Air Serbia and Turkish Airlines continue talks over joint venture


Air Serbia is in discussions with Turkish Airlines to establish a joint venture with its subsidiary Turkish Technics, which would include a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility in Belgrade that would primarily cater for the Serbian carrier’s fleet. The airline’s CEO, Jiri Marek, noted, “Once our fleet reaches the size of 30+ aircraft, that is the time when you need to look into the options to have your hangar facility at your base. At the moment, we are doing our base maintenance tasks across multiple facilities throughout Europe. As was already mentioned by Turkish Technics, we are having a discussion with them on a potential joint venture and the development of such an option at our home base. However, it is not the only option, and we are exploring other possible solutions. These things do not happen overnight - they require time and negotiations”.

The Serbian carrier currently outsources its base maintenance after issues arose with its previous provider, the Belgrade-based Jat Tehnika. “At the moment, all base maintenance is outsourced. During the spring period, we used predominantly Turkish Technics in Istanbul. During the winter season, we are using the Atitech facility in Naples, Italy. For our ATRs, we use maintenance by Aero Technic BG in Sofia, Bulgaria. We are completely changing our current approach and we are booking maintenance slots for the next three to four years, instead of relying on slot availability from season to season”, the CEO said.

Commenting on its relationship with Jat Tehnika, Mr Marek noted, “In the past, we have been using Jat Tehnika next-door here in Belgrade. But they are booked up way forward, and without securing slots we cannot rely on resource availability. Last winter season we had a lot of delays caused by Jat Tehnika. However, we are continuing our discussion and finding synergies for how we can also establish a strategic partnership - which would be logical, having close cooperation with a provider at your base”.

Over the summer, Turkish Airlines’ Chairman, Ahmet Bolat, said the company was considering opening an MRO subsidiary in Serbia. “We are working on that [MRO subsidiary] with investors, for example in Belgrade, Serbia. We will make a decision accordingly. We are always open to opportunities and evaluate future prospects. That’s the important thing”. Mr Bolat said.



Comments

  1. Anonymous09:03

    It is very good that Air Serbia looks for other options and not only to rely on Jat Tehnika.

    I hope deal with Turkish will be successful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous00:43

      +1

      Delete
    2. Anonymous01:25

      Serbia should educate more young people about aviation and its benefits. Simply, educate more young people, explain them possibilities of carrier advancements "good pay after they get experience" and last and most important salaries in aviation industry from the begging to the end their carrier. And s.. load of young people will be more then happy, to be mechanics and other needed personnel. Money for young people is like a glue for mouses, if they don't know they will not participate.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous01:49

      Serbia actually does a lot to educate young people in aviation. Much more than almost all countries in the Balkans.

      There is the Aviation Academy in Belgrade , which is a state school that is unique in the region educating aviation personnel. The academy comprises of
      - Aviation high school
      - College of applied studies (bachelor degree)
      - Training centre for aviation personnel (MRO, pilot school, ground personnel). The curriculum has been drafted in cooperation with Air Serbia. MTU, Jat Tehnika, Belgrade Airport and the Serbian Civil Aviation Directorate
      http://www.vakademija.edu.rs

      There is also the Traffic Faculty at the University of Belgrade, which has a module called "Aviation Transport". If you select that module you have subjects such as fleet management, airline management, sustainable development of air transport, schedule planning etc. You can also do masters studies in air transport at this faculty
      https://www.sf.bg.ac.rs/index.php/en/

      Serbia also has its own flight training university in Vrsac
      https://en.oanakademi.com/university/vrsac---smatsa-flight-training-university

      Delete
    4. Anonymous07:12

      Nice.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous10:00

      Yes that is a lot but still there is not enough of personnel needed for lets say JAT tehnika not to mention future MRO. Simply said, if you want people show them the money!

      Delete
    6. There is more then enough, what they need is not to work for JAT tehnika and AirSerbia.

      People here stop thinking 1500$ paycheck gives the employer right to abuse you a long time ago.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous09:03

    How many service( maintenance)lines does JAT Technika actually have?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:14

      6-8?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:25

      9 on their website

      Delete
    3. Anonymous00:43

      The company is actually in a complete shambles.

