German aircraft engine maker MTU Aero Engines says it is in talks with several Iranian airlines for supplying maintenance services.

�MTU has great interest in supporting Iranian airlines with maintenance services,� Reiner Winkler told Euro am Sonntag weekly.

The talks with Iranian companies, he said, are done in consultation with German and US export control authorities.

�In Iran, a lot of Western-manufactured aircraft engines are in use which have an elevated demand for maintenance,� he added.

Iran�s airlines�are still facing stringent Western restrictions for supply�of plane parts and services, according to officials.

The country's civil aviation is under US and European sanctions which have led to a series of plane crashes in which hundreds of people have lost lives.

Last month�s finalization of nuclear talks has generated hopes of an opening, with leading international aircraft manufacturers indicating interest in�business with Iran.

Officials have said Iran�would need 400-500 civilian aircraft worth at least $20 billion in the next decade to renovate its aging fleet.

On Thursday, Minister of Transportation Abbas Akhoundi said Iran was in talks with Airbus.�The minister made the announcement after meeting French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius who visited Tehran following Akhoundi�s trip to Paris to attend an air show in June.

�Airbus, as one of the European aviation companies, comprises about 50% of Iran�s aviation fleet and in this regard, we are in direct negotiations with the company to renovate our fleet,� Akhoundi said.

By Press TV