Montenegro’s new flag carrier launches operations, unveils plans
Air Montenegro launched commercial operations today, just over six months since the grounding of the country’s former national carrier Montenegro Airlines. Air Montenegro performed its first revenue service from Podgorica to Belgrade this morning, which will be followed by a flight to Tivat from the Serbian capital. The company’s CEO, Predrag Todorović, and Montenegro’s Minister for Economic Development, Jakov Milatović, were among the passengers on the inaugural service. "We were founded on February 8 of this year and have been able to commence operations within a few months. We are delighted that Belgrade is our first destination, as it will be one of the main points in our network in the coming period", Mr Todorović said.
Air Montenegro plans to soon add a second aircraft to its fleet, an Embraer E190 jet leased from German Airways. The aircraft will be on a short-term lease until the second E195 the carrier acquired from the now defunct Montenegro Airlines is fit to fly. The delay in preparing the aircraft for service comes as Montenegro Airlines’ maintenance division is unable to perform any work on the jet as the company is in bankruptcy. As a result, the new national carrier will be unable to use its services. Instead, its aircraft will now be maintained by Consolidated Aerospace Industries and Austrian Airlines Technik Bratislava until it finalises setting up its own maintenance division.
Lufthansa Systems, which has signed an agreement for operational start-up consulting services with Air Montenegro, says it will lead the new carrier success. “In the current times, our industry is continuously facing unfamiliar landscapes. We are therefore particularly proud to support the Government of Montenegro in setting up the country’s new flag carrier in this volatile market environment”, Lufthansa Systems CEO, Olivier Krueger, noted. He added, “With strategic guidance complemented by our broad airline service portfolio, we are able to serve airlines of all business models, and we are ready to lead Air Montenegro to success as the world evolves to new realities”. After an in-depth review of the main challenges and an analysis of the planned strategy, business model and commercial plan, Lufthansa Systems’ experts will advise the airline on how to achieve operational stability. The consulting services include designing a lean organisational structure with suitable processes, roles and responsibilities, as well as providing a recommendation for a spin-off decision for their maintenance. Furthermore, Lufthansa Systems will provide an adequate set-up for a future operations control centre and a tailored plan for the necessary change management initiatives.
Commenting on potential cooperation with Air Serbia, Mr Todorović said the two have mutual respect. "For now, we are completely focused on establishing our operations. We have contact with Air Serbia. Whether we will formalise cooperation at some future point remains to be seen", the CEO noted. He added, "This market is large enough to sustain two carriers". Air Serbia and Montenegro Airlines boasted a wide-ranging codeshare partnership. Commenting on potential cooperation with Lufthansa, Mr Todorović said it was currently not a priority as part of its consulting agreement with Lufthansa Systems, which operates as a separate company. Air Montenegro has been granted an ICAO Callsign - Mount Eagle. The airline is in the process receiving an IATA designator code by the end of the summer season. It is temporarily using the IATA code W2 until it gets its own.
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