise, requiring exactness and certain cosmetic standards as well,” says Konkol. “That precision makes us a great fit for the aerospace industry, as it is a highly competitive field requiring specialized manufacturing know-ledge.” 

Konkol says the aerospace manufacturing portion of the company’s business has experienced a higher rate of growth than any of the company’s other areas, and is projected to continue that trend the rest of this year as well as next year. 

“AccraFab has been involved with the aerospace industry for the past decade or so, but we’ve really seen it start to pick up in the last five years,” he says. 

In February, the company opened a new Kirkland, Wash., office, designed specifically to support its work within the aerospace sector, hiring director of sales Jean Crawford to manage it, Konkol says. 

He says Crawford will be responsible for aerospace-related sales, service, and support, working with internal engineering and customer service resources on product development and program management.  

“It’s all about

Article source: http://www.spokanejournal.com/local-news/aerospace-work-outpaces-other-sectors-at-accrafab/

TEHRAN, Iran — Boeing Co. is negotiating a deal to sell 100 airplanes to Iran, state-run media reported Sunday, a sale potentially worth billions that would mark the first major entry of an American company into the Islamic Republic after last year’s nuclear deal.

Chicago-based Boeing declined to discuss details of the talks or the figure of 100 planes, attributed to Ali Abedzadeh, the head of Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization.

Regulatory hurdles and U.S. sanctions that remain in place after the nuclear agreement could complicate the deal. Despite efforts by the U.S. State Department to encourage trade to Iran, many American firms remain worried about the legal and political ramifications of any agreements with the country.

The state-run IRAN newspaper quoted Abedzadeh as saying negotiations took “several stages” and final figures and terms had yet to be reached.

“Both sides — Iran and Boeing — have reached a written agreement for buying Boeing airplanes,” Abedzadeh was quoted as saying.

Fakher Daghestani, a Boeing spokesman based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, declined to answer any questions about Abedzadeh’s comments.

“Any agreements reached will be contingent on U.S. government approval,” Daghestani said in a statement.

A senior Obama administration official confirmed Sunday that the U.S. government would have to review such an agreement.

Under the nuclear deal with Iran, the Treasury Department will review on a case-by-case basis the licensing of individuals or entities that want to export, re-export, sell, lease or transfer to Iran commercial passenger aircraft, and associated parts and services, exclusively for commercial passenger aviation.

The official declined

Article source: http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/boeing-iran-airplane-sale/

TEHRAN, Iran — Boeing Co. is negotiating a deal to sell 100 airplanes to Iran, state-run media reported Sunday, a sale potentially worth billions that would mark the first major entry of an American company into the Islamic Republic after last year’s nuclear deal.

Chicago-based Boeing declined to discuss details of the talks or the figure of 100 planes, attributed to Ali Abedzadeh, the head of Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization.

Regulatory hurdles and U.S. sanctions that remain in place after the nuclear agreement could complicate the deal. Despite efforts by the U.S. State Department to encourage trade to Iran, many American firms remain worried about the legal and political ramifications of any agreements with the country.

The state-run IRAN newspaper quoted Abedzadeh as saying negotiations took “several stages” and final figures and terms had yet to be reached.

“Both sides — Iran and Boeing — have reached a written agreement for buying Boeing airplanes,” Abedzadeh was quoted as saying.

Fakher Daghestani, a Boeing spokesman based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, declined to answer any questions about Abedzadeh’s comments.

“Any agreements reached will be contingent on U.S. government approval,” Daghestani said in a statement.

A senior Obama administration official confirmed Sunday that the U.S. government would have to review such an agreement.

Under the nuclear deal with Iran, the Treasury Department will review on a case-by-case basis the licensing of individuals or entities that want to export, re-export, sell, lease or transfer to Iran commercial passenger aircraft, and associated parts and services, exclusively for commercial passenger aviation.

The official declined

Article source: http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/boeing-iran-airplane-sale/