Etihad cancels procurement of 10 Airbus planes – JAT’s deposit repaid to Air Serbia

Etihad Airways has decided to cancel the purchase of Airbus A320 Neo planes, and the deposit paid by JAT Airways to Airbus in 1998 has been repaid to Air Serbia, as confirmed for B92.net at the Serbian national airline.

As part of the current restructuring of Etihad Group, Etihad Airways has decided to cancel the purchase of a certain number of aircraft, and Air Serbia points out that the deposit has been repaid only thanks to the strategic partnership with Etihad Airways.

Air Serbia also announced for B92.net that the long-term development of the fleet remained a part of the strategic negotiations of the two partners.

– Some of the strongest competition is in the air industry and it keeps growing in intensity. With the changes in demand, the aggressive competition and the unstable fuel price as the largest fixed expenditure, all serious airlines are carefully planning the long-term development of their fleets. These are the main reasons why Etihad Airways has decided to cancel the procurement of the said 10 planes – the company said.

Reuters announced on Thursday, January 10, 2019, that Etihad planned to cut 50 pilot jobs by the end of the month after a significant loss in 2018, and world media also reported that the company had cancelled the procurement of 10 Airbus A320 Neo planes, a decision directly linked with Air Serbia, as aircraft of that type were supposed to be added to its fleet.

Let us remind that, last year, media speculated that Air Serbia had given up on the procurement of those planes, as it had announced the arrival of 10 Airbus A320 Neo to its fleet back in 2013, announcing at the time that it would pay around a million dollars for them and that the planes would start arriving in 2018.

Etihad Airways

Air Serbia ad Beograd

Etihad Airways

Etihad

Air Serbia

JAT

Airbus A320 Neo

Air Serbia fleet

cancellation of purchase of planes for Air Serbia