New look seats on Croatia Airlines A319s

Croatia Airlines has begun rolling out its new economy class cabins in its Airbus A319 jets. The cabins feature the Lufthansa Recaro designed slim seats. According to the Croatian carrier, the new seats will provide more comfort to passengers. However, the airline plans to save with the introduction of the new design. Since the seats weigh only five kilograms each, the carrier will save on fuel. Furthermore, Croatia Airlines will be able to introduce an additional two rows of seating.

The new economy class cabin is featured on all four of Croatia Airlines’ Airbus A319s. Although there were plans to introduce the new seats on its A320s as well, it was decided against the move as the aircraft will soon be leaving the Croatia Airlines fleet. The airline also says the new cabins will be enhanced by new catering, to be introduced this summer season, which sets to promote Croatian cuisine.

Meanwhile, Croatia Airlines will have to compete on its Zagreb to Barcelona service this summer as the Spanish airline Vueling has announced three weekly flights between the two cities. Services will be launched on June 22 and will operate on a seasonal basis until September 17. Vueling replaces the recently bankrupt Spanair which used to operate on the route. Flight details can be viewed here. The Spanish national carrier Iberia will also operate seasonal flights to the Croatian capital. Flights from Madrid to Zagreb are set to operate twice per week until September 16. Details are available here.

From MAT Airways to Kon Tiki Sky to Alfa Air

Kon Tiki Sky (branded as MAT Airways), led by disgraced Dutch businessmen Harry van Achteren, has found a way to operate flights out of Skopje as Serbian tour operator Kon Tiki Travel confirmed it has sold its stake in MAT Airways to Bays Air from the Netherlands and has no connection to Kon Tiki Sky. Last week, Kon Tiki Sky announced it would launch fourteen new destinations out of Skopje but later noted the mentioned destinations were only a list of cities the airline would wish to fly to since it did not receive a license from the Macedonian Civil Aviation Directorate.

However, it has now found a solution. Kon Tiki will operate under Alfa Air codes, which is an airline based in Romania. It will use its aircraft as well (pictured above). As a result, the MAT Airways Boeing 737-500 won’t be used. Kon Tiki Sky says it will launch low cost flights from Skopje to Basel (5 times per week), Dusseldorf (3X p/w), Stuttgart (2X p/w), Hamburg (2X p/w), Berlin (2X p/w), Malmo (2X p/w) and Istanbul (2X p/w) from April 30. From May 28 the airline will launch services to Ancona (3X p/w), Milan (3X p/w), Bologna (3X p/w), Rome (4X p/w), Trieste (4X p/w) and Bratislava (4X p/w). All flights will operate with two Alfa Air British Aerospace RJ85 jets.

According to Kon Tiki Sky reservations can already be made. Ticket prices, which start from 45 euros, can already be seen on the airline’s website but are still unavailable for online purchase. If the flights do go ahead they should help boost Skopje Airport and its passenger numbers. Kon Tiki Sky will also be up for a chance to receive government subsidies designated for low cost airlines.

Crisis hit B&H Airlines suspends all flights

B&H Airlines has suspended all operations until further notice but has not ceased the sale of tickets to Zurich, Istanbul and Copenhagen. The airline is currently scheduled to resume operations to Istanbul on March 13, according to the Amadeus global ticketing system. However, the Bosnian carrier has suspended its planned seasonal flights to Gothenburg and Stockholm. It comes a week after it indefinitely suspended services to Amsterdam.

Currently, B&H Airlines does not have an aircraft in Sarajevo. Its two ATR72s are in Monchengladbach in Germany’s west. The ATR registered E7-AAD left weeks ago while the other, E7-AAE, took off for Monchengladbach on March 9. They are officially there for regular maintenance. Meanwhile, the Airbus A319 has been grounded in Istanbul since February 27. The government maintains that it too is undergoing technical checks.

