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mashine1984 написа:Air Serbia започва да преминава към хибриден модел. Официално край с "бутиковия" им модел...

Air Serbia plans to lease out two of its Airbus A319 aircraft over the 2017/18 winter season, as the airline continues to implement its new business strategy. The two jets, registered YU-API and YU-APD, have been listed on the leasing market, and will be available to potential customers between October 17, 2017 and April 2018. One of the aircraft (YU-APD) is being offered as part of an operational lease and/or an ACMI (where Air Serbia would provide the aircraft, crews, maintenance, and insurance to the leasee), while the other (YU-API) has been put on the market solely for an ACMI lease. Both leasing types indicate short-term arrangements.

Since relaunching as Air Serbia, the airline has, on several occasions, provided aircraft on a wet-lease basis to various carriers, including Montenegro Airlines, Air Berlin, Etihad Airways and Etihad Regional. However, this development marks the first time the airline has made plans to remove more than one jet from its fleet for an entire season. Air Serbia previously said it experiences strong seasonality in its operations, similar to other national carriers in the former Yugoslavia, and records less demand during the winter months. Furthermore, it noted that its focus in the coming period will be on internal consolidation and strengthening of its business, as it deals with growing costs and strong competition from low cost carriers.

Air Serbia is due to take delivery of its first of ten Airbus A320neo aircraft in the second half of next year. However, the arrival of the jets has been put into question as a result of the airline's new business model, which places a greater emphasis on doing more with what the carrier currently has available at its disposal. Earlier this year, the company's CEO, Dane Kondić, said the A320neos were "still on the table", without giving further details. Air Serbia has a fleet of 21 operational aircraft, including eight A319s, two A320s, one A330-200, six ATR 72s and four Boeing 737-300s, which are operated by the airline's dedicated charter brand.

Air Serbia has put its third Airbus A319 aircraft up for lease over the 2017/18 winter season. The jet, registered YU-APA, will be available to potential leasers between October of this year until April of next year. The Serbian carrier is offering an ACMI arrangement for the aircraft. As previously reported, the airline has also listed two other A319s, registered YU-APD and YU-API, on the leasing market. According to the German magazine “Focus”, Etihad is in negotiations with Lufthansa over the lease of narrow-body aircraft from its European investments, including Air Berlin, Air Serbia and Alitalia, to Eurowings.

Air Serbia mulls 100 job cuts - report

BELGRADE (Serbia), August 29 (SeeNews) - Flag carrier Air Serbia plans to make redundant 100 of its 1,600 employees as part of efforts to cut costs, local media reported on Tuesday.
Air Serbia's management has received from Etihad, which controls a 49% stake in the company, a list of measures that need to be implemented to reduce costs, daily Politika said quoting sources from the Serbian flag carrier.
The flag carrier is also considering an unpaid leave for part of its flight crew members, Politika added.
"The decision on the potential reduction of the number of employees of the company, which can be taken by the supervisory board and the management of the company, has still not been taken," Politika quoted sources from the company as saying without denying the reports on the potential downsizing of the staff.
Last month, the president of the supervisory board of Air Serbia, Sinisa Mali, said the company plans to dismiss around 30 employees under a cost reduction plan.
The introduction of innovations, charter flights during the summer season, the Airbus A330 wide-body twin-engine jet and the Sabre system can also be a reason for a staff downsizing, the sources said.
Air Serbia said in April, it has completed the migration to a passenger reservations system supplied by US technology provider Sabre Corporation, adding new services that allow travellers to personalise their journey by selecting a preferred seat, purchasing additional luggage before their flight, using mobile boarding passes and purchasing a pass to the Air Serbia Premium Lounge.
"It is true that Air Serbia is considering a number of changes that are aimed at achieving a more provident business operation, more cost savings and increase in profitability," Politika quoted the sources as saying.
In May, CEO Dane Kondic said the company has decided to suspend its Belgrade-Abu Dhabi flight in the autumn after an extensive review of its five-year business plan.
The restructuring process at Etihad started after the dismissal of former CEO James Hogan in January due to the poor financial results of European subsidiaries Alitalia and Air Berlin, which filed for insolvency earlier this year.
- See more at: https://seenews.com/news/air-serbia-mul ... 7gUTJ.dpuf

President casts doubt on Etihad - Air Serbia deal

The Serbian President, Aleksandar Vučić, has offered a less than convincing response as to whether Etihad Airways will retain its investment and management agreement with Air Serbia, which expires on January 1, 2019. Speaking at a press conference, Mr Vučić said, "I would like for Etihad not to pull out of Air Serbia and I hope that it won't. That's all I can say. As far as I am aware, there was a meeting of the Air Serbia Supervisory Board recently and they told me all was well. If they [Etihad] decide to withdraw, Air Serbia will survive and it will be in a much better state than Jat was".