      Delete
  3. Anonymous09:06

    What happened to that company that repairs their engines in Belgrade. I didn't follow the case, sorry. Does anyone have any information and also where in Belgrade the facility is located.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:07

      MTU. They have a 6 years agreement for V2500 engine maintenance repair and overhaul

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:25

      Thank you

      Delete
  4. Anonymous09:06

    Interesting development. I wonder if it lead to more than just MRO cooperation.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:08

      Could be considering they are looking into TK frequent flyer and have a big codeshare network.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous00:44

      It looks like they will develop their own FFP but it would be much more useful if they used TK.

      Delete
  5. Anonymous09:07

    What is the issue with Jat Tehnika?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:13

      They don't have enough workers, they are focusing all their resources in passenger to cargo conversion of planes, in 2021 they even lost their European permit to service planes although they regained it later.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:17

      It was taking them ages to do maintenance on JU planes.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:22

      Exactly.

      YU-ARB was sitting there for 5 months!

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:27

      It was not ARB (332) it was APB (319).

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:53

      Parts missing in global supply chains, no booking upfont in the MRO and waiting months for its slot etc.?

      Delete
    6. Anonymous09:57

      Yes, correct. YU-APB.

      Delete
  6. Anonymous09:08

    Definitely YES! Make hangars with capacity like JAT, compete with them as soon as in your own country they lie to you. Give it back to them. There comes a time when you have to repair the facilities (JAT), they are not in good condition.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:33

      What is this comment meant to say? Not clear.

      Jat Tehnika is not a slave of JU and JU is not a slave of Jat Tehnika. Each operate on its own and look for partners where they think is the most fit.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:43

      They brought in big income for Jat Tehnika.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:47

      How is it, if in the words of JU, Jat Tehnika is booked well ahead by others?

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:33

      Nothing wrong with the comment. The very truth - as soon as there is something Balkan that is developing - let's destroy it. They lied to JU, delayed the activation of planes, caused delays, forced the airline to hire planes and crews, made them move the planes in the country somewhere in Turkey and Romania.....

      Delete
    5. Anonymous00:45

      Agree with last anon. The fact that Jat Tehnika lost EU permit to service planes for several months says it all

      Delete
  7. Anonymous09:08

    Važno je da su naučili na problemima sa početka godine i da brzo deluju.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous09:11

    "We are booking maintenance slots for the next three to four years, instead of relying on slot availability from season to season"

    smart

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:12

      It also shows how much the service is in demand. So JU is on the right track!

      Delete
    2. Anonymous01:19

      What service?

      Delete
    3. MRO providers, maintenance, repair and overhaul.

      Delete
  9. Anonymous09:11

    It's a bit off topic.... In what period are checks A, B, C done? The first one I know is a small thing and is done all the time, but the others? In what period for example does JU send the A319 for maintenance?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:33

      A-check happens after 200-300 flights and takes about a day to complete on a narrow-body. B-check happens every 6-8 months and takes up to a week to complete, but many airlines merge this check with their A-check. C-check happens approximately every 2 years and usually lasts about 3 weeks. D-check occurs every 6-10 years and lasts 1-2 months as the entire plane is deconstructed and reconstructed.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:27

      Thank you very much

      Delete
    3. @Anonymus 09:33

      What kind of checks are being performed on YU APE,APF??? They are in Naples since mid-October

      Delete
  10. Anonymous09:17

    Oh so that's why I have seen JU planes head to Naples.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:21

      They also fly regularly to Naples as their destination also during the winter.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:41

      Yes, but I meant flights with odd four numbers.

      Delete
  11. Anonymous09:18

    Where would TK have hangars at BEG?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous01:21

      They would probably use Jat Tehnika

      Delete
  12. Anonymous09:20

    Easier for Air Serbia considering the number of planes they are now servicing in Istanbul.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous09:21

    This would be a big development, not just for JU but Serbian aviation industry as a whole.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous09:21

    What is Jat Tehnika going to do without its main customer?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:22

      They will have even more time to focus on their cargo to passenger conversions...

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:31

      Read the article. They are booked way forward. Apparently this is not their "main customer" or maybe not even one of "main customers".

