Source: Spiegel.de
Iranian Airline Buys Chancellor Merkel’s Retired Jet
On its website, Iranian airline Mahan Air (“The Spirit of Excellence”) counts five Boeing 747s and 27 Airbus aircraft among its fleet. The fact that sanctions against the country make maintenance of the jets extraordinarily difficult, however, is not addressed. Still, Mahan Air recently managed to enlarge its fleet through the purchase of an Airbus 310-304, delivered to Tehran from Kiev on Nov. 18. Far from an ordinary acquisition, however, the twin-engine plane’s history is likely to prove embarrassing for the German government. The plane, after all, served until recently as an official government jet for German VIPs — including chancellors, foreign ministers and other cabinet members.