Jat commencing negotiationswith Embraer and Bombardier

The management of Serbia’s national airline, Jat Airways, will within the next 10 days commence negotiations with the Canadian Bombardier and Brazilian Embraer aircraft manufacturers in order lease new aircraft, through what commonly known as a “financial lease”. According to Jat’s development strategy, created after the unsuccessful privatisation, to be published on October 23, the Serbian airline will in the next 4 years invest 50 million Euros in new aircraft. The airline will in the next 4 months commence negotiations with Boeing as well, in order to secure a purchase of 3 Boeing B737-700 aircraft to be operated on medium range flights. It has been revealed that the airline will purchase 4 aircraft with a capacity of 70-100 seats, 5 ATR72-500 aircraft and 3 Boeing B737-700. A financial lease, which is becoming more popular in aviation, is either a new aircraft, or if not new, it must have at least 75% of the aircraft's usable life left and also gives the airline an opportunity at the end of the lease term the option to purchase the aircraft at an agreed price. The price of Jat’s lease would range between 120.000 and 160.000 Euros per aircraft which should be acceptable to the airline that has an income of 150 million Euros.

Jat’s new strategy outlines that the airline will decrease the number of destinations but will increase the number of frequencies to destinations. The airline’s ultimate goal is to have daily flights to every destination with double daily or more to regional destinations.