Air Serbia plans to grow its ATR72-600 turboprop fleet by over 65% with the addition of another four units by mid-2024. The carrier is also sourcing a third wide-body Airbus A330-200 aircraft to expand long-haul operations, however, limited supply of second-hand jets and other supply-chain issues are posing a problem. The Serbian carrier plans to add its seventh ATR72-600, from the GOAL leasing company, sometime this month, while a further three would be leased by the peak summer travel period of next year. The carrier is also seeking its third A330-200. “We have secured the traffic rights for Shanghai and Guangzhou . It’s now a matter of when we can get in the third wide-body”, Air Serbia’s CEO, Jiri Marek, told “FlightGlobal” magazine. Its choice between the two Chinese cities will then depend on where it can secure slots.
Air Serbia has seen aircraft lessors pull out of deals in the final stages of negotiations, including one for the extra A330 it wants to expand its long-haul offerings, “because the existing customer has either extended the deal or overpaid”, according to Mr Marek. And on spare parts, where you “normally wait weeks, you are now waiting months”, leaving some aircraft on the ground for extended periods. “I think it will get worse, because now you are starting to see the secondary affect … everybody is buying up spare parts, so you are creating even bigger demand than is actually required. And the OEMs [Original Equipment Manufacturers] cannot cope with that and they should not, because if they get ready now for this peak in demand for spare parts, then they will have a problem later on with scaling down. So, I think it will last three to four years”, Mr Marek added.
The airline has used its aircraft wet-leasing strategy to overcome some of these issues. “Wet-leasing aircraft has two purposes for Air Serbia. One is we are covering charter demand over summer, which is a sizeable business and one we have spent the past couple of years doing as a wet-lease operation. On the other hand, since we are growing significantly, wet-lease is a low-risk strategy, because if it is working, we can easily transfer, for example, 50% of the wet-lease into a dry-lease and continue next year with expansion. Plus it is helping us to overcome supply-chain issues and issues with aircraft availability”, the CEO noted.
This means they will probably grow regional frequnecies next summer.
ReplyDeleteWell they were unable to start the Sarajevo night flights they scheduled because of a lack of planes.
DeleteOr they may use them to replace wet lease of 1 ATR and Dash plane this summer.
Delete^ if they have a total of 10 ATRs next summer, it will still be more than they had this summer, both dry and wet-leased.
DeleteKnowing JU, they will have 10 ATRs plus wet lease additional turboprops.
DeleteWhat is the current actual update about A321's?
DeleteThey should cut the crap with the A330-200 and lease A333, B772, B763 or whatever else they can find on the market.
DeleteThere was also a story about them wanting to lease A350 but government denied.
Well obviously they won't mix their widebody fleet and add a different type.
DeleteEspecially since 763 and 772 are obsolete now and airlines are getting rid of them.
Better obsolete than nothing.
DeleteFYI A330 is of the same generation as B772.
Hell no. Especially for an airline with such a small number of longhaul aircraft like Air Serbia, adding another type, especially from a different manufacturer, could eventually break their neck.
Deletemakes sense to increase regional connectivity & frequency...depends in business model, in the US smaller airport have a couple flights a day to a hub mostly via big 3, B6 (maybe frontier & spirit, alaska as well) has a different model where it seems they focus on NE, Florida, west coast, carribean area, while having a more limited presence in middle of country. Southwest seems to be in it's own business model bubble. AS business strategy seems to be yielding results for the market they are in & serving. Very opportunistic & ambitious organization
DeleteThey should buy the retired A330s from American Airlines. They are still parked in the desert and looks like AA is not bringing them back.
DeleteRumors are that AA is looking to bring back 330-200 into fleet.
DeleteUzbekistan's Cannot Shark airline just got former Air China A332 with same engines Air Serbia has.
Delete@Anonymous 15:22 - AA confirmed on 5 August that their A330s are retired and not returning to service with AA
DeleteAre those stored/parked American A-332 with RR engines?
