The Iranian official said the country needs at least 500 civil planes, and Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization is trying to facilitate importing the aircrafts, Tasnim agency reported.

Some airlines intend to purchase planes, said head of the civil aviation Ali Abedzadeh.

The U.S. sanctions were a blow to Iran’s aviation industry alongside other important sectors. French-Italian ATR manufacturer delivered five new commercial aircraft to Iran in August before the start of the sanctions. Boeing and its European rival Airbus have lost billions of dollars in aircraft deals with Iranian airlines due to the embargoes