Air Serbia has reduced operations by just over 4% in March after it terminated its wet-lease contract with Marathon Airlines following an accident involving the latter’s aircraft in Belgrade on February 18. As EX-YU Aviation News learns, the carrier is seeking a solution to address the issue, however, it will take some time. The recent arrival of a third wet-leased KlassJet Boeing 737-800 aircraft is a replacement for one of the other two jets already operating on behalf of the Serbian carrier. Despite the reduction in its March schedule, Air Serbia will still have more flights and capacity than it did during the same month last year. The airline will have an additional 258 flight movements compared to March 2023, based on its existing schedule.
Air Serbia will make the biggest reduction in the number of weekly flights on services from Belgrade to Milan, Istanbul, and Frankfurt, with three to four weekly rotations removed from the schedule on these routes during the month of March. Vienna will see frequencies reduced by two weekly flights. Other destinations which will sustain a smaller reduction of one weekly rotation include Amsterdam, Larnaca, Ljubljana, Budapest, Zagreb, Tivat and Athens. Other destinations remain unaffected. The reduction in flights on select routes is currently limited to March. The first of four Marathon Airlines Embraer aircraft which were in use by Air Serbia until the recent accident joined the fleet in late June of last year.
The Serbian carrier has said it remains committed to launching its newly planned service between Belgrade and Mostar, which will commence in April. Flights were initially scheduled to be exclusively operated by a wet-leased Marathon Airlines E175 aircraft. However, the airline has now changed the aircraft type on the route to an Airbus A319 jet. “Flights between Belgrade and Mostar will launch as planned. For the needs of those flights, Air Serbia will deploy aircraft from its fleet that meet the conditions required at Mostar Airport”, the carrier’s Head of Corporate Communications, Arsen Rudan, said.
Not that bad all things considered.
ReplyDeleteIf you summarize all cancelled routes, all refunds, last minute wet lease which is expensive - it is not good situation at all.
DeleteAnd JU will sue every penny of out Marathon Airlines once their AOC gets revoked as its rumoured
DeleteAnonymous 09:15
DeleteJU can sue them but they probably have nothing belonging to the company.
All their aircraft are leased.
They usually have to pay a deposit for every aircraft so there is some money left
DeleteThey will sue Marathon. But at this point they will pay refunds by themself, and also they will wait for a while to get money from Marathon.
Delete@09:29 these people have probably already emptied their bank accounts. And will surely owe money to staff, suppliers, tax authorities, etc.
DeleteAnd we probably will have to wait for years until the courts decide who gets what of whatever assets can be recovered.
JU management should have vetted Marathon a whole lot more before hiring them and depending on them for so much of their flying.
DeleteThey should have simply kept Marathon and that's it.
DeleteGreat job JU. Minimum cancellations where they can move customers to alternative flights super easy .
DeleteI somewhat agree. It's the pilot who decided he didn't the whole runway...not Marathon business. I think it is an over reaction by AS. But again, I don't know details of their situation/contract
DeleteMarathon hired the said pilot. JU absolutely did the right thing
DeleteMarathon can equally sue JU for terminating the contract early.
DeleteAnonymous16:53 we do not know the terms of the contract at all, I doubt that JU would just randomly cancel something without thinking of the consequences. However, Marathon did in fact caused a serious incident, and they should be held accountable.
DeleteOf course, but at end AS made decision they think is best for their business and shareholders.
DeleteI wonder if they are looking for more 100-seaters or they will just take whatever they will get.
ReplyDeleteProbably whatever they can get.
DeleteNot many wet lessors in Europe with available E-Jet capacity.
Amazing that they still have more flights than last year after all the cuts.
ReplyDeletewait till summer
DeleteWell, mostly nobody will complain about it considering the circumstances.
ReplyDeletePeople who have their travel arrangements changed from the ones they booked would complain.
DeleteIt's a small price to pay for knowing you are 100% safe in the air.
DeleteI don’t think that you can be a 100% sure you are safe on any airline.
DeleteExactly. Not flying means you are 100% safe in the air.
DeleteYet statistically, most people die at home in their bed :)
Delete10:48 people don't die from being in bed, they die from something else in bed (disease, heart attack, etc.). There is a risk, albeit extremely small, for travelling in an airplane and for it to be the reason it kills you. With that logic you could say 100% of people who drink water die.
DeleteI heard somewhere that 100% of people die, eventually. Not sure if it is true though.
DeleteAnd people don't die from flying but rather from the plane abruptly no longer doing it
DeleteYU APM/APB/APC are not flying.
ReplyDeleteC and B are in Naples for maintenance(over 30 days yet!!),but APM was recently C Checked...I don't know why it isn't flying.