DeleteYes the AA A330s parked in New Mexico are the same engines as ARB and ARC.
DeleteFor of the planes have recently been transfered from AA. Looks like at least some of them will be in the air soon or some might be scrapped.
They are relatively "young" planes so it would be a shame if they get scrapped.
These birds are former US airways planes that AA never wanted. They were looking to get rid of them from the start. I guess Covid finally gave them a reason.
Delete*four instead of *for in my message 21:58
DeleteI meant four planes have been transferred
ex AA/US planes available in Arizona will not be taken by ASL as their metric system is imperial - thus can not be used for ASL ops. Fuel is in pounds, weights as well - It would require EFB to be recalibrated and every document issued to this aircraft changed as well.
DeleteIs this really a barrier? There are countless cases of planes flying in the US before being brought to Europe, and vice versa. Surely it isn’t that large of an issue in the globalised 21st century
Delete+1
DeleteSo they still haven't found the 3rd A330?
ReplyDeleteNope, that's why additional Chinese flying won't happen this winter. TSN increased and tht's about it for this year my friend.
DeleteLet's just wait and see. Many people in the comments claim completely false info as matter of fact common knowledge.
DeleteIf they find a third plane by end of September, they will be able to launch second Chinese destination in December.
DeleteAlso an option is to launch the second Chinese destination in January considering high demand in late January and February due to Chinese new year.
DeleteWhat's with those A321's?
DeleteGone with the wind
DeleteMarek said that he HOPED they will secure A321s by the end of summer.
DeleteI guess they will wet lease A330 to start Shanghai and cover demand, until dry lease is completed.
Delete7th ATR will be used to replace the Danish one which should stay with us until the end of August. It's nice our management is bringing in planes but I worry there won't be enough pilots to operate them. Many got EU certification, packed up and left.
ReplyDeleteHow competitive is JU ATR pilots salary in comparison with EU countries?
DeleteIt is not, about 40-50% less then EU average
DeleteAirbus pilots earn around €7.000 which is good, problem is that some other airlines are offering unreasonably high salaries as they are desperate for pilots. That's really not ok. That is why JU is teaming up with Marathon to operate three planes this winter. They got many, many Air Montenegro staff to join them.
DeleteI think for many Montenegrins living and working in Belgrade is a dream come true.
I am really sorry but this information is not really correct. First officer (ATR/Airbus) have around 2.000-2.300 EURs fixed salary + they get paid for flying days, duty allowance etc etc etc pending on the number of hours. If they have 80 hours plus (Airbus) or 60 hours plus (ATR) they get paid more. Captains earn around 4.000 EURs fixed + the same as the first officers. Captains on A330 earn around 6.500-7.300 EUR fixed + duty allowance.
DeleteSo, how much in reality do they earn? Allowances included.
DeleteBear in mind these salaries are net, after all deductions. Tax and mandatory social and health contributions amount to around 50% of the gross salary.
DeleteAir Serbia could have easily leased 3rd A330 in the spring and use it to launch Miami, Toronto and add more frequencies to JFK or ORD. Fourth A330 should have been the one for China expansion.
ReplyDeleteNo, because they make more money on China routes.
DeleteNow they won't make any money because they won't be able to find third A330. And the fourth one will be even harder and more expensive to get.
DeleteIf they did put North America ahead, they would at least have 3 A330 and more destinations in the network this summer.
You realize the problem is to find the plane, no matter if they fly first to North America, China or anywhere else. You are talking as if they didn't find the plane because they didn't choose North America.
DeleteI think they should first find a plane and only then make statements about future growth. seems like the CEO loves the spotlight.
DeleteIf they secured the third A330 last year and had it delivered in March or April this year they would not have this problem for NA expansion. Now MIA YYZ will have to be pushed back to 2025.
Delete/\ little of what you wrote makes sense.
DeleteLol you're delusional if you think that the guys at JU aren't well aware where the money is coming from. Obviously China is bringing in money so they want to expand there further.
