Jat hopes for new aircraft in 2012
After 13 years, it is possible that Jat Airways’ outstanding order for 8 Airbus A319s will be revised within the next few days. Serbian President Boris Tadić is on an official state visit to France and is set to meet his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy on Friday. Economic cooperation is high on the agenda and a strategic partnership agreement between the two countries is expected to be signed. It was announced months ago that the order for the aircraft could be revised during the visit. According to sources close to Jat Airways, the airline believes it could reach a deal for 4 Airbus A319s and additional ATR72-500 aircraft. The ATR aircraft manufacturer is partly owned by Airbus’ parent company EADS. If the deal is revised, the airline expects to receive its first aircraft at the start of 2012. The Serbian Government has guaranteed a 180 million Euro bank loan to Jat for the purchase of new aircraft in 2011.The Serbian national airline is constantly experiencing fleet shortage problems. The recent suspension of services to some North African destinations, due to political upheaval in the region, has worked in Jat’s favour fleet wise. The airline’s acting CEO recently told Serbian media that the airline is operating with a fleet of 13 aircraft this summer. Europe’s first Boeing 737-300, operating for Jat, will enter its 26th year of service for the Serbian carrier this summer.
JAT Yugoslav Airlines ordered 8 Airbus A319s in 1998, a deal worth 580 million American Dollars. The politically motivated order did not suit the airline’s needs at the time. Although JAT deposited over 23.5 million Dollars, none of the aircraft were ever delivered. Jat Airways has been trying to revise the agreement ever since without much success with Airbus unwilling allow Jat to defer the order onto another airline. However, late last year a breakthrough was made during talks between the two sides and both have agreed to make compromises.
off topic:
ReplyDeleteI have just been looking at some airports' websites, went to Henri Coanda(OTP) and realised that on departures flight to Belgrade
ROT211, Belgrade in brackets was put BJY, which is IATA code for Batajnica, and am pretty sure the plane didn't land there :-) LOL
"defer" not "differ"
ReplyDeleteTheir oldest boeing is 26 years old! Holy cow.
ReplyDeleteLast time i was on YU-AND it seemed ok. last summer i flew onboard YU-ANJ which had the new, horrible interior that was already falling apart. I wonder what would be the chance of JAT getting ergional jets, maybe ERJ170's and ERJ190's??? :) hahaha who am i kidding :)
ReplyDeleteAny news/noise in the Serbian media regarding Jat and its 737-300 fleet possibly being grounded as a result of flight 812 from southwest airlines?
ReplyDeleteIt has been reported that Qantas has grounded some of its older 737's after Boeing issued a directive to inspect aircraft for metal fatigue effecting up to 200 737’s globally. The inspections can take up to 2 days.
@ JATBEGMEL are you serious the interior is already starting to fall apart!? What are the passengers doing to it!?
ReplyDeleteOn Jat's fleet, I'd say despite their age some if not all the jets are quite young in terms of flight hours.
26 years is still not that much compared to some ex Northwest's (now Delta's) DC-9s that are close to 50 years old and are still flying. McDonnell Douglas used to make the best airplanes out there. Does anyone know how old were Jat's DC-10s when they were finally retired? Those birds did such a great job, flying from Australia to Canada. I hope that with new Boeing 787, smaller airports like BEG and ZAG see those transocean flights again. At the end, that's what Boeing's idea behind building this aircraft was, to re-eastblish point-to-point operations again.
ReplyDeleteHi Sam,
ReplyDeleteYU-AMA was delivered 1978, that was the first one... I think YU-AMB came in 1979
don t know what the last DC-10 for a registration had, as they were buying/renting some 10s from SR,SN and Air Afrique.
Last DC10 retired 2005...
Once you stop on your trips in ZRH, I ll meet u in the transit and show you the Yugoslav Airlines anniversary book.
I got 1989 and 1999.... plenty of pictures from JAT history including JATKO who was born on Boeing 707 enroute from BEG to SYD plus of course first delivery of DC10 in Long Beach in 1978.
Besides being first Carrier in Europe to operate the 733, I think they were launch or at least first Carrier in Europe which would have operated the MD11.