Since they haven't cut too many flights in March, it seems these aircraft will slowly be entering into service.
DeleteFlights were initially scheduled to be exclusively operated by a wet-leased Marathon Airlines E175 aircraft. However, the airline has now changed the aircraft type on the route to an Airbus A319 jet.
ReplyDeleteSo ATR really isn't able to land thwre
It is able to land there. JAT flew ATR72s and ATR42 in the 1980.
Delete*1980s
DeleteMy guess is that - 600 has some landing instruments requirement that the older versions didn't
Delete^Yes, most likely.
DeleteAir Serbia will deploy aircraft from its fleet that meet the conditions required at Mostar Airport.
DeleteSurely this means that ATR can't operate there
That is Mostar's airport fault.
DeleteSome expert here was saying how this information was made up and JU will surely fly the ATR to OMO.
DeleteIt can't be Mostar's fault, the limits for any airport are well known in advance. It's the same thing with Morava.
DeleteNot so disastrous. The routes that have the most cuts have the most frequencies. Considering they just removed 4 aircraft from their fleet, 4% flight reduction is ok.
ReplyDeleteNot so disastrous. Correct. That means bad. They reduced winter schedule twice already and now this. The market is going to explode this year in the region, like JU and BEG last year. They miss three routes for now, Florence, Marseille and Cairo, announced 5 rotations to Palma, is it sustainable? In my opinion they have to dry lease significant number of aircrafts coming this and in the following years. If there is something good in Marathon incident that is to terminate excessive wet lease which could ruin the company.
DeleteCan't they call someone small like Dan, Carpatair at the last minute, and for the last one(Embraers) to agree things later.
ReplyDeleteThey won't do the same mistake twice
DeleteCRJs -900/1000 could do the job also? LH hired CityJet.
Delete+1
DeleteCityJet is flying for LH.
DeleteThe Pratt & Whitney troubles for the NEOs plus Boeings troubles with the MAX and its reduced deliveries of it (mandated by the FAA) have squeezed the single isle market.
ReplyDeleteAnd lessors are taking advantage of that by increasing prices for their capacity whether dry or wet.
You had to enter into short-term leases until the Marathon replacements arrived. It's good to see they're doing well though and they've canceled a few flights, it's sort of a winter frequency cut. I'm surprised they cut strong destinations.
ReplyDeleteWell of course they will cut destinations to which they have more flights then some with fewer flights. One weekly flight to VIE, LJU wont change everything.
DeleteI still think they need 15 ACMI planes by summer. The good thing is that you will no longer need temporary ATR capacity because new machines are coming.
ReplyDeleteThis year they also expect two A320 or A319 on dry lease, so there won't be 15, but they are still not few against the background of the situation.
DeleteI expect 4 machines on KlasJet and 2 on GetJet for summer. Other possible clients are Smartlynx, Bulgaria Air, Avion Express, Carpatair, Trade Air.
DeleteTrade Air doesn't have free capacity.
DeleteThey will have 4 GetJet aircraft this summer, as per November announcement
Deletehttps://www.exyuaviation.com/2023/11/air-serbia-and-getjet-airlines-ink-long.html
@Anon s09:48
DeleteAny info when these aircraft will arive?
10:29
DeleteOne machine will arrive by mid-summer, probably by July it should be up and running. The other is not yet clear.
Lets hope they can get these aircraft to come earlier. July seems to late since the summer schedule will be in full swing.
DeleteBulgaria Air doesnt have free planes. They are launching 11 new routes with A220s and E190s this summer.
DeleteYou serious? The new routes are only with the A220. All flights from Sofia within a few months will be with the A220. All other old machines are available in the ACMI market.
Delete13:38, 13:06
DeleteThe E190 is in the system until the A220-100 comes.
@13:38 Yes i am. Varna-Frankfurt, Prague, Athens, Paris is scheduled to be launched with E190 this summer.
DeleteThe A220-100 will take over all E190 flights, but it won't happen this summer, it will happen gradually. On the other hand, if FB gets a good contract with JU, these machines are very likely to be leased to Air Serbia.
DeleteThat's right. When the A220-100 comes, the E190 will be removed from the system, so was A319. The A220-300 came and the A319 dropped. It will be the same now. But in my opinion, like the people above, JU is very likely to take over these machines.
DeleteGerman Airways, Bulgaria Air, Lumiwings, Helvetik that's it or nothing 🤔
DeleteGuys, guys, guys do some research please. Bulgaria Air is currently operating in the Philippines for Cebu Pacific during the European winter and simply does not have enough planes to afford leases.
Deletehttps://www.sunstar.com.ph/davao/cebpac-starts-bulgaria-air-operations-to-davao
They also have constant charters from Sofia with the touroperators to Tunis, Egypt and already will operate in the coast in summer.
