One of the primary requirements for international technological cooperation is the establishment of a common basis for approvals and airworthiness certifications (standards for parts and systems). Therefore, alongside negotiations and

necessary measures to form technological cooperation with Russia, the issue of a standardization agreement has been pursued for the past two and a half years.

 

In this regard, as a first step, and as a result of the efforts of the center alongside the Civil Aviation Authority, the Russian side, through a federal decree in the second half of 2022, recognized Iran's Civil Aviation Authority as one of the approved countries. Subsequently, given the temporary and limited scope of the aforementioned decree, a more comprehensive technical agreement was required. Through negotiations, a bilateral agreement was ultimately signed between Iran's Civil Aviation Authority and Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency in December of this year.

 

To implement this agreement, in March 2024, Hossein Pourfarzaneh, Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development and Head of Iran's Civil Aviation Authority, along with a delegation from our country, met and held discussions with Vladimir Patskevich, Deputy Minister of Transport, and Dmitry Yadrov, Head of Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency, during a visit. Additionally, the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Russia hosted this high-level delegation, and discussions were held regarding the enhancement of cooperation between Iran and Russia in the aviation transport industry.

 

Based on this agreement, both parties, by mutually accepting each other's aviation standards, will pave the way for the development of exports of technical and engineering services from Iranian companies to Russia.

 

A summary of the achievements of this agreement is as follows:

 

1- The mutual recognition of airworthiness certificates enables Iranian companies' parts, equipment, and services to be offered in global markets, leading to economic and commercial growth in the aviation sector. Following this agreement, Iran's maintenance, repair, design, and manufacturing centers will enter the Russian market. Periodic inspections of advanced aircraft, including Airbus and Boeing, as well as the repair and overhaul of their engines, will be conducted at Iranian maintenance facilities.

 

2- This initiative can serve as an effective model for cooperation with other countries. Currently, necessary measures are underway to sign similar agreements with several other countries, including India, China, and Indonesia. These efforts will facilitate Iranian companies' access to the engineering and specialized markets of other nations.

 

3- In addition to enhancing bilateral cooperation, this agreement will pave the way for regional and international collaboration in aviation, particularly within frameworks such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and BRICS.

 

4- Signing such agreements strengthens international relations, expands cooperation, and encourages other countries to enter into similar agreements.

 

5- This agreement will help both countries align and upgrade their regulatory frameworks in accordance with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards.

 

It is worth noting that this is the first time Iran has signed an agreement with a foreign country regarding the acceptance of aviation industry standards. It is a matter of pride that a country like Russia, with a rich history in the aviation industry, has acknowledged the high standards of Iran's aviation industry. This allows Russian companies to use aircraft repaired in the Islamic Republic of Iran without issues and permits Russian airlines to install parts produced by Iranian companies on their aircraft, provided these parts are approved by Iran's Civil Aviation Authority.