DeleteNorth America will come when the time is right.
Relax a bit. JU is in expansion mode. Soon they will have 3 widebodies and then later 4. No other airline in the Balkans has anything close to that.
Air Serbia is flying once a week to China, 10 times that to North America right now. That's a fact.
DeleteAnother fact: this time last year Air Serbia already announced expansion to North America - ORD. The time was right for North America expansion but now it no longer is???
Yes because now they have covered the two cities with the largest markets in North America. The other cities with highly seasonal traffic flows, strong indirect competition and low levels of cargo will come later.
DeleteChicago was not the largest unserved market in NA but it's water under the bridge now.
DeleteIt might come later, was expected for 2023, then pushed to 2024, then 2025... until strong indirect competition becomes direct competition.
Focus is now on 3rd A330 for China winter expansion, but look at Mr Marek statements just a few months ago:
DeleteDec 19, 2022: Air Serbia is also looking at adding another destination in North America once it acquires its third A330 jet. “Some of the logical choices would be Miami or Toronto”, Mr Marek noted.
https://www.exyuaviation.com/2022/12/air-serbia-seeking-third-a330-eyes.html
Feb 3, 2023: Air Serbia will add the third wide-body Airbus A330-200 aircraft to its fleet this summer and have it in operation by June or July
https://www.exyuaviation.com/2023/02/air-serbia-to-deploy-third-wide-body.html
^ yes it was already said multiple times, including in this very article had you bothered to read it that the lessor pulled out in the final stage of negotiations
DeleteYou can't make significant profit on 1pw to Moon, let alone China. If they make more money to China than to US, then cut the US and add China. But they didn't do that, did they?
DeleteThey said Tianjin became profitable on day 1. Surely they have better knowledge of how much each route makes then you
DeleteWhen China reopened post covid, Hainan started once weekly to BEG. They are going 2x now, TSN will go 2x from Oct 31, if JU gets 3x each to PVG and CAN that will bring BEG-China total to 10x weekly.
DeleteIn short period of 18-24 months capacity will increase approx TEN TIMES. That will without a doubt dilute yield on BEG-China routes.
Po stoti put, nema nista od yyz. Kanadjani daju samo 2x nedeljno plus i da er can leti 2x...
DeletePo stoti put, lete jednom nedeljno za Tianjin, Kinezi daju samo 2x od novembra, pa ne smeta.
DeleteChina can be 10pw this August, they have slots and if that's more profitable drop Chicago, cut NYC and fly to China. But obviously JU is smart enough not to be dependant on some clerk stamping the paper for one more extra flight to Tianjon.
DeleteThey don't have slots. Try reading the article.
DeleteOh, they got permission not slots, sorry. Let's hope they get slots by 2026 with these Chinese dynamics.
DeleteThey better fix their house from the inside if they want people to still fly with them otherwise they will start returning the planes to lessors as there will be no need for them.
ReplyDeleteIt surely won't happen.
Deletehttps://www.exyuaviation.com/2023/08/air-serbia-posts-record-profit-and.html
DeleteWe will see expansion as this in 2023 next summer?
ReplyDeleteI don't think they will launch 20 new routes next summer. More likely around 5 on top of new ones that will start this winter.
Delete10 new routes for 2023/2024?
DeleteMore likely 4-5 this winter.
DeleteNice!
DeleteThank you!
Nice!
DeleteThank you!
This year their expansion has been a disaster and they ended up cutting many flights. Very poor planning. Hopefully they learn a thing or two for next summer.
DeleteThis year's expansion has been very successful as the routes chosen are full. Talking nonsense as usual @anon 9.22. The nice 22 million euro profit in H1 goes to prove it.
DeleteI am talking about massive delays, cancellations and so on. Just because flights were full doesn't mean their execution worked out fine. I guess you were sleeping since April and have not been following what's been going on at the airport.
DeleteJU had to considerably downsize their network this summer because their staff is leaving them.
