Jat opts for A319

Airbus trumps Boeing in Jat’s fleet renewal push

Jat Airways’ management board has decided for the airline to lease 2 Airbus A319 aircraft in the first step to modernise its rapidly aging fleet in years. Original plans, which stem from 2 years back, anticipated for the Serbian carrier to lease 2 Boeing B737-700s. However, with the prospect of settling a 10 year old feud with Airbus, which has costed the airline millions, the European plane manufacturer was given the thumbs up. Since Jat has never had Airbus aircraft in its fleet, its pilots have already been booked for training. The lease of new aircraft has been made possible by a 51.5 million Euro loan from two leading banks. The government approved its backing for the loan while the Serbian Parliament discussed it on Tuesday. It is expected that the parliament will approve the credit by the end of next week, which will finally allow Jat to use the much needed cash.

Once the parliament approves the loan Jat will immediately issue an open call for all interested in offering 2 Airbus A319s for lease. The Tender Commission will then choose the best offer. Tender procedures were scheduled to begin on November 3 but were delayed because the parliament hadn’t approved the loan yet. According to the airline’s CEO, Srdjan Radovanović, the new aircraft will be in Jat’s fleet by January 2011.