Air Serbia has said the European plane manufacturer Airbus has returned a 23.5 million dollar deposit made by its predecessor JAT Yugoslav Airlines for eight A319 aircraft in 1998. The deposit was credited by Etihad Airways as a pre-delivery payment for ten A320neo jets, which the Emirati carrier had ordered for its equity partner Air Serbia in 2013, but has since been cancelled. The Serbian airline said it secured the deposit "only thanks to Etihad". However, it remains unclear whether the payment has been forwarded directly to Air Serbia or if the deposit has simply been transferred back from Etihad to the Serbian airline, but ultimately remains locked-in with Airbus.
Asked by EX-YU Aviation News to clarify the statement, the European plane manufacturer said it was not at liberty to disclose any details as the matter is of a contractual nature which is confidential. Air Serbia held direct talks with Airbus in November of last year concerning the deposit. The airline's predecessor, Jat Airways, as well as multiple Serbian governments, unsuccessfully attempted to return the deposit payment for over a decade. The matter was quickly resolved after Etihad acquired a 49% stake in Air Serbia five years ago. Relations between the European plane manufacturer and the Serbian government have improved over the last few years, with Serbia also ordering Airbus military helicopters.
JAT Yugoslav Airlines was instructed to order eight A319 jets twenty years ago under extremely unfavourable terms. The order, valued at 560 million dollars, was viewed as a political stunt at the time as Yugoslavia was negotiating the lifting of trade embargoes imposed by the European Union onto the country. The sanctions were not lifted until 2001. Under the original order, delivers were due to begin in 2000 with two jets, while the rest were to be in service by 2005. At the time, JAT had no Airbus aircraft in its fleet, which was predominately made up of American airframes. The Yugoslav carrier also signed a preliminary agreement for CFM International CFM56-5A4 turbofan engines.
Comments
It turned out to be much better than expected.
and it would be the most sensible aircraft to choose for them at this moment.
Wizz Air or Easy could base crew and aircrafts, maybe TK or A3 could base 1-2 aircrafts too and done deal. I would negotiate take over of as much as possible JU staff for those basing ac in BEG or adding new flights to BEG
Big Lufthansa used all these planes until end of 2016 and they are still ok to fly with
Did you ask JU for a comment/clarification and what was their response?
2. Taxpayers don't decide where the money collected from taxes will go. They get periodic chances to sack the government if they think it does a lousy job with tax money management. If the government wants to open a $10 bn Disney World in Donje Brijanje - and they win the election - then they can go and open the damn thing. That is how democracy works. Taxpayers who don't like the way their tax money is spent can vote against the government. If the government wins, they accept it because that is how democracy works. Or they can stop paying their taxes. One thing that for sure makes no sense is to write another sad novel of a poor taxpayer every goddamn day on a goddamn AVIATION BLOG.
Ne secam se tvojih postova kad je OU otkazivala letove zbog nedostatka mehanicara koji nisu mogli da spreme avione na vreme, kad je zbog toga placala milionske penale putnicima i jos skuplje leasinge drugih aviona, kad je OU prodavala slotove na LHR pa posle to prikazivala kao profit koga se godinu kasnije odrekla jer im je smetao u novim bilansima stanja, kad su se prodavali motori koje ste svi vi platili i tako unedogled.
Bice da si pristrasan momak!
So of course that the planes delivered in 1995 were better equipped than those in 1986, but not all LH B733 fleet
Certainly won't be enough for buying any shorthaul aircraft. Well except for the SSJ of course. :D
SSH, VDA, AJQ, RAK, MIR, etc.
The logo can be revised and still include the sun and water logo.
Either way, I hope they put it to good use
Da li pilot A319/A320 moze bez ikakvih peripetija i problema da leti A321?
In light of everything that has happened over the past 12 mths, don;t you find that weird ?
odakle nama toliko stotina miliona? to bi vučić trebo onda da pravi referendum da li da cela država zalegne da JU isfinansira te avione. ovo je najbolji mogući scenario.