Really unsure where JU will get a quick plane from. The aviation industry is a bit in crisis.
Cebu lease is till May.
DeleteProbably JU may lease planes from them
DeleteLot of work ahead of them. Let's see what happens.
ReplyDeleteAt least we know now that other than Mostar there will be no new routes this summer.
ReplyDeleteIt is still too early to say that. Let's wait and see what happens in the next month.
DeleteNow would be a good time to order new planes. I know they can't come anytime soon but it would show some long-term planning and direction.
ReplyDeleteNew planes are expensive, it will take years to arrive as near term production slots are fully booked plus they manufacturer will take a 15% downpayment. That is a lot of money that the airline can not spare while waiting for years to get its new planes.
DeleteJust my2cents
Yes and if they dont order new planes in the next years then for 10 years they wont have anything to fly with, all of their current fleet will be old then. So yes they should consider ordering new planes.
DeleteGoodmorning guys , today I'm leaving Belgrade to Athens with the noon flight , I'm Greek and just wanna say that the embraers were the right metal for some flights . I came to Belgrade on wednesday 21st of february with the early morning Air Serbia flight from ATH with the Klasjet 737-800 LY-LOC and we were just 62 passengers in a plane of 186 seats I think. I like Air Serbia and Serbia a lot and I wonder if this is financialy the right way for them .
ReplyDeleteThis flight is always like that, the timing is bad. I think they operate it because of late night BEG-ATH flight.
DeleteYes 100-seater is much needed, especially in thinner months like February and November. That is why it was the right decision to lease them. I'm pretty sure they are aware of it and will try to secure 100-seaters going forward.
DeleteI don’t see why ATR doesn’t do that job. It perfectly fit
DeleteWas the condition of the aircraft good?
DeleteHow did the service compare with flights operated by JU metal?
Thank you for any info.
10:34
DeleteATR seems ideal for flights with so few pax.
Maybe the previous BEG-ATH flight had more pax than an ATR could handle.
@10.34 they have more pax on the departure flight from Belgrade (it goes after midnight with all transfers)
DeleteAnon 10:37 the interior was in a descent condition with the usual Air Serbia catering ( biscuits , water ) I don't know if they change it for the noon departure I will see . But most if all a very polite cabin crew , a little more than Air serbia's.
Delete*of
Delete11:13
DeleteMany thanks for the response. My experience with the cabin crews of ACMI providers is the shame. Very polite and helpful staff. Marathon cabin crews also.
Apart from aircraft, they should also invest in a good marketing campaign.
ReplyDeleteAlso to their own frequent flyer program.
DeleteMy guess is that they'll lease CRJ planes. CRJ700 as a replacement of the E175 and a few CRJ900/1000 as a E190/195 replacement. They are easier to get and it gives them the whole summer to get a long term Embraer lease sorted
ReplyDeleteE190/195s are way more spacious and comfortable birds than the CRJs to fly on as a passenger.
DeleteI hope they find enough E-Jets soon plus the crews to fly them.
There’s an astronomical difference between the OG and next-gen CRJs. The new ones are really nice, especially with the large windows.
DeleteSurely JU could contact the owners of the planes and take over the lease
ReplyDeleteFingers crossed they'll just that.
DeleteThe planes themselves were in very good condition.
Finding enough type rated crews would be an issue though.
I hope so too but I don't think it is that straight forward. I mean Marathon has no obligation to cancel their leases, although the lessor may want to since one of their planes will be written off due to Marathon. Maybe JU is trying to get those planes behind the scenes. We will see.
DeleteI think Marathon will loose licence and go bankrupt. AS should go to DAT and dry lease EJets already in their liveries as planned in the first place
Delete@12:32
DeleteThat would be win-win result.
What will happen to airports like Hamburg and Hannover, typical EMB190 routes? In the moment, the flights will be operated by an A319 - which I think is far too big.
ReplyDeleteThey may discount tickets for now to gain load factor at least
ReplyDeleteWhat's the good of that?
DeleteTo fill the plane and earn money.
DeleteThat would be great for passengers!
DeleteYou don't earn money if you just fill the plane, trust me.
DeleteAbsolutely yes. That’s only how LCCs are functioning
DeleteDoes anyone know when Tesla A330 is coming back to BEG?
ReplyDeleteAnd the reason why it is in France? I guess maintnance? But anyone know what kind?
Interior maybe? Wasn't there talk about that?
DeleteYea for Pupin but for Tesla i dont think so
DeleteARB is on cabin reconfiguration at the moment.
DeleteIn the final calculation, how many machines (on ACMI) do you think JU will need this summer?
