NEWS FLASH
Montenegro Airlines and Air Serbia have deployed their aircraft to bring home stranded passengers after both countries closed their airports for commercial traffic. Montenegro Airlines has operated rescue flights to Budapest, Vienna, Rome, London and Belgrade, with more services planned. The carrier will also repatriate Serbian nationals. On the other hand, Air Serbia operated a rescue flight to Amsterdam and Paris, with more to follow. The airline has deployed a second aircraft, an Airbus A320 to Shanghai to pick up medical supplies. Yesterday, its A330 was also dispatched to China to collect several tons of medical supplies and Chinese health professionals. The Montenegrin Prime Minister, Duško Marković, noted, “This is the best response to the question whether we need a national carrier”.
And the best equipment they could give the crew was paper masks. Bravo.
ReplyDeleteOn ASL flight that I had on 17.3. crew had double face masks and gloves, there was understandably no cabin service so we were just given a bottle of water directly on doors. Also whole crew stayed in front galley behind the curtain during the whole flight and I can only support that decision as fresh air in a plane flows from front to back.
ReplyDeleteThe airplanes air system cleans 99,99% of the air in the cabin, even viruses are cleaned. The air is not the problem, it's the passenger next to you.
DeleteI agree but the plane was so empty 40/144 yet still it is important to know that air in cabin flows in a front to back way and of course from air conditioning nozzles overhead so I believe it is at least theoretically safer to be at front.
DeleteThe air in the airplane does not flow front to back. Cabins are divided into separate ventilation sections about every seven rows of seats, which means that you share air only with those in your immediate environment and not with the guy who’s coughing up a lung ten rows back. When the plane is on the ground, however, air circulation in the cabin can be greatly reduced.
DeleteIs the PM serious? If so, that is a ludicrous statement. Almost all of Europe's airlines are grounded due to lack of demand. If Montenegro had no national carrier, does he actually think it would be hard to find charter capacity in a situation like this, and that at a much lower cost to tax payers than covering YM's losses year in and year out? This crisis is a perfect example of why Montenegro should NOT continue wasting tax money on a state-owned airline. Let the free market fly where there is demand and in case of exceptional circumstances like these, source capacity with government support.
ReplyDeleteExactly. If there was no YM, they could have easily charted couple of aircraft for repatriation.
DeleteIt's not like all charter companies are super busy these days. Or any other airline.
just the way Slovenia did...
DeleteHas anyone heard any information or suggestions, that the Serbian government (with JU) will consider bringing their citizens (i.e. people stranded in other countries as the situation has been developing and whose return flights aren't likely to happen) home from various parts of the world by means of various rescue flights?
ReplyDeleteIts happening, probably not everywhere, but few groups are taken care off...
ReplyDeleteIs there some flights still operating from the Belgrade Airport? I heard for KLM flight on 26th march? I don't know if it is also canceled. And also did some foreign people still stayed in Belgrade and looking for ways to go out?
ReplyDeleteWhat about Australia as we have someone here in Tasmania who wants to get home ASAP?
ReplyDelete