No decision on Jat successor

Without a clue what to do…

The Serbian Prime Minister has denied claims that businessmen will invest millions into Jat Airways and take a 50% share in the airline. This is despite the fact that during last week the Serbian Minister for Infrastructure, which oversees the aviation portfolio and is known for various gaffes, claimed that businessmen, together with the government, would create a successor to Jat by May. The Prime Minister says that a decision whether Jat will continue to operate in its current form or whether a new national carrier would be created hasn’t even been made yet, although he remains adamant that Serbia needs a national carrier. Some of the mentioned businessmen interested in Jat spoke out last week saying they are willing to invest.

Source : EXYU aviation news : http://exyuaviation.blogspot.com has since learned that Jat’s management is due to submit a revival plan to the government. The plan entails a solution to Jat’s future as well as a fleet plan. Furthermore, the Serbian government has approved arrangements for Jat to take out a 10 million Euro loan from the banks to be paid off within the next three years. It has not been disclosed to the public as to how the money will be spent. Jat is gearing up for one of its busiest summer operations in years, which it plans to carry out with 13 aircraft.

Meanwhile, a delegation from the Russian plane manufacturer Sukhoi will be visiting Belgrade in the coming weeks in an attempt to sell its Superjet 100 model to the Serbian national carrier. The aircraft has the capacity to seat between 75 to 95 people depending on class structure. Jat still has an unsettled order for 8 Airbus A319 jets from 1998.

In your opinion, what is the way forward for Jat? Send a comment.