Montenegro Airlines
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| Founded | 24 October 1994 | ||||||
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| Hubs | Podgorica Airport | ||||||
| Secondary hubs | Tivat Airport | ||||||
| Frequent-flyer program | Vision Team | ||||||
| Fleet size | 6 | ||||||
| Destinations | 19 | ||||||
| Company slogan | We give wings to your dreams! | ||||||
| Headquarters | Podgorica, Montenegro | ||||||
| Key people | Daliborka Pejović, CEO[1] | ||||||
| Net income |
 € -10.2 million (2015)[2] | ||||||
| Website | montenegroairlines.com | ||||||
Montenegro Airlines a.d. (Montenegrin: Монтенегро ерлајнс / Montenegro erlajns) is the flag carrier of Montenegro,[3] headquartered in Podgorica. It operates scheduled and charter services throughout Europe from its hub at Podgorica Airport with a second base maintained at Tivat Airport.[4]
History
The airline was founded on October 24, 1994, by the government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.[5] The first aircraft, a Fokker 28 Mk4000 (nicknamed "Lovćen"), was purchased almost two years later in 1996.[5] The first commercial flight took place on May 7, 1997, at exactly 10:30 between Podgorica and Bari, Italy.[5]
In April 2000, Montenegro Airlines became a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).[5] In June 2000, the first of five Fokker F100 aircraft was delivered to Podgorica Airport.[5] The airline joined Amadeus CRS on March 5, 2003.[5] In 2004, Montenegro Airlines' pilots were the first in the region to be granted the IIIA certificate. On July 2 of the same year the airline carried its millionth passenger.[5]
After the Montenegrin independence referendum, Serbia became an international market for Montenegrin companies. Montenegro Airlines had to cease international flights from Serbia to countries other than Montenegro, thus losing the profitable Niš - Zurich line, due to lack of Seventh Freedom policy. In an effort to circumvent this, Montenegro Airlines registered a separate airline in Serbia called Master Airways, but it was denied an operating license allegedly due to Serbian Government protectionist policies. On July 23, 2007, Montenegro Airlines ordered 2 Embraer 195 in order to grow its fleet and destination network. The aircraft being leased from GECAS for a period of 8 years. The first of the two Embraer E-195s arrived at Podgorica Airport on 5 June 2008.[6] The delivery of the first Embraer was followed by introduction of regular flights to London-Gatwick and Milan-Malpensa International Airport.
On April 17, 2009, El Al and Montenegro Airlines issued a joint statement reiterating El Al's keen interest in buying 30% of the stock,[7] but the plan failed.[8] The airline remains a government-owned company and enjoys financial and protectionist support from the government.[9]
After the arrival of the airline's first pair of Embraer E-195s, Montenegro Airlines requested Embraer to change the remaining backlog order to the E-175.[10] However, the third E-195 was delivered anyway,[11] and thus the fourth remaining order was to be an E-175.[12][13] On July 6, 2012, local media cited that Montenegro Airlines has yet again changed the fourth order, this time requesting an E-190LR model. The aircraft was delivered in May 2014.[14] In November 2014, Montenegro Airlines put both its Fokker 100s up for sale. However, by June 2015 no buyer has been found and the aircraft are likely to be scrapped.[15]
In August 2016, it has been reported that accounts belonging to Montenegro Airlines have been frozen after the airline failed to comply with a court ruling regarding the payment of debts to the operator of the country's airports. Montenegro Airlines owes the company more than US-$ 15 million.[16]
Destinations
As of August 2016, Montenegro Airlines serves 17 destinations in Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Austria, Slovenia, Serbia and the United Kingdom.[17]
Codeshare agreements
Montenegro Airlines maintains codeshare agreements with the following airlines:[18]
Fleet
As of August 2016, the Montenegro Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft:[19]
| Aircraft | In Service | Orders | Passengers | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Y | Total | ||||
| Embraer 190 | 1 | — | 112 | 112 | to be phased out[20] |
| Embraer 195 | 3 | — | 116 | 116 | |
| Fokker 100 | 2 | — | 102 | 102 | to be phased out[15] |
| Total | 6 | — | |||
Incidents and accidents
- On 25 January 2005 at about 11 p.m., a Montenegro Airlines Fokker 100 (YU-AOM) ran off the side of the runway during a night landing in snowy conditions at Podgorica. The nosegear collapsed and the airplane skidded for about 700 meters before coming to rest. Two passengers, the pilot, and the copilot sustained minor injuries.[21] The airline was sued by passengers, as it was the only airline to operate flights to Podgorica that evening (other airlines canceled flights due to insufficient ice clearance technology at Podgorica Airport).
