TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Road and Urban Development Minister Abbas Akhoundi announced that representatives of several French firms are slated to visit Iran in September to help renovate the airports of Tehran and Mashhad.

Akhoundi made the remarks after his visit to France and his several meetings with French industrialists and tradesmen.

"France's best investment companies will come to Tehran in September to help renovate airports of the capital Tehran and Mashhad," Akhoundi said on Monday.

The Iranian ministers said that during his talks with French investors he has discussed purchase of 400 airplanes worth over $20 billion and also construction of nine international airport terminals.

On May 16, Akhoundi called on French investors to seize the opportunity for investment in Iran, and that Iran's transportation sector has the capacity for investment of over $80 billion.

On Thursday, Iranian Road and Urban Development Minister Abbas Akhoundi announced that Tehran and Paris have struck an agreement to renovate Iran's fleet of cargo and passenger planes.

"We are trying to renovate the country's air fleet quickly," Akhoundi told reporters in the Northwestern city of Ardebil.

"I had a trip to France and some consultations and agreements were made in this regard, there will be some good news for the people in this regard in the near future," he added.

In a relevant development in June, Akhoundi and his French counterpart Sylvia Panel in a meeting in Paris discussed ways to expand relations between the two countries in building cities and houses.

During the meeting, the French side announced its plans to send three operational teams to Iran to exchange experiences with the Iranian side in building cities and houses.

Akhoundi, for his part, referred to the two countries' past cooperation in different fields, and welcomed France's experiences in mass building, administrative decentralization and creating a balance between the urban structures and the countryside.

By Fars News Agency