Press TV - Iranian aerospace companies would become suppliers of spare parts for planes in seven years time, says a senior Iranian high-tech official.

Manuchehr Manteqi, who heads Iran�s government department for advanced transportation, said on Sunday that Iranian companies had managed to obtain international certificates and licenses for manufacturing airplane parts, adding that Iran could reach a stage where it can even export spare parts to other countries.

�With this trend we hope that in the next seven years we could manufacture airplane parts and even supply (them) to other countries to match the position of European countries ...,� Manteqi told the IRNA agency.

The official said Iranian companies had already managed to manufacture �a bulk of� airliner parts whose supply to Iran has been restricted due to the American sanctions.

He said the achievement puts Iran in the ranks of few countries in the world who have mastered the knowledge to manufacture replacement parts for planes.

Iranian airlines have sought to strengthen their repair operations since the US re-imposed a series of sanctions on Iran in November which caused major global planemakers to stop offering maintenance services to Iran.

Largest carrier Homa said last month that its technicians had changed the engine of an old Airbus to return it to service in less than 24 hours amid a busy travel season for Iranian pilgrims.

Officials said the engine installed on the A300-600 had been fully overhauled and assembled by Homa engineers.

Experts believe Iran�s aerospace industry would largely benefit from US sanctions as many companies would seek to rely on domestic engineers and technicians who normally emigrate to find jobs in western countries.