Again with the lies and false information. They have neither "considerably downsized" nor is staff leaving the,. The growth in operations is on target as set at the start of summer. Your wishful thinking is another thing.
DeleteWho is leaving? Some mechanics left, and a few captains, as a dispute with one of the Flight Ops heads. However, they have also went on a spree in regard to employment and training for many new pilots, most of them already completed their line training and are in operation. They have also hired several direct entry captains from abroad.
DeleteDelays & cancelations happen...not sure why some people are fussy about it? Delays are quite common in the nyc area, especially towards end of the day
DeleteThe people are fussy because they don't live in the nyc area, one of the biggest metropolitan areas in the whole world, but in belgrade.
DeleteWhich destinations may will see next year? IMO Helsinki, Manchester, Dublin, Beirut or Amman, Alicante, Tenerife and more greek routes
ReplyDeletePorto. They already requested slots for this winter and got them. There was an article about it here.
DeleteI was always baffled by the fact they do not operate 3-4 citiesin Romania and Kishinev in Moldova. Those seem as ideal transfer routes for ATR and would be in line with their strategy of increasing frequencies on their European network
DeleteYes. Also Moldova have big diaspora in Italy( JU have routes).
DeleteLjubljana 3 times daily, Portorož and Maribor heheh
DeleteWhat about Dubai maybe?
DeleteIs there a chance JU to fly to Tuzla or is it too close. Most likely, the new ATRs will be deployed for flights in Romania and Greece. If the situation in Ukraine normalizes, he may also consider Lviv.
ReplyDeleteI don`t think they`ll fly to Lavov during our lifetime, would not be welcome there.
DeleteAnd regarding Tuzla (or Timisoara), if You ask me, nothing is too close - if it pays, go for it, if not, then don`t.
+1
Delete"during our lifetime", cmon? just a reminder that JU flies to Zagreb, Sarajevo and many other destinations that were, let's say, disputable at some point
Delete"would not be welcome there"
DeleteAs a reminder, there are currently 30k Ukrainians living & working in Serbia.
+1
DeleteLol remember when JU launched TIA nearly 10 years ago? So many people on this very site said that LF would be bad because nobody would want to fly that route.
Delete"On the other hand, since we are growing significantly, wet-lease is a low-risk strategy, because if it is working, we can easily transfer, for example, 50% of the wet-lease into a dry-lease and continue next year with expansion" Just one question: Where do you think to find so many available pilots????
ReplyDeleteThey don't. You need to be careful with Marek's statements. That is why they had to considerably reduce their summer network.
DeleteWell, there has hardly ever been a problem finding pilots in Serbia, so, if there`s a problem with shortage, it might be a solvable one.
DeletePlease stop talking nonsense about "considerably reduced network". Their network is currently up 40% on summer 2019. Repeating nonstop lies does not make it the truth.
DeleteYes it's 40% NOW but it was supposed to be over 50% had they not cancelled so many planned flights.Please be mindful of that fact. We all love JU here but we must not lose focus from the big, wide picture. Ok?
DeleteNo, because you are really talking nonsense. Projected growth in flights was not 50% and was planned as 40% this summer. You can love them or hate them, I don't care but you are just spreading lies.
Delete@Anon 09:28 They now have problems with available crew and constantly pushing them to the limits. I really can't imagine that they can find extra 50 or more available pilots. We are here talking about captains not just some rookies
DeleteWhat is the basis of your claims? Any hard data? Link will be fine. Tx
DeleteWhat is the number of planes on wet lease now?
ReplyDeleteI think that is 7.
Dan Air A319, A320.
Leav Aviation A320
Klas Jet 3x 737-800
DAT A320
DAT ATR72
Third Dan Air A320 that flies only on weekends.
DeleteMarathon E90
Air Mediterranean B734
Dan Air fleet is subsidiary of JU;)))
DeleteI think that now is the moment to get passengers from Bosnia and Herzegovina after closure of bases from Wizz Air. Night flight will be perfect. Also add A319.
