Boeing Co. is finally open for business in Iran. The question is: When will GE Aviation?

The U.S. government cleared the manufacturer to begin talking with approved Iranian carriers about their fleet needs, a first step toward entering the country�s resurgent aircraft market, Boeing said Friday. The planemaker will still need a separate license to complete any commercial jetliner sales.

The stringent requirements aren�t limited to airframe manufacturers. Evendale-based GE Aviation, the world�s largest maker of jet engines, has also applied to do business in Iran, spokesman Rick Kennedy told Bloomberg News The license would cover new-equipment sales as well as maintenance and repair work, where engine manufacturers make most of their money.

GE�s application was submitted in preparation for opportunities arising as the airframers open talks, Kennedy said. GE Aviation, through its West Chester-based CFM International joint venture with France�s Safran SA, makes engines powering many aircraft including Boeing�s 737 and models in Airbus�s A320 family.

Europe�s Airbus Group SE, which faced fewer restrictions, grabbed an early lead with a $27 billion order announced on the day nuclear sanctions were eased last month, Bloomberg noted. While European aerospace rivals began scoping out potential sales last year, Boeing wasn�t allowed to veer beyond safety-related items such as the aircraft maintenance manuals it sold to Iran Air Tours.

By Cincinnati