Jat close to Airbus deal?

Joining Jat's flock in 2012?

The 12 year saga between Jat Airways and Airbus may soon come to an end, acceding to some Serbian media and the CEO of the Serbian national carrier. The politically motivated order for 8 Airbus A319s, in 1998, never materialised but Jat has already paid 23.5 million US Dollars for the aircraft. According to the media, the airline will now purchase 4 Airbus A319s, due to be delivered between 2012 and 2013.

“We are still negotiating, but a deal is imminent. Airbus has offered us good terms and has lowered their initial asking price. The problem is that Airbus wants to be paid 14 million Euros immediately while the rest would be paid off until 2022”, a source close to the airline said, adding that the immediate payment would be difficult for Jat to make. The news was confirmed several days ago by Srdjan Radovanović, Jat’s CEO, who said that the terms set out by Airbus are better than those previously offered and that it involves 4 aircraft that would be paid off within the next 12 years. Reportedly, the Serbian carrier is also hoping to get free training for its pilots and maintenance crews from the Toulouse aircraft manufacturer.

The 1998 order was worth a total of 580 million US Dollars.