ReplyDeleteI think Wizz in BEG will profit the most from TZL's closure. They already redirected some passengers there from the cancelled flights. JU is very weak in Bosnia, daily flights to SJJ and 2 weekly to BNX.
DeleteI hope Wizz launches BNX, JU is CONSTANTLY full yet they refuse to add more flights.
I think it's time for Wizz to look at BEG-LJU/BNX.
I guess there is a reason Wizz pulled out of Bosnia and JU not putting focus on the market. Yields are probably poor, so they focus or more lucrative markets. We do not have the whole picture.
DeleteLJU-BEG by Wizz for weekend p2p would be immediate success.
DeleteBut Wizz even does not want to fly BEG - VIE, as they consider it a flight too short for them (I talked to their top executive last time she was in Belgrade).
DeleteThey earn more on extra services than on tickets so that makes sense. The longer flight, the bigger luggage, more need for food/refreshment, also extra legroom means more on longer flights etc.
Delete16.11
DeleteKonacno neki smislen komentar. Thx
I hope they will eventually add a 3rd daily flight to Ljubljana.
ReplyDelete^ No, don't you know that based on most commentators here they fly empty, with losses and the passengers that do fly are paid actors to boost their stats. Didn't you read that they are flying a "considerably reduced network", forget the fact the number of flights has increased 40% this summer, trust anonymous.
DeleteAnon 09.31 why are you triggered and why are you taking these comments personally? Do you work for JU? People have every right to be angry with JU for the way they handled their summer season. It's only now in August so 4 FOUR months since their meltdown started that they decided to hire more foremen/forewomen.
DeleteI'm not triggered but I detest when people comment as fact false information about considerable "downsizing". If they actually had the numbers in front of them, they would see it could not be further from the truth.
DeleteIsn't ex YU-ARA sitting idle in AUH? Why don't they take it back?
ReplyDeleteThat plane is part of an ongoing lawsuit between lessors and the reincarnated Jet Airways.
DeleteIt has different engines than ARB and ARC.
DeleteAgree with above Anon, its also not in AUH. It flew to Hyderabad a few months ago, and is now on a temporary registration as 2-UARA
DeleteMaybe they should start thinking about ordering a330-900s - they could get them by next summer
ReplyDeleteThey could use them for frequency restricted YYZ and where demand is large enough for a bigger plane, such as JFK or TSN
Delete+1
DeleteJust goes to show you how much money they are making.
ReplyDeleteFantastic!
Which destinations can we see this fall from JU?
ReplyDeleteI’m sorry I really think Marek is excuse central and find it difficult to believe. His success rate with promises of additional aircraft this summer has been very poor and there’s no evidence of that changing.
ReplyDeleteIf things are going wrong and lessors are repeatedly pulling out, is it possible that JU management are perhaps being unreasonable and overly aggressive when demanding terms?
He has got to stop announcing wild ideas with zero backup or concrete plans in place. A321s are still nowhere to be seen, A319/320 promised are nowhere to be found, let’s see when this supposed extra ATR turns up.
You can dislike him all you want but what he is saying about lessors and spare parts its completely true. Many airlines are having these issues. It's just not as widely reported since it is mostly larger airlines. JU has taken delivery of A319/A320s this year, they have taken delivery of several ATRs too and now Embraers.
DeleteI don’t think dismissive replies such as yours are helpful for discussion. I think he’s done some good things but in this particular area he is lacking.
DeleteIf the world’s biggest leasing companies keep turning JU down, odds are JU is trying to push unrealistic terms. This worked for Marek during COVID when he secured some very good deals and cut costs but clearly isn’t working anymore.
The issue is you are making wild assumptions and presenting them as matter of fact such as "biggest leasing companies turning them down" so there is little point into getting in a discussion with you.
DeleteSo which leasing companies are they negotiating with? My assumption is based on a quick spot check of the fleet list on planespotters where some pretty big names are featured. I wouldn’t consider that ‘wild’.
