TRIP REPORT: Forty-five minutes on Montenegro Airlines

TRIP REPORT | INDEX


Route: Nikola Tesla Airport - Podgorica Airport
Trip taken: January 2019
Scheduled Time: 45 minutes

Traveling during foggy days this winter season in Belgrade could bring some worries to the passengers. However, Montenegro Airlines’ morning flight to Podgorica was not seriously affected. The equipment on both the aircraft and on the ground was sufficient to secure uninterrupted travel between the two capitals - and this Saturday’s January flight was no different, although visibility was somewhat limited.

Check-in procedure was smooth and quick

Nikola Tesla Airport still had holiday decorations, though we were in the second half of January

Foggy morning at Nikola Tesla Airport

4O-AOM aircraft safely landed from Podgorica and was quickly ready for boarding for the inbound flight

When the Fokker 100 was parked, the change of passengers was very fast - boarding procedure was completed ten minutes before the scheduled time.

Even though the flight was almost half empty, waiting on the air bridge was inevitable

The cockpit of the Fokker 100 and the Chinese-made command board of the air bridge at Nikola Tesla Airport

Flight YM101 started taxiing five minutes prior to the scheduled takeoff and was up in the air a couple of minutes ahead of time

Safety Information om YM’s Fokker is printed on a regular A4 white paper and wrapped in plastic

Standard offer on Montenegro Airlines flights - warm and cold drinks, coffee and juice

It took around 35 minutes to fly over some beautiful scenery that could be seen from above. While the landscapes in Serbia and northern Montenegro offered great views of mountains, snow and fog, the clear view of the city of Podgorica and Skadar Lake were the greatest introduction to a smooth landing.







Arriving in Podgorica ahead of time gave passengers plenty of time not to rush out of the half-empty aircraft. It was a good opportunity to further explore this quite aged, but still very silent plane.

Montenegro Airlines' inflight magazine does not look luxurious at all despite the name - it is obvious it has been used many times

Signs of one of the recognisable PR campaigns are still there

Fokker 100 layout with 2-3 seat configuration offers significant legroom


4O-AOM at the tarmac of Podgorica Airport

The beautiful weather in the capital of Montenegro meant that we could disembark down the stairs as is tradition at Podgorica Airport After completing the ID/passport check procedure, luggage was quickly delivered, making this short trip a very pleasant experience.


Share your travel experience by submitting a trip report to exyu@exyuaviation.com


Comments

  1. Anonymous09:43

    Nice report with a lot of pictures. I guess they are sending the Fokker since it's cheaper to operate as there are no leasing costs. I guess that's where the Atr comes in handy for JU on top of transfers.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Excellent report indeed! Prefer those ones compared to a YouTube video, tbh.
    The YM Fokker looks decent but I guess it is much cheaper to operate a mono type of aircraft, hence sticking to the E195. Serving a free coffee in the morning is more than welcome :)
    Change in the weather for a half an hour journey is insane!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous17:06

      I couldnt agree more.
      Like these type of trip reports much better than long/exhausting videos.

      Delete
  3. Anonymous10:32

    Belgrade is by far their biggest market and the only one that can really work on a year round basis. If they had a 50% LF then I can only imagine how badly their other routes performed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:34

      You really can't generalize and conclude a route's success based on one random one way flight at the end of January.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:54

      Yeah but YM is losing millions a year so it's more likely their flights are empty.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:56

      Considering they handle over 250,000 passengers to/ from BEG each year, I wouldn't say so.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous11:24

      250.000 is total for both JU and YM.

      Delete
  4. Anonymous11:04

    "Chinese-made command board"

    One of the best air bridges producers in the world

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous21:15

      Yep, we all heard of them :D :D LOL!

      Delete
    2. Anonymous21:17

      Maybe you haven't but most people have. They are one of the biggest air bridge producers in the world. Even in your country, in Dubrovnik, the air bridges were produced by CIMC.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous23:30

      Good :) It's only 1 company but CIMC is the biggest :D :D :D :D

      https://www.airport-suppliers.com/suppliers/passenger-boarding-bridges/

      That comment made my day!

      Delete
    4. Anonymous11:53

      I don't know if above comment is more sad or funny. Better to say tragicomic. But at least it made his day although he has never heard of that company.


      "Global Passenger Boarding Bridge market competition by TOP MANUFACTURERS, with production, price, and revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players including

      JBT Aerotech
      ThyssenKrupp Access Solutions
      Hyundai Rotem
      MHI
      FMT
      ADELTE
      CEL
      ShinMaywa
      CIMC
      Vataple"

      https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/passenger-boarding-bridge-market-2019-business-revenue-future-growth-trends-plans-top-key-players-business-opportunities-industry-share-global-size-analysis-by-forecast-to-2024-360-research-reports-2019-09-04

      Delete
  5. Anonymous17:49

    With 155M of € infused in YM they should step up the game !!
    Some nice pictures though !

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

EX-YU Aviation News does not tolerate insults, excessive swearing, racist, homophobic or any other chauvinist remarks or provocative posts with the intention of creating further arguments. A full list of comment guidelines can be found here. Thank you for your cooperation.