Montenegro Airlines
Encyclopedia
Montenegro Airlines d.o.o., operating as Montenegro Airlines, is the national carrier airline
of the country of Montenegro
, and flag carrier
of the Montenegro
, headquartered in Podgorica
. It operates scheduled services in Europe
, as well as charter flights throughout Europe during the summer months. Its primary hub is Podgorica Airport
, and its second base is at Tivat Airport
. All Montenegro Airlines flights are international, as Montenegro's two airports are 80 kilometres (49.7 mi) away from each other.
(nicknamed "Lovćen") was only purchased in the autumn of 1996 and the first flight was made on 7 May 1997, at exactly 22:30 between Podgorica and Bari
, Italy
. Another Fokker 28 Mk4000
was purchased in July 1998.
A temporary ban on flights within the European Union
was lifted on 23 October 1999. New flights began to Frankfurt
, Germany
. At the end of that year, Montenegro Airlines established flights to Zurich
, Ljubljana
, Skopje
, Istanbul
and Budapest
.
In April 2000, Montenegro Airlines became a member of the International Air Transport Association
(IATA). In June 2000 the first Fokker F100
aircraft was delivered to Podgorica Airport
. Montenegro Airlines purchased their second Fokker F100
in May 2001, and their third in June 2002. Their fourth Fokker F100
was purchased in the beginning of 2003. The airline joined Amadeus CRS
on 5 March 2003. In 2004, Montenegro Airlines' pilots were the first in the region to be granted the IIIA certificate.
Montenegro Airlines carried its millionth passenger on 2 July 2004. The same year they carried a record 370,000 passengers. Montenegro Airlines carried its two-millionth passenger on 14 June 2006.
, 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 separate airline in Serbia, Master Airways, yet it was denied of operating licence, due to the alleged Serbian Government
protectionist policies.
On 23 July 2007, Montenegro Airlines ordered 2 Embraer 195
in order to grow its fleet and destination network. The aircraft will be leased from GECAS for the period of 8 years. The first of the two Embraer E-195s arrived at Podgorica Airport
on 5 June 2008. The delivery of the first Embraer was followed by introduction of regular flights to London Gatwick Airport
and Milan Malpensa International Airport.
On 16 September 2008, the airline announced that it will order one more Embraer 195, which will not be leased but bought for 31 million USD, and put an option on the fourth Embraer 195. This will potentially grow its fleet to four Embraers.
Montenegro Airlines is currently in process of privatisation. It will initially offer 30% of the stock, and the most probable partner is European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The Government of Montenegro
may later choose to completely sell the remainder of the stock.
On 17 April 2009, El Al Israel Airlines and Montenegro Airlines issued a joint statement reiterating El Al's keen interest in buying 30% of the stock, but the plan failed. El Al's subsidiary, Sun d'Or International Airlines, has begun, as of 28 May 2009, a scheduled service between Tivat Airport and Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport
.
The second Embraer 195 arrived at Podgorica Airport on 23 May 2009 while the third Embaer 195 arrived at Podgorica Airport on 18 July 2010
Adria Airways
(Star Alliance
) Austrian Airlines
(Star Alliance
) Jat Airways
On 16 September 2008, Montenegro Airlines made a purchase for another E-195. This Embraer will be the first Embraer actually bought by Montenegro Airlines rather than just leased.
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
of the country of Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
, and flag carrier
Flag carrier
A flag carrier is a transportation company, such as an airline or shipping company, that, being locally registered in a given country, enjoys preferential rights or privileges, accorded by the government, for international operations. It may be a state-run, state-owned or private but...
of the Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
, headquartered in Podgorica
Podgorica
Podgorica , is the capital and largest city of Montenegro.Podgorica's favourable position at the confluence of the Ribnica and Morača rivers and the meeting point of the fertile Zeta Plain and Bjelopavlići Valley has encouraged settlement...
. It operates scheduled services in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, as well as charter flights throughout Europe during the summer months. Its primary hub is Podgorica Airport
Podgorica Airport
Podgorica Airport is an international airport located south of Podgorica, Montenegro. It is the main hub for Montenegro Airlines....
, and its second base is at Tivat Airport
Tivat Airport
Tivat Airport is an international airport located from the centre of Tivat, Montenegro in the center of the Boka Kotorska bay....
. All Montenegro Airlines flights are international, as Montenegro's two airports are 80 kilometres (49.7 mi) away from each other.
History
The airline was founded on 24 October 1994, by the government of Montenegro (then a part of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia), but the first aircraft, a Fokker 28 Mk4000Fokker F28
The Fokker F28 Fellowship is a short range jet airliner designed and built by defunct Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker.-Design and development:...
