On Iran's myriad airplane maintenance problems

On Iran’s myriad airplane maintenance problems

sadafie says: So sad. Not sure I appreciate shortformblog’s take though. Plane crashes are an unfortunate reality and happen all around the world. When they do happen, more often than not, they’re related to mechanical malfunctions. That doesn’t mean that a country cares less about it’s people. Just sayin’… I’d be interested in the full story.

» We say: They are, yes, and I don’t mean to downplay the awfulness of this situation. I was just noting that Iran specifically has a reputation for poor care for/lack of refurbishment of their air fleet, leading to a higher likelihood of crashes. From the article: “The country’s civil and military fleet is made up of ancient aircraft in very poor condition because of their age and lack of maintenance. In Iran’s worst air accident, a plane carrying members of the elite Revolutionary Guards crashed in February 2003, killing 302 people on board.” The article lists three other major air incidents since the 2003 crash. It’s not so much suggesting that Iran doesn’t care about their citizens, but questioning their priorities as a country. By alienating the West in part because of the nuclear program, they’ve allowed their air fleet to become dilapidated, leading to these insane crashes. (This 2003-era BBC article offers further context on the planes being used and why they’re so hard to maintain.) Engine problems are common, but they’re even more common when you’re using Soviet-era planes and don’t have access to the parts to fix them.

You have some facts rights, but you’ve missed the core problem: It’s the American sanctions which have kept Iran’s fleet of aircrafts in such poor condition. This has been reported on for decades. Reza Nakhjavani, the head of Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization, has gone so far as to say that the U.S. sanctions against Iran’s aviation industry is “inhumane,” and that the blockade of spare Boeing parts is similar to “denial of needed medical supplies.”

Wired: Sanctions Keep Vintage Aircraft Flying in Iran

HuffPo: Experts say. U.S. sanctions prevent Iran from updating its 30-year-old American aircraft and make it difficult to get European spare parts or planes.

Wikipedia: Due to U.S. sanctions, Iran is unable to buy new Western aircraft (whether commercial or military), nor spare parts for existing aircraft from U.S. manufacturers. American-built military planes now operating in Iran were purchased under the old regime during the 1970s. Iranian officials blame the country’s poor aviation record on the sanctions.

This issue has nothing to do with Iran having misplaced priorities and everything to do with outdated, inhumane sanctions which the international community should demand to have removed immediately.

(Source: shortformblog, via shortformblog)