It is believed that recent talks between Turkish Airlines’ management, the government of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Turkish ambassador in Sarajevo and B&H Airlines’ management broke down earlier in the week. The Bosnian daily “Oslobodjenje” reports that B&H’s part owners, Turkish Airlines, have requested for the Bosnian government to cover debt which has been accumulated by the carrier. Turkish maintains it took over B&H not to make a profit but rather to help the struggling airline back in 2008. The government says it no longer has the means to finance its national carrier. It has ordered B&H Airlines to draft a business plan for 2012 after which talks with Turkish Airlines could resume. Whether B&H can bounce back remains to be seen.

New hope for B&H Airlines

Members of Turkish Airlines’ management flew into Sarajevo yesterday for talks with the Bosnian government over a deepening row regarding B&H Airlines, three weeks ahead of the 2012 summer season. The government, which is B&H’s majority stake holder, is unimpressed with the way the Turks have managed the carrier and are requesting for Turkish Airlines to adhere to its takeover contract. Local media report that Turkish Airlines has not fulfilled many of its obligations which it signed up to back in 2008 when it took a 49% stake in the carrier. The Bosnian government is further angered that it has had to pump in 3.4 million euros into the national airline on an annual basis, despite Turkish’s presence.

Recently, in retaliation, Turkish Airlines took back its Airbus A319, which was operated by B&H and flights to Amsterdam were suspended with little warning. The return of the A319 to Sarajevo was discussed in yesterday’s meeting and progress is said to have been made. In February, B&H Airlines saw passenger numbers stumble 40%. It not only battled with constant flight cancellations as a result of its spat with Turkish Airlines but also saw extreme weather conditions.

Only last week, the Bosnian government approved a 1.3 million euro cash injection to cover B&H’s operational costs. Today, the carrier will only operate one return flight to Istanbul with other services cancelled. Furthermore, one its ATRs is undergoing maintenance leaving the carrier with a single ATR72. Yesterday’s meeting between Turkish Airlines and the Bosnian government is said to be going in the right direction, bringing hope to employees and passengers that the situation can be resolved.

B&H left with two aircraft as it suspends Amsterdam flights

Turkish Airlines has taken back possession of its Airbus A319, which has been operated by B&H Airlines for the past two years as the crisis within the Bosnian carrier deepens. The A319 jet, which is registered in Turkey (TC-JLR) left for Istanbul on scheduled flight JA106 on February 27. Problems appear to have emerged between the minority and majority share holders of the airline - Turkish Airlines (49%) and the government of Bosnia and Herzegovina (51%). Turkish is unhappy that it has been unable to buy a majority stake in the carrier, which it has been hoping to do so since late 2010.

In a further show of problems, B&H Airlines has now suspended services to Amsterdam indefinitely. The flights were to be temporarily suspended during March and resumed in April with four weekly services. In 2011 the Bosnian state auditor said in his report that B&H was better off prior to the Turkish takeover, noting that losses at the airline have increased ten times.

Turkish Airlines has delivered little on its purchasing agreement with the Bosnian government signed in 2008. It was supposed to spend five million euros for the lease of two jet engine aircraft and make a further five million euro investment. According to plans in early 2009 the airline’s fourth jet was to arrive in the summer of last year.

Discontent amongst Croatia Airlines pilots grows

Croatia Airlines pilots are speaking out against the carrier’s Bombardier Dash fleet claiming that the aircraft are unreliable. During the week a Croatia Airlines Dash 8 experienced a minor technical fault, the eighth since December 2011. Speaking to the Croatian press, unnamed pilots say that the aircraft often experience technical fault indications which result in emergency landings and delays. Last month a total of six aircraft of the same type were grounded due to an indication that the forward exit door is not properly closed. “The Dash constantly breaks down. Some aircraft have micro cracks on the fuselage and corrosion on instillations”, one pilot told the “Večernji list” daily, one of Croatia’s largest daily newspapers. Pilots also say that aircraft which are sent for unscheduled checks due to technical faults are noted by the airline as going in for regular maintenance, thus leading to false statistics. Technicians have also spoken out against the aircraft saying that regular annual maintenance for the type takes up to 25 days while maintenance for the larger Airbus jets take only a week.