Also don t forget, JP was launch carrier for A320 V2500 engines...
The good old time of YU aviation, unbelievable where it ended up...
Good day from ZRH. Ciaoo
@ Q400:
ReplyDeleteJat's 737's are unaffected. The (new) directive as a result of the Southwest 737 incident only applies to those 737 Classics constructed from 1993 onwards and all of Jat's were built before that.
In April JP will return A320 in her fleet with reg. S5-AAS. This A320 will have 180 seats.
ReplyDeleteanonymous:
ReplyDeleteis it one of the old JP ones which they couldn t sell? But then I m wondering why a new registration?
JU520 BEGLAX:
ReplyDeleteI think because this A320 will be lease for 3 years or more.
I agree that the only solution to Jat's fleet problems are regional jets. I would prefer the sukhoi superjet 100 over the Embraer aircraft. Have Jat order 15-20 sukhoi sj 100s(Bombardier jets are also great for Jats needs), and they could operate all of their current routes at a profit, they would fill their aircraft, face minimum fuel costs and open new routes. Over a long period of time a new fleet of regional jets would certainly improve Jat economically as well as changing its current image. Its a shame however that all President Tadic cares about is satisfying EU nations by ordering a bunch of crappy airbus aircraft that will have no benefit to Jat or Serbia's economy. Its a shame really because if Jat falls Serbia will have no flag carrier, hundreds of jobs would be lost, We would face huge prices for travelling(Although many of you disagree, whenerver I fly from my home in the EX-YU region out to Europe, Jat is somewhat cheaper than BA, SWISS, or LUFTHANSA.)
ReplyDeleteNRS, it’s not about Tadic satisfying EU its simply that Jat is stuck with this order thanks to Slobodan Milosevic. It can’t do anything about it except change the current order they have.
ReplyDeleteS5-AAS is former MyAir aircraft (174 LCC configuration) and it will be used for charter operations. S5-AAA will also be there for the summer.
ReplyDeletethanks anonymous...i think i saw that MyAir A320 in front of the hangar after landing last year in LJU... They had several MyAir aircrafts parked in LJU (CRJ2)
ReplyDeleteIn LJU we have no more MyAir a/c just A320 EI-DOD (new S5-AAS) in friday this a/c goes to Nederland, because will be repainted in Adria's livery.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with NRS. Jat needs regional aircrafts such as a EMB 170/190; even ERJ 140/145. I am a bit suspicious with Russian passenger aircrafts but anyway I think they should think more to get a strong regional transportation. For example, I think that those regional aircrafts could be used to fly Nis, Morava Airport, Ponikve even Skopje and others ex yu routes in the future. I heard that INI-ZRH was always half full (B733), which means that those EMB170/ERJ145 could be completely full.
ReplyDeleteAnyway I also think they do need Airbuses as well to renew their existing fleet, which is really in the unenviable position.
We all want to see JAT get new planes, but must remember that despite the age of their fleet, the cycles on them are incredibly low (partly thanks to groups like NATO). So a 26-year old jet that has hardly been used is possibly as safe if not safer than a 15- or 20-year old 73G or 320 which has been on high cycle life for many years...
ReplyDeleteIt is actually the AT7 deal which is of interest here: despite all the dreamers (including on this forum!), JUs future lies in regional and European travel. 4 (ideally 6) -500s to provide fast frequent *and reliable* links around our corner of Europe will become the stability factor for the airline. Whether they would look at the -600 derivative I do not know.
Just look at how the Q400s have turned OUs fortunes around: matching the right plane with the mission...
Thanks for the info ANONYMOUS.
ReplyDelete@ Peter from Sydney
ReplyDeleteI flew in august with YU-ANJ FRA-BEG which had had the new interior, over Bavaria and Austria we had some turbulance and the slightest bump saw some tray tables fall out. The seats are uncomfortable, dont feel very stable, and are generally just horrible.
The Serbian government does indeed have another option with regards to the Airbus contract, and it is the best solution of all: Scrap it and let Airbus keep the $23.5m and move on.
ReplyDeleteAnd what is 23.000.000 USD today? 1/3 of A319 by list price.
ReplyDelete