Asked whether the government was seeking a new strategic partner for the airline, Mr Vučić responded, "We are not looking for anyone else, we have a partner. We are not trying to get rid of a good partner". Last month, the Serbian Prime Minister, Ana Brnabić, said that Etihad Airways would continue to be Air Serbia's minority shareholder for the foreseeable future. "Etihad is our strategic partner. It is a devoted partner which has not indicated in the slightest that it plans to divest from Serbia and we are very happy about this". The Emirati national carrier is undertaking a strategic evaluation of its business which has seen it cut ties with Air Berlin, Alitalia and Darwin Airline. Furthermore, it has rolled out a range of cost cutting measures including a downgrade of its on board product, the grounding of some of its aircraft and the discontinuation of some routes such as Perth, Ho Chi Minh City and Edinburgh.

Commenting on Air Serbia's flagship route to New York and the sustainability of the service, the Serbian President noted, "Can you make money on flights to New York? Of course you can't. We will be able to do that in about a year or two when three to five years have passed since the route's launch. However, these flights are important for the country's and airline's branding and image". He added, "Jat Airways was a destroyed company. Air Serbia is a much better airline than Jat, both for passengers and our citizens. This is shown in the doubling of the number of travellers and the significantly improved results".

mashine1984 написа:Etihad май скоро ще си ходят и от Air Serbia

Air Serbia will suspend flights between Belgrade and Hamburg at the end of the 2018 summer season. The airline is scheduled to operate its last service on the route on October 27, after which ticket sales have been discontinued. The Serbian carrier launched flights to the German city in 2016, however, the demise of its codeshare partner Air Berlin, as well as strong competition from low cost carriers, have affected the airline's performance on the route. Germany was Air Serbia's single largest market last year, with the airline serving five cities in the country. However, it faces a strong challenge on its services to Germany from Lufthansa, Wizz Air, Eurowings and Ryanair (from Niš), while easyJet will commence year-long flights from Berlin to the Serbian capital in a month's time. This summer, the airline has been operating three weekly services between Belgrade and Hamburg, which is down from four per week last year.

State to maintain support for Air Serbia

The Serbian government will continue providing support to the national carrier in the coming years, the country's Prime Minister, Ana Brnabić, has said, after the state gave some twenty million euros to the airline last year. She noted, "The government of Serbia will maintain its strong support for Air Serbia. This support will be in line with European Union regulations, as it has been so far, however, no one can prevent us or limit our support for Air Serbia". The PM added, "Air Serbia plays an important role in the development of tourism, improves our economic ties with numerous countries and strengthens our country's brand. It has been an important driver of economic growth and I am certain that we will see even better results ahead since there are good prospects for further growth".

Air Serbia has posted a profit for the past four years but has also received state funds. In 2014, the carrier's net profit stood at 2.7 million euros, which was followed by a 3.7 million euro profit in 2015. In 2016, upon launching its first long haul service, the airline's figures declined 77% with Air Serbia managing a 990.000 euro profit. However, in 2017 its profit soared to sixteen million euros. Last year's record results were achieved in part due to a significant reduction in expenditures and an increase in revenue. Furthermore, the state provided a twenty million euro subsidy, which is half of what the company used to receive from its majority shareholder, although the carrier was also granted twelve million euros for the "development of tourism". The Serbian Finance Minister, Siniša Mali, has said that the payment credited under tourism development is primarily for the support of the carrier's long haul service to New York. "As part of our tourism development strategy until 2025, the Serbian government has decided to extend its support to whatever contributes to tourism growth. In this case, it is flights to North America. Without that support there would be no service to the US. However, Air Serbia's financial performance would remain unchanged", Mr Mali said recently.

Air Serbia has justified the support by noting it gives back one billion dollars to the Serbian economy each year and that it plays an instrumental role in the country's economy. It provides some 13.230 people with employment (both directly and indirectly) and adds $210 million to the Serbian economy through its core operations including expenditures on fuel, maintenance costs and local Serbian suppliers. This includes over 1.600 direct jobs at Air Serbia in Serbia, 5.450 indirect jobs supported by the airline’s procurement of goods and services and 6.130 additional jobs supported by staff spending their wages in Serbia. Furthermore, the airline maintains it carries over half a million international visitors, predominantly from Europe and North America, to Serbia. In addition, Etihad Airways, which holds a 49% share in the company, supports some 3.900 jobs through its operations in Serbia, which equates to an economic contribution of $45 million. "The contribution that Air Serbia makes to the national economy and the job market in Serbia cannot be overstated. We support thousands of jobs directly, through our airline operations, and indirectly, through the powerful domino effect that Air Serbia has on stimulating economic activity throughout the country. Our flights benefit many jobs in Serbia, such as the local suppliers we use for inflight catering, to the many industries that rely on business from air travellers, including hotels, restaurants and other tourism and hospitality-related sectors", the airline said in previous years.

Etihad cancels A320neo order for Air Serbia

Etihad Airways has cancelled its order for ten Airbus A320neo aircraft which were to be delivered to equity partner Air Serbia. Deliveries were initially due to begin last November. However, Airbus' latest backlog revision has revealed that the order has been scrapped. They were set to completely replace Air Serbia's existing fleet of A319s and A320s. The Serbian carrier secured the narrow-bodies as part of a major fleet order by Etihad at the 2013 Dubai Air Show, for up to 117 Airbus aircraft. Etihad’s outstanding Airbus commitments, at the end of December, comprised of 22 A350-1000s and forty A350-900s, as well as 26 A321neos. Its first A350-1000 is currently in final assembly.

