Serbian government approves of leasing of 10 airplanes for Air Serbia

The Serbian government adopted a decision on Friday to approve the start of the leasing process for 10 airplanes for Air Serbia, in line with a contract and an agreement signed August 1st with Etihad from the United Arab Emirates, as well as to pay the first part of the deposit in the amount of USD 750,000 for the first five aircraft, outgoing Transportation Minister Milutin Mrkonjic said Friday.

- The Ministry of Transportation is put in charge of the execution of these tasks - Mrkonjic told Tanjug news agency, adding that Airbus aircraft would be leased. This ministry is also entrusted with the coordination and monitoring of the implementation of these activities.

When signing aforementioned strategic partnership agreement between Jat and Etihad, Etihad Airways President James Hogan announced the procurement of 10 new Airbus A319 aircraft as well as a plan to replace them with even more modern Boeing 737 airplanes within the next 24-36 months.