Jat not left out to dry

Consultant tender by the end of June

Following reports by the Serbian daily “Blic”, covered here two days ago, Jat Airways has said that the Serbian Government has issued guarantees to banks and that Jat will soon be receiving a loan from them. The loan will be used to get a part of Jat’s fleet, which is grounded, into the air. Currently, Jat’s Boeing B737-400 is waiting to be returned to its original owner.

Meanwhile, the Serbian Government announced yesterday that a tender to find a consulting company to help with Jat’s future will begin by the end of June. The consulting company’s job will be to find a strategic partner for Jat as well as the best way in which Jat’s successor should be created. “In April, the Government agreed to create a new national carrier. The first step was to find a consultant within 75 days and we are carrying out that plan. The most serious talks regarding strategic partnership with Jat are being held with Turkish Airlines”, Miodrag Miljković, the state secretary for aviation said. Recently, the CEO of Turkish Airlines confirmed that the airline is interested in taking over Jat.