Unravelling the case of the Iranian-bound 747s

If you want an insight into the complexities of placing civil aircraft with Iranian carriers, there's a taster in this newly-released case document from London's High Court where m'learned friends have been trying to fathom who owns three ex-United Airlines 747-400s which were on their way to Mahan Air.

It's an intricate tale involving lessor GECAS' PK AirFinance division, various special purpose vehicles, a defunct Armenian operation and an influential Iranian family but, as far as the plot summary goes, you're on your own.

Even if you're struggling to follow the main story, there are some fascinating snippets about Mahan Air's efforts to circumvent the \"serious impediment\" of US sanctions, including details on Iran's connection to a mysterious A330 deal for Germany's low-key Blue Wings operation, and another strand featuring a cameo appearance by France's Eagle Aviation.

For more court-related axis-of-evil jiggery-pokery see the case of Gaddafi's Airbus.