The delivery of the neos to Air Serbia was originally slated between late 2018 and 2020. A previous deposit payment made by JAT Yugoslav Airlines for eight A319s in 1998 was credited against the pre-delivery payment for the neos. Upon making the order in November 2013, Air Serbia said, "The new fleet of Airbus A320neo aircraft is a key part of our strategy to re-position the airline as best in class with the most modern and comfortable single aisle aircraft. These aircraft will offer our guests the best cabin in the sky. With these A320neo jets we will set the benchmark in both product and service excellence as we extend our network to more destinations across Europe".

In 2013, Siniša Mali, who was at the time the Adviser for Economy and Finance to the Cabinet of the Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia, and who today holds the post of Finance Minister, said the government had agreed with Etihad Airways to take the aircraft for Air Serbia. "This is good for Air Serbia and the people of Serbia, because both have benefited from economies of scale resulting from Etihad Airways' very significant order with Airbus. With the delivery of these ten new aircraft between 2018 and 2020, Air Serbia will be the first airline in the region to have a modern fleet of new Airbus aircraft. The last delivery of a new jet to Jat Airways, the former national carrier, was in 1988", Mr Mali said. He added, "Furthermore, through our partnership with Etihad Airways, a previous deposit payment made by Jat Airways, has been credited against the pre-delivery payment for these aircraft. This is a very good result for the people of Serbia". Air Serbia itself has ignored all inquiries regarding the A320neo order from various media outlets over the past several months.

The 2013 Transaction Framework Agreement between Etihad Airways, the Government of Serbia and Jat Airways, states:

"Without limitation, the GoS (Government of Serbia) undertakes to: fund, and assume all liability for, any costs and liabilities associated with the JAT 1998 purchase contract with Airbus, in relation to which Etihad shall seek to assist JAT and/or the GoS in any discussions/negotiations that JAT and/or the GoS may have with Airbus with a view to reducing JAT's exposure to such costs or liabilities. For the avoidance of doubt, if at any time while the Management Services Agreement is in force, JAT and Airbus reach an agreement to purchase aircraft under the terms and conditions of the 1998 purchase contract then theGoS shall not be liable for the purchase price for any such aircraft;"

Etihad Airways, which has been undergoing restructuring after its strategy of investing billions of dollars in other airlines failed, plans to cut fifty pilot jobs by end of this month, two sources who have seen an internal memo by the airline said. Etihad also said in the memo it made a “significant loss” last year and that this would continue into 2019.

Air Serbia to launch nine new routes

Air Serbia has announced the introduction of seven new year-round routes and two seasonal destinations, which will be introduced from June onwards. The national airline will commence year-round flights from Belgrade to Kiev, Madrid, Barcelona, Rijeka, Krasnodar, Helsinki and Cairo, as well as seasonal operations to Nice and Zadar. In addition to the new routes, Air Serbia will add more depth to its network with additional frequencies to Zurich, Paris and Dubrovnik. The carrier faces no direct competition on any of its new services with exception to Barcelona, which is served seasonally by Vueling. The new additions will also require the Serbian airline to take on more aircraft, although it is still to specify its fleet plans.

As a result of the expansion, Air Serbia's route network to Croatia will grow to grow to six cities, two of which will be served year-round (Zagreb and Rijeka). The carrier will also resume operations to Kiev, which was operated seasonally during the summer of 2016. Furthermore, the airline returns with scheduled flights to Spain after some twenty years and to Egypt after fifteen years. Initially, Air Serbia planned to commence flights to Cairo in 2014 but cancelled such plans due to deteriorating security in the country at the time. On the other hand, Nice will mark the airline's second destination in France, while Helsinki will be served out of Belgrade for the first time since the collapse of the former Yugoslavia. Krasnodar, in souther Russia, becomes the carrier's third gateway to the country and was initially to launch in 2017, but such plans never materialised. Air Serbia currently codeshares on Aeroflot's flights between Moscow and Krasnodar.

Air Serbia's CEO, Duncan Naysmith, said, "We are very proud to be able to connect the Serbian capital to new cities, adding breadth and depth to our network by providing our passengers the choice to choose from 49 direct destinations, which the national carrier will serve from June 2019". The company added, "The expansion of Air Serbia's international network represents a step forward in the Serbian national carrier's expansion plans". The airline recently confirmed that Airbus has returned a cash deposit made by its predecessor JAT Yugoslav Airlines for eight Airbus A319 jets, amounting to 23.5 million dollars.

amcho написа:Публикувана е доста дълга статия относно сериозните закъснения на авиокомпанията през 2019г., както и финансовото й състояние.

https://balkaninsight.com/2020/02/12/flight-delayed-air-serbia-faces-capacity-and-quality-questions/

Малко напомня и на България Ер през лятото.