Croatia Airlines introduced its first Dash 8 aircraft in May 2008. The airline operates a total of six jets from the Canadian manufacturer, which has a capacity to seat 76 passengers. The aircraft has been praised by the airline’s management several times as it burns less fuel and has lower operational costs. Currently, one of the six Croatia Airlines Dash jets is out of service (registered 9A-CQB).

There is growing discontent amongst Croatia Airlines pilots, which became public late last year after their minimum rest period times were cut. The pilots’ union is now requesting for the government to replace the entire management. They were further enraged after their proposed plan to revive the airline was laughed off by the management. The airline accuses the pilots of seeking attention ahead of their collective agreement negotiatons.

Croatia Airline expands into Eastern Europe

The CEO of Croatia Airlines, Srećko Šimunović, has said that the national carrier plans to expand its services into Eastern Europe by 2014. As has previously been reported, Croatia Airlines will inaugurate flights to Moscow this summer season. In 2014 the airline will be launching flights to Sofia and St. Petersburg, which should coincide with the arrival of new aircraft. Although the first of four ordered Airbus A319s are set to begin arriving from 2013 through to 2014, there are indications that the arrivals could be pushed back until 2015 and 2016.

Despite frequency increases throughout the network over the summer and the introduction of flights to Moscow, plans are also being made for the carrier to suspend several loss making routes. The action is needed in order for Croatia Airlines to reach its goal of operating with a profit in 2012. Last year showed encouraging trends as the airline managed to slash its losses.

Croatia Airlines has also made an announcement that it will resume its seasonal summer flights from Dubrovnik to Belgrade, launched last year. It will once again compete against Jat Airways on the route. On its new Zagreb to Moscow service, Croatia Airlines will face competition from Aeroflot.

New plans envisages new aircraft and less employees

The Serbian government is preparing a restructuring plan for its national carrier to be implemented in 2012. Although the task-group working on the restructuring program has yet to decide whether the state should create a new national carrier to replace Jat or leave the airline with its current brand name, it is believed they are leaning towards the latter. “Since there was no interest earlier in the year for a strategic partner to purchase Jat, we have decided to prepare a development strategy because we believe it is important for the country to have a national airline”, the office of the Prime Minister said in a statement. The new program outlines that Jat will have 700 employees (down from the current 1.200), but adds that no one will lose their job. Instead, employees will leave by choice and will be offered bonuses and stimulus packages, which could prove worthwhile for employees who have a few years left until retirement. An attempt to forcefully sack employees several years ago ended in failure as all of those dismissed launched legal battles and were returned to work.

Fleet wise, the plan envisages the purchase of five to eight new aircraft, although Jat’s existing fleet wouldn’t be retired in the near future. Negotiations with Airbus regarding the 1998 order for 8 Airbus A319s will be resumed while cooperation with the ATR aircraft manufacturer will also begin.

Economists have heavily criticised the government over the past few months for not restructuring the airline before putting it on offer in an ambiguous international tender, which ended in failure a few months ago. Once again millions were wasted on financial and privatisation advisors, of which there was no use in the end. Meanwhile, Jat’s catering division, which was divided from the carrier several years ago, will be put up on auction tomorrow. It is the fourth time this year that a 70% stake in Jat Catering has been put up on sale as there has been no interest previously. The minimal asking price is just over 1 million Euros, significantly down on previous sale attempts. The company has 137 employees.

Politics halts A320 sale

The United States has given a stern warning to Adria Airways not to sell its Airbus A320 to the Iranian airline Yas Air, the “Demokracija” weekly reports. The airline, which previously operated under the name, Pars Aviation Services Company, has been blacklisted by a United Nations Security Council Resolution in June 2010 where it brands the carrier as a “company involved in nuclear or ballistic missile activities”. The measure was introduced to put pressure on Iran against pursuing its controversial nuclear plans. Iran insists its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes only. Furthermore, it is believed that members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard used Pars Aviation jets for training. Allegedly, the airline changed its name to bypass the Security Council Resolution.

