New plans for Jat

Jat to decide about Macedonia, employees want Portorož suspension

Based on the events witnessed in the past 2 weeks, it is more than obvious that Jat Airways has no development strategy. Even more concerning is that the Serbian Government openly admitted it had no idea what it wanted to do with its frayed carrier. The question now being asked is what the new acting CEO, Vladimir Ognjenović¸ and his management team will do with Jat.

Ognjenović spent all of Thursday and Friday locked in meetings with the government, according to the “Danas” daily. Employees at Jat are calling for the suspension of the planed Belgrade – Portorož – Rome service which was supposed to begin this week but has been delayed until next. They say the service is not economically viable. Furthermore, employees have expressed outrage at the news that former CEO, Srdjan Radovanović, might be named as a Jat Airways advisor. Employees have said that Radovanović’s ludicrous business plans and autocratic leadership should bar him from ever setting foot in the company again. Another major problem the airline is facing is the planned lease of 2 Airbus A319 aircraft. There has been uproar amongst pilots who haven’t been named as part of the group that will be undergoing training for the new aircraft. As a result the president of the Jat Airways pilots union stood down last week.

Next week the airline’s management board is expected to decide what to do with its Macedonian offspring Aeromak. The airline, which is supposed to be based in Skopje, was denied a license by the Macedonian Civil Aviation Directorate earlier this year. It is expected that the management will decide whether to pursue the idea or end it once and for all.