EX-YU carriers revaluate fleet plans
The three national carriers from the former Yugoslavia are assessing future fleet prospects as the financial toll of the ongoing coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic continues to mount.
Air Serbia is soon set to return an Airbus A320 jet (registered YU-APG) to is owner as its lease with the company expires. The aircraft has been stripped of its livery and is to be replaced with two former Adria Airways A319 aircraft, which have received Air Serbia's colour scheme and are awaiting delivery to the airline in Toulouse. They were originally expected to join the fleet at the start of the 2020 summer season, however, the onset of the pandemic, the collapse in air travel demand and a reduced route network have delayed their delivery. The airline also has several other aircraft whose lease is expiring this year. The Serbian government has said it is now the “right time” to acquire aircraft for Air Serbia. “We are thinking about starting negotiations for the acquisition of some aircraft. This is the right time, because there will never be an opportunity like this where prices on the market will be as low”, the Ministry for Construction, Transport and Infrastructure said.
Croatia Airlines has cancelled its planned seasonal summer lease of one CRJ1000 aircraft from Air Nostrum, as well as the planned long-term dry lease of a Dash 8 Q400 turboprop, previously operated by Austrian Airlines. Last month, Croatia Airlines took delivery of a newly leased Airbus A319 aircraft, which has since been stored. The carrier has renegotiated the terms of the lease and will use a Power by the Hour contract during the first year of the contract, until the 2021 summer season. Power by the hour leasing is a form of operating lease wherein the lessor eliminates the requirement of a fixed monthly lease rate and instead charges for the aircraft’s utilisation during a fixed period of time. The carrier’s CEO, Jasmin Bajić, said it was too late to cancel the lease once the gravity of the global pandemic was realised. Croatia Airlines has four Airbus A320neo aircraft on order, with the first two scheduled for arrival in 2022 and the other two in 2023. It has said that a strategic partner, or government assistance, will be needed for it to invest in its future fleet development.
Montenegro Airlines cancelled plans to lease a fourth Embraer 195 jet in April. The carrier now intends on purchasing two E195s whose lease from GECAS expires in 2023 and 2024 respectively. “We will try to make an affordable arrangement with them [GECAS] and purchase the aircraft prior to the expiry of their lease. Due to the upheaval in the aviation industry, our plan is to acquire aircraft in phases”, Montenegro Airlines said. The carrier would finance the acquisition from the government aid which has been promised to the airline. Montenegro Airlines has one Fokker 100 jet in its ownership, as well as one E195 which was acquired through a financial lease from the Brazilian BNDS bank.
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