Publish Date: 23 February 2019 - 09:09

TEHRAN, Feb. 23 (MNA) – A Boeing commercial airliner that belongs to budget carrier Norwegian Air and was stuck in the southern Iranian city of Shiraz after an emergency landing in December, took off on Friday after 70 days, a Norwegian Air spokeswoman said on Friday.

"Norwegian's Boeing 737 MAX has taken off from Shiraz Airport in Iran and will land at Stockholm Arlanda Airport early Saturday morning. After two months in Iran," airline spokeswoman Astrid Mannion-Gibson said in an email.

The plane, a 737 MAX model, took off from Dubai on Dec. 14 bound for Oslo but had to land in Shiraz in Iran because of problems with one of its engines. It had stayed there since waiting for a new engine.

Spare parts were needed by its manufacturer Boeing, but because of US sanctions reinstated by the Trump administration, civilian aircraft sales, including servicing and parts, were forbidden in Iran.

Norwegian had said on Wednesday that it was in the process of having a new engine flown to Iran but the spokeswoman did not elaborate further on Friday.

Due to the time required for sending a relief aircraft by Norwegian officials to Shiraz, passengers were accommodated in a hotel in the southern Iranian city.

The 186 passengers and six crew flew out of Shiraz the next day.

MNA/83218789/PR