Part of the non paper from the United States to the Slovenian government reads, “We request that you freeze any Yas Air assets and prevent or stop the transaction between Adria Airways and Yas Air. We would appreciate any information you can provide and any actions you take with regard to this matter”. The Slovenian government cordially obliged and blocked the sale of the Airbus A320 (registered S5-AAS) as Yas Air was supposed to take delivery of the jet last month at Tehran Mehrabad Airport.

Adria, which is looking to reduce its debt, has grounded the A320 in question. It has been stripped of its livery and is sitting at Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport, waiting for a new owner to be found.

It is not the first time this year that a former Yugoslav state has been warned of its dealings with Iran. Earlier in the year, the United States warned Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport against refuelling Iran Air jets which were flying from Western Europe to Tehran. The technical stop was introduced since oil companies at airports such as London Heathrow and Vienna refused to refuel Iran Air jets for its return voyage to Tehran. The airport, which made significant profit out of its arrangement, obliged with the request and terminated its contract with Iran Air. In June the United States issued an advisory to all airports in Europe to stop refuelling all Iran Air jets.

New hopes for 2012

In October the Banja Luka based Sky Srpska submitted its plan to launch flights in 2012. The plans were submitted to the relevant ministry and the airline’s CEO, Zoran Injac, says Sky Srpska is now waiting to be given the green light by the entity government. If things go according to plan the airline will launch services to Vienna in 2012. “Our research shows that there is a need for flights to Vienna. Furthermore, this market should ideally be catered by two smaller jets of up seventy seats”. The proposed plan outlines that a daily flight from Banja Luka to the Austrian capital should be inaugurated and another three weekly flights to Zurich should also operate.

Sky Srpska was formed in 2007 but no aircraft have ever been neither purchased nor leased. The new plan suggests a single jet should be leased in 2012. Injac adds that a total of 2 million Euros should be invested into the airline on a yearly basis which, according to him, is not a big sum in the aviation industry. An airline based in Banja Luka could revive the city’s airport which is currently only served by B&H Airlines’ flights to Zurich.

Banja Luka Airport previously served as a hub to Air Srpska, which was formed by JAT Yugoslav Airlines. The airline was formed in the summer of 1998 so that JAT pilots and crew could continue working since their company was banned from operating flights to the rest of the continent due to international sanctions. Until 2003 the airline operated flights to Belgrade, Tivat and Zurich. However, Jat Airways ended cooperation with Air Srpska by taking back its two ATR72s provided to the airline and effectively closing it.

Government determined to set up new national airline

The Serbian Ministry for Infrastructure has announced that it will go ahead with the creation of a successor national carrier to Jat Airways even if a strategic partner for the new venture is not found. The Ministry said it hopes to begin talks with Baltic Aviation Systems, the only enterprise to purchase the tender documentation for the creation of the new state carrier. They have been given a month to send in their offer, after which “flexible” negations are set to take place in December. Baltic Aviation Systems is headed by a group of businessmen who partly own Latvia’s national carrier, airBaltic.

Milutin Mrkonjić, the Minister for Infrastructure, said that neither Turkish Airlines nor Aeroflot, who have in the past been linked to Jat’s privatisation process, have participated in the tender. He explains that this is because of the bad experience airlines from the two countries have had in similar ventures, giving the example of Turkish’s takeover of B&H Airlines. The new company which will be set up would be freed of Jat’s debt, according to Mrkonjić, while a social benefits program for Jat’s employees would be drafted. This is in stark contrast to the minister’s announcement from last week when he promised job security for the airline’s workforce.

Meanwhile, the acting CEO of Jat Airways, Vladimir Ognjenović, has said that the carrier will need new aircraft next year regardless of the privatisation process outcome. He adds that the airline will hire younger cabin crew next year while negotiations regarding commercial cooperation with AZAL Airlines from Azerbaijan will begin later on in the month. Such an agreement could pave way for AZAL to begin flights to Belgrade.

Do you think a new Serbian national carrier will be created next year? Will Jat become history in 2012? Send a comment with your thoughts.

