Iran�s media reported on Sunday that aviation officials have started negotiations with several European airliners to increase their weekly flights to the country.

The Tehran Times has quoted Mohammad Khodakarami, the acting director of Iran�s Civil Aviation Organization (CAO), as saying that weekly flights to France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Turkey, and Denmark will increase in the near future.

Khodakarami said that the highest rises in the number of flights will occur in trips to Turkey which will see an increase of 30 to reach 100 per week. Next will be Russia where flights from Iran will rise to 28 from the current seven per week and then France that will host 10 landings from Iran from the current three per week.

The official further added that added that the number of flights between Iran and Germany has already risen to 14 per week. This followed the decision by a key German airline to launch flights to Iran, Khodakarami said without providing specifying the name of the airliner.

The Tehran Times has further reported that Iran and Portugal have signed a memorandum of understanding for establishment of a flight route between the two countries.

This, it said, followed the launching of a direct flight between Tehran and Athens by Greece�s Aegean Airline as of this past Thursday. �Three flights are made between the two cities per week, the Tehran Times added.

By Press TV