Montenegro Airlines in crisis

Montenegro Airlines treading on thin ice
For a second day in a row, Montenegro Airlines finds itself in the firing line. After it was revealed the airline owes 500.000 Euros to Skopje and Priština airports, the airline’s own pilots have now announced they will be launching legal action against the carrier. The Montenegrin daily “Dan” reports that pilots received their final pay checks in November. Furthermore, the airline owes millions to other airports in Europe. Montenegro Airlines’ CEO, Zoran Djurišić, admits that the carrier owes 40.000 and 60.000 Euros to Vienna and Frankfurt airports respectively. He explains that the carrier urgently needs 2 million Euros and notes that pilot salaries have been slashed by 30% so the airline can live another day.

Djurišić launched a scathing attack on low cost airlines, which are expected to enter the Montenegrin market this summer. He maintains that if low cost airlines come to Montenegro they should operate an all year round service and as a result, struggle. “Montenegro Airlines struggles for 8 months while low cost airlines will operate for 3 months and fill their aircraft to London, Paris and Moscow, services which we have nurtured for 8 months. I have cut pilot and engineer salaries by 30% so we can survive”, Djurišić says.

On Wednesday the airline suspended flights to Priština and Skopje indefinitely without prior notice. The Montenegrin Government attempted to sell 30% of the airline last year but there was no interest in the carrier.

Comments

  1. Peter from Sydney09:53

    If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen! If you can't make certain routes work during parts of the year, then don't run them! With a jet fleet that's often unsuitable on these low yielding routes, ofcourse YM is going to struggle, bye, bye!

    ReplyDelete
  2. South of Serbia10:54

    Great airline!
    They are not the only company in crisis today, and it procice, and Montengro Airlines continue to invest in the future, in the fleet.
    Airports have to cut rates a taxes in this time of crisis. That's the biggest problem today for all airline company..


    Go ahead , we will fly still with you....

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous14:49

    There are 46 pilots (capt and f/o) and 40 engineers on 8 aircrafts.

    There are too much expenditure on the other side. Too many holes.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous19:28

    Boo hoo! "Other airlines have a better business model than us. It's not fair." Give me a break!

    The problem with the entire ex YU region is that you have people running airlines that have no clue on how to run any type of business. They are used to the government bailouts and they are used to hooking up their friends with jobs.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous14:37

    The man who lead Montenegro Airlines certainly knows his job. Do not forget that ten years ago MGX had only one aircraft and today may have the best fleet in the ex-yu.(8 and 9th arriving). By the number of aircraft have arrived once all-powerful JAT.
    More importantly, people are buying new planes, which is most important to us passengers.

    They need to pay respect for that. Bravo!
    The Government need to help when needed, as they come most difficult times for airlines, and there is unhealthy competition in the form lowcost companies.
    What do you think that behind Air France and Lufthansa are not the governments of those countries?
    Of course!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous14:56

    Montenegro and Slovenia same way of thinking.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Daniel17:46

    Now became evident that good times are not for good. Sometime, somehow it is going to be evident that something is wrong with decisions and managerial decisions in MGX. They desperately need pax and profitable routes not political decisions and political routes (LYPR, LYNI, LWSK...). Through MGX the state of Montenegro had reflected political interests but there is nothing to do with economical reasons. So the first task is to secure loan and get read of debts and than carefully investigate route structure.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous23:12

    My dear fellow Montengrins: the fact that YM was heavily built up and invested in is a state agenda to demonstrate statehood. This is a political agenda and goes along with the creation of "CPC", "Montegrin language" and further on. Commercially this carrier is not viable and this is now very clearly showing.
    Sooner or later it will end up in an alliance with another Balkan carrier or in the basket for selling. The sponsors of Montegrin independence have much bigger problems now on the other side of the mediterranean to look after.

    ReplyDelete

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