Iran Air and Airbus have signed a multi-billion-U.S.-dollar historic agreement to purchase Airbus aircraft, Airbus Group said Thursday in a statement.

"Deliveries will begin in early 2017," the Toulouse-based company said.

The contract covered 46 Airbus A320 planes, 38 A330 planes and 16 A350 XWB aircraft, according to the statement.

Airbus didn't disclose the value of the deal.

"This is a landmark agreement not only because it paves the way for Iran Air's fleet renewal," Airbus President and CEO Fabrice Bregier said.

The overall accord includes pilot training, airport operations and air traffic management. So this agreement is also a significant first step in the overall modernization of Iran's commercial aviation sector, Bregier said.

"This new round of cooperation with Airbus has come to fruition and brought us closer with more practical steps to follow for Iran Air's fleet renewal," Iran Air Chairman and CEO Farhad Parvaresh said.

According to Airbus, the agreement is subject to U.S. government Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) export licences which were granted in September and November 2016.

These licenses are required for products containing 10 percent or more U.S. technology content. Airbus coordinated closely with regulators in the EU, U.S. and elsewhere, Airbus said in the statement.

source: Xinhua