DeleteClearly something isn’t working if deals are falling through last minute repeatedly. Would you care to point out what that could be?
It can’t be lack of aircraft at the last minute. Could it be that they found someone else willing to pay more? Are they pushing overly aggressive terms as I suggested? Are they seeking power by the hour deals that lessors are unwilling to provide?
The CEO tells you why in the article. Try reading it.
DeleteOh no, they are trying to get a better deal for themselves and pay less! Bad JU!
DeleteThey should try and get as good a deal as they can but the whole point of negotiating is to find an acceptable middle ground. They are desperate for aircraft and have backed themselves into a corner but are unwilling to pay a premium to get aircraft quickly.
DeleteCan’t have your cake and eat it too
What on Earth you are talking about?
DeleteThe basics of doing business.
DeleteListen hombre, you can NOT run successful business if you paying "premium" prices for inputs.
DeleteOnly comp can do that and be "profitable" is OU. Just look at them.
But they are paying a premium for inputs through wet leases. Which keeps happening because leases are potentially not being negotiated properly.
DeleteYU-APK got diverted to SVO (flight was to Kazan) yesterday and is now stuck... might be out of service for a while
ReplyDeleteYes it will be until they get the spare part in Belgrade and until they fly heir own mechanic to Moscow to fix the problem. Believe it or not they do not have a contract with Aeroflot maintenance who has hangars, mechanics, spares in place so basically they have nobody in Russia able to fix the plane. The line maintenance was done previously by Alitalia but after AZ collapse they used to send their mechanic for line maintenance for a while.
DeleteAt least APN is back in service today.
ReplyDeleteI think JU is trying to make it as competitive, faster and then you got a fail..
ReplyDeleteWhen will add night flight to SJJ?
ReplyDeleteThat Marathon deal for E-jets is the only bright thing this year regarding their fleet. All of those talks for 2x321, additional 320's, ATR's, 330's turn out to be BS at the end. Not to mention wet leases outcome .
ReplyDeleteYou are talking BS regarding ATR. They replaced the entire ATR fleet. Total of 3 came this year.
DeleteMaybe next year will see only ACMI for A319.
DeleteI was thinking of that Air Connect ATR deal. And yes they replaced -200 and -500 but are still short of at least 2-3 ATR's, just look at regional cancellations and delays. What about SJJ night flights. So it is BS.
DeleteThey delivered what they promosed, 7 ATR72-600s in 2023. Whether you like or not is a different story.
Delete7 ATRs? Not according to fleet lists online. This 7th ATR is still being negotiated for and is not repainted. Given the pattern, I’ll believe it when I see it in JU livery.
DeleteCurrently, JU has 7 ATR’s in the fleet. Six of them are dry-leased.
DeleteYes, securing a wet-lease does not count here as Marek was very much pushing that additional dry-leased frames were sourced.
DeleteIf we really want to dive into the details of this 7th ATR, let’s not forget it was initially sourced from AirConnect, who had to be fired due to poor liability and DAT had to be secured last minute instead.
I would be intrigued to see how much the following cost JU:
- Termination of AirConnect contract (likely no penalties as it was an AirConnect reliability problem).
- Compensation for delayed passengers as a result of the above.
- Securing capacity from DAT at short notice as opposed to the previously agreed deal with AirConnect.
The above is case in point as to why this extent of wet-leasing is an issue and why the fleet planning department really need to sort themselves out.
An airline of this size being one of the top users of wet leasing in Europe is completely insane. Whilst to an extent, the strategy is useful because of JU seasonality, this level of wet leasing must be pushing costs up. Let’s not forget they were still using wet leases in low season. I wonder how much better their profits would be if they had a coherent fleet strategy and executed it properly.
Just adding to the above, we must not forget that SJJ opened for night flights partially for JU which isn’t operating them due to their capacity shortage. Incidents like this will very much damage their credibility when negotiating with lessors, airports and others. It’s making them look very unprofessional and is a red mark on Marek’s management of JU.
