Air Serbia to wet-lease more aircraft
Air Serbia is set to wet-lease additional aircraft this summer season to cater for rising passenger demand and network growth. The carrier, which is currently wet-leasing a Boeing 737-700 aircraft from Greece’s Lumiwings is set to take on an Airbus A320-familly jet from Romania’s Dan Air. According to the Romanian aviation portal BoardingPass, the airline, formerly know as Just Us Air, will provide an aircraft, cabin crew, insurance and maintenance for the jet to Air Serbia and has concluded similar agreements with several other carriers including Transavia, Air Arabia Maroc and Kuwait’s Jazeera Airways. The Romanian airline currently operates two aircraft - a thirteen-year-old A319 and a sixteen-year-old A320, with another two aircraft expected to join its fleet in the foreseeable future. The plane is likely to be used primarily on charter services.
Based on existing inventory in the Global Distribution System, Lumiwings is currently operating its B737-700 on behalf of Air Serbia until the end of the week, with the aircraft not slotted on scheduled routes past the end of May. The jet has also been utilised on charters such as Hurghada. On scheduled services it has been deployed to Zurich, Berlin, Stockholm, Tirana, Milan, Podgorica and Brussels. The plane is also set to make an appearance on flights to Dusseldorf, Thessaloniki and Stuttgart. Over the past week, Air Serbia has put into operation one of its newly leased ATR72-600 turboprops, the second in its fleet, while it also took delivery of an Airbus A319 which is to enter commercial operations after cabin reconfiguration.
Meanwhile, Air Serbia has announced it is imposing a minimum thirty-euro surcharge on all of its charter flights due to rising fuel prices. The exact amount of the levy will depend on the distance of the final destination. “Considering that the price of fuel is one of the key components of the charter flight charges, and in order to secure the realisation of contracts concluded with tour operators, Air Serbia has been obliged to adjust its initial aircraft leasing fees to tour operators”, Air Serbia and the Association of Serbian Tour Operators said in a joint statement. As a result, travel agencies will have to impose the surcharge on all passengers that will be flying on Air Serbia-operated charter flights this summer. The price of fuel has risen over 100% on last year. Air Serbia plans to operate over 1.000 charters this season.
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