Air Serbia retires ATR72-500, ponders regional options
02.03.2023 – 09:58 UTC
Air Serbia (JU, Belgrade) is evaluating options to add large regional aircraft to bridge the gap between its fleet of Avions de Transport Régional turboprops and Airbus narrowbody jets, but does not see the A220 as a viable option, Chief Executive Jiri Marek told the Airways Magazine.
“We are looking into it, but not for the near future, maybe as a mid-term strategy. The A220 is an aircraft much in demand, ownership costs are high, so I do not see that happening, and there are also engine maintenance issues,” Marek underlined.
He added that while Embraer aircraft could “be something to consider”, Air Serbia was more interested in the proposed large turboprop aircraft rather than the E2 regional jets. However, the aircraft is still in the conceptual stage with the Brazilian manufacturer projecting service entry towards the end of the decade.
The ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows that Air Serbia’s existing regional fleet comprises five ATR72-600s, with a sixth unit of the type wet-leased from Air Connect (KS,…
