Al-Monitor- As Iran Air has begun receiving its first brand-new, Western-made airplanes in decades, it seems that President Hassan Rouhani's efforts to lift sanctions have paid off. However, rejuvenating a long dilapidated industry is different from simply renewing a fleet.

During the past decades, nothing has symbolized the impact of sanctions on Iran as much as the state of its aviation industry.�Once pioneering�intercontinental flights and regional routes�in the Middle East,�Iran's commercial airlines have been stuck with old fleets as they�suffer�from lack of access to foreign investment and modern aircraft.�Use of Russian commercial airliners such as Tupolevs and Ilyushins have filled the void.

Indeed, accidents have been a consistent occurrence in Iran, leading to public dissatisfaction with Russian planes. From 2005 to 2015 alone, Iranian airlines experienced�16 incidents that resulted in 586 deaths. As such, there is little wonder why earlier this month many Iranians celebrated the arrival of the first brand-new Airbus aircraft, an A321-200, as the end of a tragic era.

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