Montenegro avoids crisis

Montenegro Airlines’ 2009 a success

Montenegro Airlines seems to have avoided the global economic crisis. The airline served 527.000 passengers in 2009, an increase of 4.6%. Accompanying this figure is news that the airline had more flights than in 2008, a total of 12% more. The airline recorded revenue of 62 million Euros, although whether the airline completed 2009 with a profit or a loss will be known in a few months according to the airline’s CEO, Zoran Djurišić. He also stated, “This was the most difficult year for civil aviation, with economist predicting that the airline industry lost 11 billion American Dollars in 2009. We are satisfied with the 2009 result. We have done our outmost in the circumstances that prevailed”. Djurišić also stated that in 2009 the national carrier of Montenegro began new services to Skopje, Priština, Dusseldorf and Copenhagen.

By the 2010 summer season the airline will have 8 aircraft in operation – 5 Fokker F100 jets, 2 Embraer E195 jets and 1 Embraer E175 scheduled to arrive just prior to the summer season. Meanwhile, the arrival of B&H Airlines’ new Boeing B737-700 has been delayed. The aircraft, which was to enter service later this month will now arrive in March, prior to the 2010 summer season. The fate of the second B737-700 which was scheduled to arrive in March is unknown. Whether its arrival will also be delayed remains to be seen.