A new record - one week in operation

The newly established Golden Air which commenced flights from Maribor to London Stansted via Vienna last week has cancelled all services after the airline was grounded on Wednesday. Golden Air is experiencing problems with Eastern Airways from which it has leased a Cessna to operate the flights. “The Friday flight has been cancelled and passengers have been offered alternative transportation”, Urban Simčič, the airline’s representative told Slovenian media. However, the company’s owner says that he is not throwing in the towel and that a lot has been invested into the airline venture. “The Slovenian public has responded well to the new flights and we see enormous potential in them”, officials from the airline stress.

Golden Air highlights that the Maribor - Vienna - London service has only been temporarily suspended and is certain that flights will resume soon. The airline says it has lined up a Boeing 737-300 for future flights. The aircraft is now undergoing necessary licensing checks and once it is cleared the airline should restore the scheduled flights. The new services are seen as an opportunity for Maribor Edvard Rusjan Airport to revive itself.

Golden Air is partially owned by English businessman Harjinder Singh Sidhu who has previously invested into the now bankrupt Air Slovakia. AvioFun, a Slovenian company, has also invested heavily into the Golden Air project.

From Banja Luka to Copenhagen

B&H Airlines CEO, Altan Buyukyilmaz, recently announced that the Bosnian carrier will launch several new flights over the next few months. The first new service to be introduced is from Banja Luka to Copenhagen, in order to aid the struggling direct service from Sarajevo. Flights from Sarajevo to Copenhagen will no longer operate nonstop, instead, they will make a stop in Banja Luka. B&H Airlines will operate the service twice per week using an ATR72, meaning that passengers will endure a three hour trip to the Danish capital. Flights commence on October 31. This will come as good news for Banja Luka Airport which is experiencing financial problems.

Due to lower passenger numbers one of B&H Airlines’ ATR72s is now serving both the airline’s Amsterdam and Copenhagen flights, resulting in longer flight times. The Airbus A319 is currently being used for the evening Istanbul flights while another ATR72 (registration E7-AAD) has been out of service for weeks.

B&H Airlines has had a difficult year with the carrier suspending several key routes including Frankfurt, Vienna, Stockholm and Gothenburg. However, it has managed to maintain passenger growth throughout 2011. The Bosnian carrier is yet to officially announce its 2011/12 winter season timetable.

Jat lands in Kraljevo

Morava Airport in Kraljevo handled its first passengers on Wednesday as Jat Airways operated a promotional flight from Belgrade. The first passengers to set foot at Serbia’s newest international airport were President Boris Tadić and Defence Minister Dragan Šutanovac along with other officials. The President toured the airport site and inspected construction work on the 5.000 square meter terminal building. He also visited the newly built air traffic control tower. “This entire region of Serbia has now received a new airport which will be at the disposal of its citizens but will also fuel further investment into the region”, President Tadić said.

Regular flights from Morava should begin next March as the airport’s runway will be lengthened to handle larger aircraft in time for the 2012 summer season. A total of 32 million Euros has been invested into the project. A Jat Airways ATR72 (registered YU-ALN) was used to ferry the President and other officials from Belgrade to Kraljevo and back. Thanks to the VIP passengers, the aircraft was completely refurbished with new leather seats although the airline claims that its entire ATR fleet will receive a new look with the next aircraft, registered YU-ALP, to feature the new interior as well. The flight from Belgrade to Kraljevo took thirty minutes.

First passengers at Morava Airport

Part of Morava Airport, known as Ladjevci, will continue to be used for military purposes. Some have criticised the project as a political stunt ahead of the first anniversary of the Kraljevo earthquake and next year’s parliamentary elections. They argue the airport won’t be viable. On the other hand, the government says the airport will see flights to Turkey and Germany next summer. The Government of Turkey invested 10 million Euros into the project.

Adria farewells Banja Luka, London, Paris, Toulon and Warsaw

After months of speculation, Slovenia’s Adria Airways has finally announced its list of suspended destinations for the upcoming 2011/12 winter season. The airline will bid farewell to Banja Luka, London Gatwick, Toulon, Warsaw and Paris and will suspend its Vienna - Frankfurt route along with flights to Dusseldorf originating from Priština. Despite heavy losses on the route, Adria will maintain flights to Istanbul. Over the past few months, Slovenian media have suggested that the airline would suspend flights to Turkey’s largest city as well as Copenhagen. Some routes will see a reduction in frequencies. According to a press release from the carrier, during the winter season (which begins October 30), Adria will operate a total of 163 scheduled flights per week to fifteen destinations.

