it is planning to bring in Qatar Airways to fly some of Iran Air’s domestic routes.
Farhad Parvaresh, managing director of Iran Air, explained how this could be done. What he failed to explain was why Iran Air wanted to do this.
Presumably, Iran Air does not see itself as able to field enough aircraft to service all the demand on its routes. Therefore, it wants to cut a deal with another airline that has excess seating capacity.
Iranian aviation authorities have been talking for years about a planned expansion that would see many more and newer aircraft flying on Iranian routes. But sanctions may have brought those plans down to earth,
The authorities have also talked about Iran manufacturing its own 
aircraft for shorter routes. But after a dozen years supposedly assembling Antonov-140s in a plant in Esfahan, Iran doesn’t even have a dozen of those aircraft,
Parvaresh said the Majlis has now passed a “cabotage” law that will enable Iran Air to bring in a foreign airline for the first time. Cabotage is the transportation term for when a country allows a foreign firm to carry goods or passengers entirely on its domestic routes.
He didn’t say Iran yet had a contract with Qatar Airways. But Qatar was the only foreign airline he mentioned, suggesting the Qataris are interested and the talks are progressing well.
But Deputy Transport Minister Shahriar Afandizadeh later told the Iranian Students News Agency “the agreements have been signed” with Qatar.
On Monday, Qatar Air CEO Akbar Al-Bakr said his firm was working with Iran on plans for Qatar Air to fly 31 routes inside Iran.
Afandizadeh said the tickets sold for Qatar Airways flights would be 25 percent more than the same route on Iran Air because Qatar would have to buy jet fuel at the market rate of about 60 cents a liter rather than the subsidized rate of 33 cents a liter that Iranian airlines pay.
As cabotage agreements usually work, Iran Air would sell tickets for its routes, but Qatar Airways would fly some of those routes with its own aircraft. The revenues would be shared. It isn’t clear if the Islamic Republic would tolerate Qatar Airways flying domestic routes in Iran with a huge “QATAR” emblazoned on the fuselage. So Qatar Airways may have to repaint some of its planes.
It is clear that the Islamic Republic will not tolerate the caps and tight skirts worn by Qatar Airways stewardesses. That will obviously have to be changed. Also, Farsi-speaking cabin crew members will clearly be required.
Iran Air currently operates 51 aircraft. Qatar Airways has 97 planes with 182 more on order.
