Bombardier says Iranian sales talks progress, denies new airline

By Allison Lampert
Montreal, April 24 (Reuters) - Reports that Bombardier Inc
BBDb.TO is involved in launching an airline in Iran are
inaccurate, the Canadian planemaker said on Sunday, although it
confirmed it was in talks for sales as its executive chairman
visited the country to drum up business.
Bombardier Executive Chairman Pierre Beaudoin led a
delegation of company aviation and rail executives to Iran last
week, but no deal has been reached yet on sales with Iranian
customers, company spokeswoman Marianella de la Barrera said on
Sunday.
Aviation Iran reported on Saturday that Bombardier signed a
memorandum of understanding with officials from Iran's Qeshm
Free Zone on establishing an airline.
Citing an anonymous source, Bloomberg reported on Sunday
that Qeshm Free Zone officials hoped to conclude a deal with
Bombardier in the next two months on a project to set up an
airline in the southern Qeshm island.
De la Barrera said by phone that Bombardier did not plan to
launch and run a new airline, but she could not say specifically
whether the Montreal-based company was holding talks to sell
planes to an Iranian start-up.
"We build, market and sell aircraft and trains," she said.
She said the company's talks in the country were
progressing.
"We are advancing in discussions," she said. "We are
visiting more often."
Bombardier's new CSeries passenger jet is years behind
schedule, billions of dollars over budget and has won relatively
few orders so far compared with its rivals.
Canada said in February it was lifting some sanctions
against Iran, allowing Bombardier to compete against planemakers
Boeing (NYSE:BA) Co BA.N and Airbus Group SE AIR.PA .
A delegation from Boeing visited Iran earlier in April to
discuss sales of jetliners, while its European rival, Airbus,
agreed in January to sell Iran 118 planes worth about $27
billion at list prices.
The nuclear agreement last year between Iran and six world
powers allowed for the easing of some sanctions imposed by the
United States, European Union and United Nations in return for
Tehran curbing its nuclear program.