Adria Airways will operate up to four daily flights from Ljubljana to Frankfurt and three flights per day to Vienna, Munich and Zurich. It will connect Ljubljana with the Macedonian capital eleven times per week while services to Belgrade will be increased from six to eight per week. The airline will maintain flights from Priština to Frankfurt and Munich but will suspend flights to Dusseldorf.

Meanwhile, the airline has also begun shedding its fleet. An Airbus A320 (registered S5-AAT) has left the Adria flock. In its final months for the airline, the aircraft wore the Adria Aviopromet retro livery to celebrate its 50th anniversary. The destination and fleet cuts were brought on by a difficult financial situation which brought the airline to the brink of bankruptcy before being saved by the Slovenian government. The difficult part is yet to come as the airline will be forced to significantly reduce its workforce.

Financial injection for Croatia Airlines

The Croatian Competition Agency has cleared 42.4 million Euros in state aid to Croatia Airlines for the purpose of settling contractual obligations for the purchase of Airbus jets. However, unlike state aid granted recently to Slovenia’s Adria Airways, Croatia Airlines will be requested to either return the money within six months or commit itself to a companywide restructuring program. The latter is more likely to occur. The news, which gained little media coverage in the country, is significant as it illustrates the difficult financial situation the Croatian carrier finds itself in, despite a record year when it comes to passenger numbers.

Croatia Airlines has four Airbus A319s on order, scheduled to arrive within the next two years. The airline has had problems keeping up with payments for its aircraft in the past. In December 2009, one of the airline’s A319s was nearly revoked before the government stepped in with payments. More recently, Zagreb Airport warned it would impound some of the national carrier’s jets if it did not pay up its outstanding debt dating from 2009 which amounts to 9.2 million Euros.

On a brighter note, next year, Croatia Airlines will begin fitting part of its Airbus fleet with Lufthansa’s Recaro designed seats. The new look cabin will be progressively introduced from the start of the 2012 summer season.

Restructuring begins after Adria bailout

The CEO of Adria Airways, Klemen Boštjančič, has said that the Slovenian state carrier will begin the search for a new owner at the end of March 2012, with the process to be completed by the start of 2013. The comments come a week after the state, together with the country’s banks, bailed Adria from an impending bankruptcy. Boštjančič added that in the next few months the airline will begin a difficult restructuring process which, when completed, will make the airline more attractive to potential investors and partners. The airline cannot be sold in its current state and needs to be partially restructured before any talks with potential new owners can begin. “The restructuring process aims to cut costs and stop the airline from bleeding”, Boštjančič said. He added that Adria has had major problems with its accounting department which has, in the past, distorted the airline’s financial performance by representing losses to be much lower than they actually were.

A new collective agreement for cabin crew will see their wages slashed but should increase productivity, according to the airline’s management. Furthermore, the recently approved aircraft swap deal with Croatia Airlines should see Adria offloading some of its aircraft to its Croatian counterpart in a bid to save money. Adria should announce its destination network cuts this week. Although the airline has for now only confirmed that flights to Warsaw will be discontinued, another eight destinations will also be dumped. It is now believed that these are Paris, London-Gatwick and Istanbul from Ljubljana as well as Brussels, Paris, Copenhagen and Dusseldorf from its Priština base and its Vienna - Frankfurt flights, however this has not been verified by officials from the carrier.

Adria Airways and Croatia Airlines to swap jets

Croatia Airlines and Adria Airways have reached an agreement on a common business plan model. The two airlines will strengthen ties and have agreed to cooperate in jet leasing as a means of improving efficiency and streamlining fleet utilisation. The agreement outlines that the two airlines will provide short term leases of their aircraft to each other. Adria is interested in leasing some of Croatia Airlines’ Bombardier Dash 8s while in return, Croatia Airlines would have the ability to lease Adria’s CRJ900s. Adria is also keen on getting rid of its larger aircraft such as the Airbus A320 as it looks for ways to cut costs. Whether Croatia Airlines would be interested in this type of aircraft remains to be seen. The Croatian national carrier already operates 3 Airbus A320s and 4 A319s with another 4 jets of this type on order, to be delivered from 2013.

