Iranian crew on Venezuelan plane were trainers: Aviation chief

Iran’s aviation chief has ruled out any link between one of the country’s top airlines and a Venezuelan plane impounded in Argentina as he insists the Iranian crew on the plane were instructors working as part of an aviation deal between Iran and Venezuela.

According to Press TV, Mohammad Mohammadi Bakhsh said on Sunday that the aircraft seized in Argentina a day earlier is not Iranian and has not been on Mahan Air’s register.

Mohammadi Bakhsh said, however, that Iran has cooperation agreements with Venezuela to dispatch aviation instructors and trainers to the country.

The comments came after reports said seven Iranian crew members were on the Boeing 747 plane impounded in Buenos Aires on Saturday.

“Iran has signed a memorandum of understanding with Venezuela in recent years which is focused on training pilots and flight crews and (Iranian) individuals are there in line with this agreement,” he was quoted as saying by ISNA.

Iran’s Mahan Air, which is under American sanctions since 2011, also denied any link to the plane and its crew, including reports suggesting that the airline had leased the plane to a Venezuelan company.

Mahan's Spokesperson Amir Hossein Zolanvari said on Sunday that the aircraft had been sold to a Venezuelan customer a year ago.

Zolanvari described the move to impound a plane previously owned by Mahan Air as politically motivated.

The impounding comes just after Iran and Venezuela declared they will expand their economic and political ties through a 20-year cooperation agreement signed between the two countries on Saturday.  

The agreement was signed during an official visit by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to Tehran. 

ME