Delete^ stop talking nonsense. It did no such thing "partially for JU". You just make things up and state them as matter of fact. Actual truth is SJJ never even opened for night flights and Salam Air also didn't start it's night flights. Has nothing to do with JU.
DeleteJU lobbied SJJ to open for night flights and talked with them over it. It’s not nonsense. They are an underdog in the EU aviation industry and need to establish credibility which isn’t what they’re doing at the moment.
DeleteYes it is completely nonsense. Find me one source or statement where either side said it lobbied anything. You have a habit of making things up or drawing your own false conclusions and presenting them as facts.
DeleteSearch ‘Sarajevo night’ on this page. You will see that JU and another airline initially expressed interest. The airport would not have prepared itself for night flights with no interest. This involves hiring staff, arranging rosters etc. A cost-benefit analysis of proposals would typically be undertaken in this scenario which would then go higher up for approval. It was approved among other things based on a cost benefit analysis involving fees earned from airlines including JU.
DeleteThis all takes management time which costs money. The extra staff cost money. JU withdrew the flights at the last minute meaning SJJ loses landing charges and handling fees that would have formed part of the cost benefit analysis. If I worked in SJJ management I would be annoyed.
The above happened due to poor planning on JUs part. The above is how business is normally conducted. Given JU wants to become serious in Europe it has to operate on the basis on which normal business is conducted and not Balkan fairyland. Doing so is vital in gaining credibility with international business partners.
If you took a deep breath before you made everything up, you might have done research which would show you that Sarajevo airport announced plans to begin working during the night last year when there was no interest. Interest was only expressed when all airlines were informed that Sarajevo can offer night flights. Please stop making things up.
DeletePlease take time to understand how a business works. SJJ would not have had any notion of opening for night flights if there was no interest or money to be made. They are not a charity.
DeleteBasically you just made everything up and are only making assumptions presenting it as if you know it for a fact
DeleteAnd your argument has totally run out of steam. You are producing no valid points of your own and are showing no basis on which JU is not potentially losing credibility due to poor planning, last minute solutions and Marek’s attempts at PR spin.
DeleteI wish JU every success but things need to be brought under control a little first. They also need to gain credibility with customers and business partners that was lost through poor planning and delays this summer.
This is the airport whose main advisor is Alen Scuric, which negotiated a base with a non European airline to fly to EU cities and that launched subsidies for routes like Bari. You have no clue what you are talking about. Your claim they decided to extend their working hours (which they didn't follow through with because they were not prepared) is absurd.
DeleteNow that exactly is my point. JU needs to operate and conduct business on international standards, not the standards you have described above, if it is to become a serious player in Europe.
DeleteJU is doing very well but it needs to keep up with international standards and competition.
I agree with you. JU is doing just fine! Bright future is ahead.
DeleteWe are witnessing the birth of a serious player. With all the difficulties, the (more than rightful and justifiable) complaints, problems and hiccups.
ReplyDeleteI hope we will all be there in, say, 2026, to see the "final result".
+1
DeleteI don’t understand, when will they get their third A330 and the fourth A330 ?
ReplyDeleteMaybe if you tried reading the article?
DeleteThird one is mentioned in the article but not fourth. Fourth A330 is not officially discussed.
DeleteWould not be surprised if 4th starts flying under the leadership of the next Air Serbia CEO.
@anon 2009- ok, it is true, this article is mentioning only 3rd 330. But the 4th and 5th are well under negotiations. If JU could find a deal they are looking for, they would lease all 3 at the same time, thats the order from Marek. They have routes, slots and crew available for summer 24 for 5 330s.
DeleteWhat do you think, why they want 10 dry leased ATRs? For fun? Nope! To fill those 330s
Hope they will find them at good rates and in good shape. YU-ARB was a sweet deal but since then prices went up while avalability went down.
DeleteIt will be nice if Air Serbia is gonna get another a330-200
ReplyDelete