Besides the swapping of aircraft, the two airlines are also looking at code sharing on certain routes and leasing out their own cabin crew to each other. The aim of the deal is to save money. “We are primarily interested in regional cooperation and integration, which is in the interest of both companies”, Srećko Šimunović, the CEO of Croatia Airlines said. Both Croatia Airlines and Adria Airways are members of Star Alliance. Croatia Airlines is having its best year on record when it comes to passenger numbers but is still struggling with finances. On the other hand, it has been a horror year for Adria with the hope that 2012 will bring better fortunes.

Meanwhile, Adria is a step closer to finalising an agreement with the banks which would save it from bankruptcy. The final agreement is expected within the next few days after which painful cost cutting measures should begin to be implemented at the expense of both employees and passengers. The Government of Slovenia held an emergency meeting last week to discuss ways in which to help Adria survive one of its worse crises.

Montenegro Airlines reassures over safety

Montenegro Airlines has said that all of its aircraft are safe after 2 incidents occurred in just 10 days, assuring the public that the carrier is not cutting costs when it comes to safety and maintenance. The first incident occurred when it was discovered that a chartered flight from Podgorica to Cardiff, carrying the national football team of Montenegro, had an electronics failure onboard. The aircraft in question was a relatively new Embraer E195 jet. Another occurred only several days ago after a Frankfurt bound Fokker F100 was forced to turn back to Podgorica and declare an emergency landing due to a hydraulics problem.

Due to a media frenzy regarding the airline’s safety performance, Montenegro Airlines has explained that its aircraft perform over 20.000 hours of flying time per year and that such technical problems are standard. Although it admitted that the airline is experiencing economic hardship it assured the public that no cost cutting measures are being applied to its safety and maintenance procedures.

Montenegro Airlines had an unusual incident earlier this year when an eagle flew into the nose cone of one of its F100s as the jet was on final to land at Tivat Airport. The bird strike damaged the aircraft’s meteorological radar. In February this year, an engine on the airline’s E195 was damaged in Vienna due to careless handlers.

More seats being sold on Jat

Serbia’s national carrier, Jat Airways, has recorded good results in the traditionally busy August. The airline carried 155.163 passengers, an increase of 6% compared to the same month last year. If only scheduled traffic were to be counted, numbers increased by 10%. The national carrier is making a noteworthy comeback on its flights to Podgorica and Tivat in Montenegro. Passenger numbers increased by over 15% on these flights. In Euro-Mediterranean services, numbers were up 9%. Overall, the average cabin load factor totalled 78%, an increase of 5% compared to August 2010.

In the first 8 months of the year, Jat Airways has carried 830.670 passengers, an impressive increase of 14%. If only scheduled traffic were to be counted the increase bumps up to 18%. By the end of August, the average load factor amounted to 69%, which is also more than the same period last year when it totalled 62%. Jat is operating a fleet of 12 aircraft on a daily basis after 2 grounded Boeing 737s returned to the fleet this August. Currently, another 2 aircraft are grounded, 1 ATR72 and 1 B737-300. After their return to the fleet, which is expected soon, the airline will finally have its entire fleet in the sky after many years.

Meanwhile, with 3 weeks to go, no airline has purchased the tender documentation to create a successor to Jat. Furthermore, the auction of the airline’s catering division, originally planned for this Friday, has been delayed until September 23.

You can review all the results from this year in the table below.

Month	PAX	Change (%)
JAN	70.788	▲ 2.9
FEB	67.635	▲ 24
MAR	79.408	▲ 20
APR	88.597	▲ 33
MAY	96.466	▲ 17
JUN	116.105	▲ 18
JUL	156.508	▲ 8
AUG	155.163	▲ 6