Jat Airways to lease six aircraft

BELGRADE The Serbian government has adopted measures for the recovery of Jat Airways that stipulate retirement benefits for some employees of the national carrier. The company will also be able to get six aircraft through lease-purchase agreements, Tanjug learned from the Ministry of Transport. Jat Airways to lease six aircraft Under the short-term measures, which the government adopted at a session on Tuesday, all employees who wish to leave Jat Airways voluntarily will be granted severance payments and the money for this purpose will be provided by the Labor Ministry. The national airline's plans for this year include leasing four large Airbus aircraft and two smaller ATR models, said Assistant Transport Minister Milutin Popovic. Serbia also plans to reactivate a contract it signed with Airbus in 1998, but introducing changes to the document as it wants to buy four instead of eight aircraft. These could arrive in Serbia in 2015. Transport Minister Milutin Mrkonjic told Tanjug earlier that Jat may soon get a strategic partner - Etihad Airways from Abu Dhabi. This is one of the options for JAT, and if this does not happen, the Serbian carrier will certainly be restructured, said Mrkonjic. Etihad Airways is interested in Jat Airways, and the two companies have already agreed on the exchange of business data, Jat officials told Tanjug earlier. Minister of Finance and Economy Mladjjan Dinkic said that talks are underway with Etihad about taking over Jat, adding that the issue regarding the Serbian carrier will certainly be resolved this year. (Tanjug, file) Tanjug

Jat Airways to lease six aircraft

Under the short-term measures, which the government adopted at a session on Tuesday, all employees who wish to leave Jat Airways voluntarily will be granted severance payments and the money for this purpose will be provided by the Labor Ministry.

The national airline's plans for this year include leasing four large Airbus aircraft and two smaller ATR models, said Assistant Transport Minister Milutin Popović.

Serbia also plans to reactivate a contract it signed with Airbus in 1998, but introducing changes to the document as it wants to buy four instead of eight aircraft. These could arrive in Serbia in 2015.

Transport Minister Milutin Mrkonjić told Tanjug earlier that Jat may soon get a strategic partner - Etihad Airways from Abu Dhabi.

This is one of the options for JAT, and if this does not happen, the Serbian carrier will certainly be restructured, said Mrkonjić.

Etihad Airways is interested in Jat Airways, and the two companies have already agreed on the exchange of business data, Jat officials told Tanjug earlier.

Minister of Finance and Economy Mlađjan Dinkić said that talks are underway with Etihad about taking over Jat, adding that the issue regarding the Serbian carrier will certainly be resolved this year.