Air Serbia has taken delivery of its sixth ATR72-600 aircraft in Belgrade (pictured), which is expected to alleviate recent delays and flight cancellations resulting from a fleet shortage. The aircraft, which was originally to be delivered last month but was held up due to a lack of spare parts on the market, is expected to enter commercial service in early July. The turboprop is nine years old and was previously operated by Aer Lingus Regional. It has been registered YU-ASB. The carrier’s seventh ATR72-600, from the GOAL leasing company, is expected to be delivered in August. The average age of the airline’s turboprop fleet is now eight years.
During the week, Air Serbia also took delivery of an Embraer E190 jet, which is being wet-leased from Greece’s Marathon Airlines. “We are honoured to be chosen to partner with Air Serbia in operating our E190 and E195 to connect destinations and create unforgettable travel experiences for their passengers”, Marathon Airlines said in a statement. According to the “TangoSix” portal, the Serbian carrier will take delivery of two E195 jets in July and August respectively. The two aircraft are expected to include Air Serbia’s full livery and not just billboard titles as featured on the plane delivered this week.
The carrier’s CEO, Jiri Marek previously told EX-YU Aviation News the company was interested in adding 100-seater regional planes into its fleet to bridge the gap between its ATR turboprops and narrow-body Airbus fleet, however, that they would initially be wet-leased through a capacity provider. “Because that is low risk – observing how that aircraft or segment can perform before you start creating the complexity of adding a jet that requires additional licenses, crew training, engineering etc.”, Mr Marek said.