ReplyDelete4X A320 Get Jet ( have deal)
Delete2X B737-800 Klas Jet( have deal)
Other 6X aircraft to replace Marathon's E170/190/195, maybe agin this types, soon will see...
IMO ~ 12
If Airpink is smart, they'll add E190/195.
ReplyDeleteAirSerbia is an embarrassment for our country. I hope that common sense prevails in our govt and somebody competent takes over JU & makes a great airline out of it. We deserve to have an airline like JAT used to be.
ReplyDeleteAn embarrassment because they reduced flights by 4% Are you ok?
DeleteHe's not okay. This is what he said: "Stoga se tu nema što raspravljati, Air Serbia je krivac što se desio incident 18.2"
DeleteAs a Bulgarian disagree with you. Air Serbia is a good company. Serbia, similar to Bulgaria are small countries with the same population approx. But Air Serbia has been very active in connecting the Balkans, I am sure if they had more planes would do a 2 daily SOF-BEG flights because I think the route is doing okay, after all Bulgaria has a small population and there is a very big competition with the low cost airlines, so an ATR is the perfect machine with a 1 hour hop. They have really good prices from SOF and VAR that include even a 10kg bag compared to the ULCCs. They were clever with Varna and Ohrid knowing that there is a need of more competition there. Austrian and Turkish duopoly in Varna needed to be ended. Austrian still have ridiculously high prices from Varna.
DeleteIt is simply very bad luck and a mishap for Air Serbia what happened with the Greeks and this "hurts" a smaller regional airline. What matters is that everyone is alive.
I think the sudden huge expansion was not a good idea and think they can get more ATRs and connect more "isolated" cities nearby and try to gain subsidies because Belgrade is located within an hour flying distance with a turboprop.
The late evening midnight departures and afternoon connections is quite clever. Whay maybe needs to introduced is a visit Belgrade package for connecting passengers with longer flights. This will stimulate the economy of the city: restaurants, shops, rakia, etc.
Also think it is very clever of them to still be able to maintain JFK and not chose Chicago just because. Chicago has a large Eastern European and Balkan diaspora. In Bulgaria it is the largest one. The prices and connections are quite reasonable, but the problem with Chicago is LOT because they are really strong there logically for the same reason. Super large Polish diaspora in Chicago.
Finally, it was also clever from their side to develop INI and fly to decent destinations even if they are "gasto" or not. It will contribute to the economy of the airport and city.
Do not be too harsh about the incident, yes it is very frustrating but just bad luck. After all, aviation in terms of safety in Serbia is excellent, in my opinion.
If they have more ATRs could also bravely try Plovdiv. It is a large town, with many universities and has more tourists than Sofia because it is quite cool, something like Warsaw vs Krakow. Plovdiv now is trying to get new airlines, but the "problem" is that it is too close to Sofia but the conglomeration is approx. 700 thousand because it is surrounded by larger towns and think PDV can work very very well for JU. It is again not so far by plane to BEG.
Pegasus failed in PDV because IST is way too close, but it was difficult to fill an A320, so think JU ATR is the perfect plane. They have been using this plane for decades. It is super reliable and especially the new generation ones, quite quiet. Yes, they remain slow but what matters here is geography and population. In the Balkans we are not too big as countries and surrounded by much bigger countries and Turkish are getting really "agressive". We saw what happened in LJU and I think they will most likely become more agressive and expand to more Balkan countries. History repeats itself, if you know what I mean....
As for someone in my situation, AS makes most sense. Family goes to BiH once year in summer near nyc Typically flew to Sjj via some connection (2 to 3 hours), With AS value is unbeatable, yeah their interiors are dated, but at least it's direct and rental car is geneallly cheaper in Beg than SJJ. It's truly made my experience getting to BiH more streamlined, even tho it's about 1 hour longer drive to my hometown from Beg. Using them again this summer. They are a unique airline with quirks and now somewhat questionable partners in my opinion from having flow with them on long haul and short flight as well. The incident is clearly pilot error, thankfully no injuries/death. Interesting incident on runway of KLM Flight 4805 pilot and tower not communicating
Delete@01:13 Not me that said it & not blaming JU for this incident, but they are still a mess, nothing is working & everything is forced obviously. They are living off wet leases & forced expansion just so our politicians can talk on TV and it came down crashing now.
DeleteNot true, no one is being forced to buy tickets and nothing came down crashing. Stop getting wrong info from wrong places and you will be fine.
DeleteCame down crashing? Some people are detached from reality, living in analiticar's wonderland.
DeleteMaybe JU will need to look at alternatives. Like leasing aircraft in age or older model than they would normally like. Seems they face a decision. Be financially conservative or find solution to maintain their growth plans and solidify their position in BEG and the region.
ReplyDelete