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:27

      A Turkish Technic facility in Belgrade would be a major issue for Jat tehnika, not just because they would loose JU as a customer, although they already seemed to have lost them, but also because this new MRO would need staff and I'm sure they would poach many from Jat Tehnika. We will see.

      Delete
  15. Where are YU-APE/APF/APL, Flightradar shows they are currently out of service?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:16

      Are those A319s? I have noticed in the past few days they are using just a few of them.

      Delete
  16. Anonymous09:23

    Other than the cargo conversions, does JAT Tehnika have any foreign customers? I remember they used to do a lot maintenance on Boeing birds years ago. They also had a lot of Russian carriers doing maintenance there. Anyone know?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:40

      Ironically, they have some customers from Turkey.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous01:20

      Which ones?

      Delete
  17. Anonymous09:25

    The major benefit of having a TK subsidiary doing your maintenance is that they have a big stockpile of spare parts and don't have to order new ones from the market where there is a shortage and then have to wait months for it to be delivered.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous09:28

    Instead of buying JAT tehnika when you could buy it for pennies, the State privatized it and now national carrier needs to send planes around the world for maintenance. It was not a smart move, but it is what it is and a cheap alternative needs to be found

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous01:52

      Yes they should have reintegrated Jat Tehnika into Air Serbia.

      Delete
  19. Mozda bi Aerodrom Morava mogla da prihvati potencijalnu MRO. Organizaciju za odrzavanje aviona Er Srbije. Mesta za izgradnju centra ima. Dali ima lokalnih politicara u Kraljevu i Cacku da privucu potencijalni projekat za MRO, to je vec stvar ova dva grada. Neposredno uz Aerodrom,
    Vise puta u proslosti sam pokusao da potenciram tu ideju.
    Cak me je primio (sada upokojeni) Nacalnik Raskog Okruga, gospodin Simovic. Da li ja neznam sta pricam ili u ovoj sredini nema sposobnih politicara koji koji umeju da prepoznaju sve potencijale Aerodroma Morave. Sigurno su orijentisani u poljoprivredu. A sanse i mohucnosti prolaze neiskorisceni. Sada su izbori. Glasam za razvoj Civilnog Vazduhoplovstva i gradnju aerodroma. Ako bude potrebno.
    Rodney Marinkovic. ✈♥️🛬✈🌐🛬

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:06

      Milun Todorovic se zadovoljava pljackanjem Cacka i ministarstva saobracaja, izmedju ostalog na njegovu benzinsku pumpu staju autobusi koji idu na Zlatibor i uzimaju putnike, suprotno propisima. Ne znam kakvog buzdovana drze u Kraljevu s obzirom da je tamo Leone mora da je jos gori. Njih dvojica i MRO se bas slazu.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous15:01

      Kako ne znate, pa u Kraljevu je glavni gospodin "aerodrum"... On je sigurno taj koji će pogurati rad aerodruma.

      Delete
  20. Anonymous09:36

    Air Serbia will have better maintenance with Turkish Technic

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:38

      And they had bad maintenance with Jat Tehnika? Pleaase...

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:43

      They had a delayed one, let's not forget they waited for that engine for about 5 months

      Delete
  21. Anonymous09:42

    Why take precious land away from BEG when you have Kragujevac 30min flight away?
    Situation is similar to that in Ljubljana, where Maribor could be a MRO base

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Postovani Anon 9:42. Da li ste mislili na Aerodrom Moravu za potencijalnu MRA Bazu? Zae nije ovaj aerodrom svega trideset pet kilometara buducim Gruzanskim Koridorom. Od Cacka dvadeset, a od Kraljeva petnaest kilometara. Na Moravi mesta ima. Dali ima spremnih ljudi da dozvole i prihvate povoljne mogucnosti? To je drzavna volja i sposobnost lokalnih politicara da privucu MRO Bazu .
      Spozdravom, Rodney. 😀✈

      Delete
    2. Anonymous14:59

      Mogu li avioni da se dopreme tim koridorom do Lađevaca pošto vazdušno velika većina ne može?