- On 7 January 2008, at about 9:30 pm, a Montenegro Airlines Fokker 100 (4O-AOK) was shot at while landing at Podgorica Airport. A routine inspection of the aircraft led to the discovery of a bullet hole in the aircraft's tail. The aircraft was carrying 20 passengers, but none was injured. The reason for the incident is unknown; however, reports indicate that it may have been an inadvertent result of guns being fired during celebrations for Orthodox Christmas.[22]
- On 14 June 2013, at 6:00 pm, Montenegro Airlines Fokker 100 took off on a scheduled flight from Podgorica to Belgrade when the pilots discovered problem with the landing gear which didn't retract after taking off. Plane circled around due to full fuel tank that needed to be emptied in order to land. No injuries or fatalities were recorded as plane safely landed at Podgorica Airport.
References
- ↑ "First female CEO for an EX-YU airline". Ex-YU Aviation News. 2013-07-06. Retrieved 2013-07-06.
- ↑ http://www.exyuaviation.com/2016/05/pilot-fury-at-montenegro-airlines.html
- ↑ "Flag carriers of the former Yugoslavia urged to unite". Centre for Aviation. 10 April 2012. Archived from the original on 24 July 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
- ↑ "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 2007-04-10. p. 52.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Istorijat". Montenegro Airlines. Retrieved 2012-10-07.
- ↑ Archived October 31, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Reuters (2009-04-16). "El Al conducting talks to buy Montenegro Airlines stake - Israel News | Haaretz Daily Newspaper". Haaretz.com. Retrieved 2012-10-07.
- ↑ "EX-YU aviation news: El Al dumps Montenegro plans". Exyuaviation.blogspot.com. 2009-09-09. Retrieved 2012-10-07.
- ↑ "Montenegro erlajns na izdisaju, država jedini spas - Vijesti online". Vijesti.me. 2012-04-28. Retrieved 2012-10-07.
- ↑ "EX-YU aviation news: Montenegro Airlines changes aircraft order". Exyuaviation.blogspot.com. 2009-05-29. Retrieved 2012-10-07.
- ↑ "Photos: Embraer ERJ-190-200LR 195LR Aircraft Pictures". Airliners.net. 2010-07-19. Retrieved 2012-10-07.
- ↑ "Dan online - Ekonomija: Đurišić naručio četvrti "embraer" - 2011-05-12". Dan.co.me. 2011-05-12. Retrieved 2012-10-07.
- ↑ "Naručen četvrti Embraer". Aviokarte.Hr. 2012-10-03. Retrieved 2012-10-07.
- ↑ "M.Erlajns dobio novi avion". Radio Televizija Crne Gore. Retrieved 2014-05-18.
- 1 2 ch-aviation.com - Montenegro Airlines pulls Fokker 100s off market 19 June 2015
- ↑ ch-aviation.com - Montenegro Airlines accounts frozen over ACG debts 12 August 2016
- ↑ montenegroairlines.com - Destinations retrieved 13 August 2016
- ↑ "Profile on Montenegro Airlines". CAPA. Centre for Aviation. Archived from the original on 2016-11-02. Retrieved 2016-11-02.
- ↑ planespotters.net - Montenegro Airlines Fleet Details and History retrieved 13 August 2016
- ↑ retrieved 4 November 2016
- ↑ "Aviation Safety Network > News > News selection". Aviation-safety.net. 2008-03-20. Retrieved 2012-10-07.
- ↑ "All Balkans Home". Balkan Insight. Retrieved 2012-10-07.
External links
Media related to Montenegro Airlines at Wikimedia Commons
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