More flights - less routes
The new acting CEO of Jat Airways, Vladimir Ognjenović, has given his first interview to a major Serbian newspaper. Ognjenović said that Jat will not be receiving any new aircraft until 2012. “Unfortunately there is no chance that we will be receiving new aircraft next season. In 2011 we will be operating with 13 aircraft. However, in 2012, Jat should take delivery of its first new planes. That’s why a new agreement with Airbus is paramount”, Ognjenović told the “Večernje novosti” newspaper.Ognjenović noted that Jat has spent 29.5 million Euros out of the 51.5 million Euro loan the airline secured late last year. “Under the watchful eye of the government we have covered all debt towards our suppliers and partners such a Jat Tehnika and Jat Catering”, Ognjenović said. The catchphrase for the new management will be “cost cutting”. The past 2 managements, particularly the one led by Ognjenović and Saša Vlaisavljević were strongly criticised for their cost cutting which led to a range of problems. However, Ognjenović remains confident that the airline will, in the next 6 months, save millions by terminating unprofitable routes, increasing frequencies and making a rational fleet plan.
Jat will not be privatised in 2011 and it is unlikely that the airline will be sold in 2012. The government is yet to decide whether it will create a new Jat or leave the airline as is. The consultancy firm Deloitte will make that decision by the end of the year based on analysis and results. Yesterday, Jat launched a promotional ticket campaign as a way of luring passengers to its flights in face of mounting competition from low cost airline Wizz Air.
Trla baba lan...
ReplyDelete(Ohh...and on LON-BEG-LON route...There is no competition. Wizz with insane departure time from BEG and JAT with the problems above...I am changing at MUC with Lutfhansa. After many...many...many years!)
BRING BA BACK!!!!
I am really curious, does he think we are idiots and morons?
ReplyDeleteThey have used half of the loan to pay the debts but what will happen with the rest? A nice holiday in Cuba? A new house? New cars for the managment?
Since they are not getting new planes, no new routes to invest into, no new marketing campaing... the last time I checked when you close a route (which they intend on doing) you do not use cash to do it. So please, where do you intend on using the 26.000.000 euros?
I do not know what is more funny, his intentions to cut unprofitable routes or that our government intends on supervising the spendings of the airline? Maybe the government should supervize itself and wonder where did the hundreds of millions of foreign aid go?
The only route worth cutting is Tripoli and Malta, the times are stupid and the prices are not normal. What other routes do they plan on cutting? Maybe Montenegro again? One of the most unprofitable routes for Jat, poor Montenegro Airlines... Brussels? Amsterdam? Stockholm?
Jat's flight map is made up of really basic destinations and by cutting even one of them big players like Swiss and Lufthansa will only be happy!
Sad sad sad, that is all I have to say.
One question on Wizzair and Luton. Do they intend on having only the 05:30 departute out of Belgrade? How many times per week will it be?
ReplyDeleteExcept postponing leasing of 2 new aircraft into fleet, I wouldn`t be so negative to any plan if there is such.
ReplyDeleteHaving plan, it means that somebody measures and evaluate effects of certain activities and business measures and moves.
So, it is polite to wait and see the plan. Again, I am dissaponted only beacuse postponing of the new a/c`s.
Let`s wait to see the Plan! Honestly, it seems to me that only previous CEO had a plan. It failed. But, it is normal that every new CEO has its own.
The easiest thing is to spit and be negative. There is no responsibility for that, except hurting nice behavior.
@ex-yu aviation administrator
ReplyDeleteMy comment disappeared
Strange things going on at the Jat residence..... I agree where is all this cash going? If it is to secure leases on a/c this would mean the aircraft would be on order and would join the fleet alot sooner.
ReplyDeleteI am guessing Jat has alot of debt to pay off before being able to restructure itself or re-launch as a new Jat. But correct me if I am wrong but did Jat not re-launch as Jat Airways after being JAT Yugoslav Airlines? Why did they just give up on their new (at the time) image?
@ Aero: Retrieved
ReplyDelete@ the second Anonymous poster, totally agree with you on the current route map. Jat currently flies to very basic destinations, one would hope a basic airline in Europe to do, cutting any of them, apart from the ones you've mentioned would be lunacy!
ReplyDeleteAlso, when they say no new aircraft until 2012, I assume he means bought outright? What's stopping Jat from leasing a bloody plane? Other companies do it, sometimes on really long leases, why's Jat so stuck on buying of the metal could be put to good use NOW!?
AirKoryo,
ReplyDeleteI think they just rebranded, not restarted the same way Olympic did.
Well I suppose Thessaloniki is about to go coz you can not book any flights during the summer season.
Aero,
I agree with you that it would be polite to wait but I think that we all had enough of these ex-check in desk losers whose knowledge in aviation is as good as my 78 year old grandma's.
I for one am sicks of them. There are usually two kinds of Jat CEOs, losers and lunatics.
Let's see what routes might see an increase in frequency. London can go up to 9 times per week as I doubt they can afford new slots at Heathrow.
Paris might be increased by a few flights a week. Athens is 4 times a week and in my opinion it will stay like that. A few more flights to Moscow might be added, like a morning flight.
Copenhagen might go daily and so might Stockholm.
As for the rest, I doubt we will see any changes.
However I am just dissappointed that none of them mentiones transit passengers from ex-Yugoslavia. Maybe that is a bit too advanced for them.
Dajte ljudi.. bar znamo u napred da se necemo zaludjivati pricama iz 2010.e - "avioni stizu... ne, ne, ipak ne stizu... ustvari stizu, ali ne ovi nego oni.." standardna saga ahhahaha :)
ReplyDeleteSerbia is one of those weird countries where neither the government nor state owned companies are liable to anyone. I am a tax payer and I want to know what happens with my money. If the government has approved a loan to JAT for specific purposes, what happens with the money if it is not used for those specific purposes? If JAT has taken the money to lease new aircraft and they are not going to be leased, is JAT going to return the loan to the government? Who's crazy here? The government, JAT or all of us tax payers? Too many questions, too few answers. :-(
ReplyDelete@JU500
ReplyDeleteI totally agree. Actually, I would remove JAT from the forum completely. They are clowns.
@Duches of Shangay
Fellow Londoner, Wizz Air schedule makes total sense. Take example of weekend trip. You arrive at Belgrade at noon on Friday and have half day to finish any business. You arrive at Luton at 07:20 on Monday and can make it to work just in time.
Plus, price difference more than justifies train ride to/from London.
chelica2
It seems that all the money recieved goes just into payment of old debts instead of something productive (like new fleet). Well, knowing management style of JAT people, similar sum could be needed in a year or two.
ReplyDeleteI am so fed up with JAT, that I will stop reading articles about them. Just annyoing.......
JAT is one of few things in this country that can make us laugh so much, thank you for that! :)
ReplyDeleteAll our prayers are for passengers using their flights next summer. We all know they don't do proper maintenance during summer as they have no time for that. Please don't try to explain how it's not true because I know t5hat as a fact.
As for people with common sense, we will choose Lufthansa (the best schedules and connectins from BEG) or low cost airlines for our travel needs.
P.S. I don't work for Lufthansa, I just find their offers very good.