      Delete
  22. Anonymous09:43

    A strange approach to doing business. If you are also looking to establish a strategic partnership with Jat Tehnika as he claims, you typically avoid critising in public as he does in the very same sentence. It is not helpful and everybody avoids it as this brings nothing positive.

    Now Jat Tehnika, if they were unprofessional to the same degree, should come out and respond by saying for example that different to other airlines JU never planned maintainance ahead, always wanted to do maintance last minute, never discussed realistic timetables, was always looking for short term solutions with issues recurring as a result etc.

    As an example, a lot of airlines had issues over Boing 787 or Max or over engines, and one could not hear any harsh words said in public by any airline to Boing or to engine manufacturers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:08

      Jat Tehnika do not have time for praznorek.

      Delete
  23. Anonymous09:52

    Interested to see how this will work out and if TK does set up an MRO subsidiary.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Anonymous10:24

    What are they going to call the JV?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:28

      They haven't even reached an agreement about the JV, let alone naming it.

      Delete
  25. Anonymous10:24

    One thing that JU should focus on with any future MRO provider is improving the state of the cabins!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:27

      Yes, much needed.

      Delete
  26. Anonymous10:25

    This would be big news for all involved

    ReplyDelete
  27. Anonymous10:25

    Why does not JU establish its own MRO?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:27

      It's expensive, time consuming considering the need to gain all necessary permits and certifications and there is a general lack of staff, especially in aviation maintenance.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous20:14

      JU ne moze ni svoje linisko odrzavanje da sastavi kako treba koliko im je ljudi otislo a ne da pravi MRO. A tek o organizaciji u njihovom odrzavanju ne treba trositi reci.

      Delete
  28. Anonymous10:28

    Would not be surprised if TK eventually buys into Air Serbia.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:08

      First MRO then the airline.

      Delete
  29. Anonymous10:29

    When can we expect them to do this? Next year?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:30

      Well yes, it's doubtful it will happen in the next month until the year is over, especially since they are still in discussions.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:31

      Most likely when you see an announcement that Erdogan is coming to visit Serbia, you will know the deal is done.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous11:06

      Looks like a done deal.

      Delete
  30. Anonymous10:30

    The fact that Turkish Airlines is interested in a joint venture with Air Serbia shows that Air Serbia is doing something right to even be considered by a giant airline such as Turkish.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous14:51

      Just prepare the money and you'll have JV with Delta...

      Delete
    2. Anonymous14:55

      Yeah sure. JU is completely meaningless with 80+ destinations. The airline with 13 next door is much more important...

      Delete
  31. Anonymous10:36

    Which airlines use JAT Technika? Are there that many customers? It cannot give its home airline a chance. JU you have to think about it this is funny! Let us provide services to Ukrainian airlines, and send ours to Turkey. Very smart.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:55

      Even funnier is that some Turkish carriers do maintenance at Jat Tehnika.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:38

      Which Turkish carriers?

      Delete
  32. Anonymous11:09

    How much will this cost JU. I doubt it comes for free.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:55

      Probably less than ferrying planes around Europe.

      Delete
  33. Anonymous11:10

    And what about SR Technic which has a base in Serbia? What do they do?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:54

      Only office staff based in Serbia (due to lower costs), not maintenance.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous14:42

      Pity it's just office operations

      Delete
  34. Anonymous13:30

    Jat Tech shift to cargo conversions seemed like a good idea. Passenger to Freighter (P2F) conversions were in very high demand during the pandemic, but the industry is now seeing a dramatic reversal.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous14:42

      It is a JV with an Israeli cargo company which has conversions planned for the next few years. So market situation does not impact much on that.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous20:21

      Ono sto niko ne kapira oko JatT je da oni te konverzije ne rade vec to rade Izraelci. Oni uzimaju prostor i nesto support staffa, konverziju rade kontraktori koje angazuju Izraelci. Ostatk Jata je u potpunom kolapsu, ne znam dal u ovom trenutku imaju coveka za probu motora…

      Delete
  35. Anonymous00:26

    They should speed this up

    ReplyDelete
  36. Anonymous00:46

    Seems like JU learnt its lesson from this year

    ReplyDelete

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