Iran Air’s managing director, Farhad Parvaresh, announced Sunday.
One intended benefit of the shift, experts said, is that the firm will be able to abandon unprofitable routes.
Parvaresh said the company would sell shares totaling 50 percent plus one share in the firm. He valued that half of the company at 14.4 trillion rials ($1.2 billion at the official rate of exchange).
Parvaresh said the shares would be marketed on the Tehran Stock Exchange.