(nicknamed "Lovćen") was only purchased in the autumn of 1996 and the first flight was made on 7 May 1997, at exactly 22:30 between Podgorica and Bari
Bari
Bari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Another Fokker 28 Mk4000
Fokker F28
The Fokker F28 Fellowship is a short range jet airliner designed and built by defunct Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker.-Design and development:...
was purchased in July 1998.
A temporary ban on flights within the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
was lifted on 23 October 1999. New flights began to Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. At the end of that year, Montenegro Airlines established flights to Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
, Skopje
Skopje
Skopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre...
, Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
and Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
.
International Air Transport Association
The International Air Transport Association is an international industry trade group of airlines headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where the International Civil Aviation Organization is also headquartered. The executive offices are at the Geneva Airport in SwitzerlandIATA's mission is to...
(IATA). In June 2000 the first Fokker F100
Fokker F100
The Fokker 100 is a medium size twin-turbofan airliner from the Fokker company. Low operational costs and almost no competition in the 100-seat short-range class made it a best seller when it was introduced in the late 1980s, but decayed due to increasing competition. Production ended in 1997 with...
aircraft was delivered to Podgorica Airport
Podgorica Airport
Podgorica Airport is an international airport located south of Podgorica, Montenegro. It is the main hub for Montenegro Airlines....
. Montenegro Airlines purchased their second Fokker F100
Fokker F100
The Fokker 100 is a medium size twin-turbofan airliner from the Fokker company. Low operational costs and almost no competition in the 100-seat short-range class made it a best seller when it was introduced in the late 1980s, but decayed due to increasing competition. Production ended in 1997 with...
in May 2001, and their third in June 2002. Their fourth Fokker F100
Fokker F100
The Fokker 100 is a medium size twin-turbofan airliner from the Fokker company. Low operational costs and almost no competition in the 100-seat short-range class made it a best seller when it was introduced in the late 1980s, but decayed due to increasing competition. Production ended in 1997 with...
was purchased in the beginning of 2003. The airline joined Amadeus CRS
Amadeus CRS
Amadeus is a computer reservations system owned by the Amadeus IT Group with headquarters in Madrid, Spain. The central database is located at Erding, Germany. The development center is located at Sophia Antipolis, France...
on 5 March 2003. In 2004, Montenegro Airlines' pilots were the first in the region to be granted the IIIA certificate.
Montenegro Airlines carried its millionth passenger on 2 July 2004. The same year they carried a record 370,000 passengers. Montenegro Airlines carried its two-millionth passenger on 14 June 2006.
Montenegrin Independence (2006) - 2011
After the Montenegrin independence referendumMontenegrin independence referendum, 2006
The Montenegrin independence referendum was a referendum on the independence of the Republic of Montenegro from the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro that was held on 21 May 2006.The total turnout of the referendum was 86.5%...
, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
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
Niš
Niš is the largest city of southern Serbia and third-largest city in Serbia . According to the data from 2011, the city of Niš has a population of 177,972 inhabitants, while the city municipality has a population of 257,867. The city covers an area of about 597 km2, including the urban area,...
- Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
line, due to lack of Seventh Freedom
Freedoms of the air
The freedoms of the air are a set of commercial aviation rights granting a country's airline the privilege to enter and land in another country's airspace...
policy. In an effort to circumvent this, Montenegro Airlines registered separate airline in Serbia, Master Airways, yet it was denied of operating licence, due to the alleged Serbian Government
Government of Serbia
Officially the Government of the Republic of Serbia is the executive branch of government in Serbia.-Current government:The current government was elected on 7 July 2008 by the majority vote in the National Assembly of Serbia and restructured on 14 March 2011...
protectionist policies.
On 23 July 2007, Montenegro Airlines ordered 2 Embraer 195
Embraer E-Jets
The Embraer E-Jets are a series of narrow-body, twin-engine, medium-range, jet airliners produced by Embraer, a Brazilian aerospace conglomerate that produces commercial, military, and corporate aircraft. Announced at the Paris Air Show in 1999, and entering production in 2002, the aircraft series...
in order to grow its fleet and destination network. The aircraft will be leased from GECAS for the period of 8 years. The first of the two Embraer E-195s arrived at Podgorica Airport
Podgorica Airport
Podgorica Airport is an international airport located south of Podgorica, Montenegro. It is the main hub for Montenegro Airlines....
on 5 June 2008. The delivery of the first Embraer was followed by introduction of regular flights to London Gatwick Airport
London Gatwick Airport
Gatwick Airport is located 3.1 miles north of the centre of Crawley, West Sussex, and south of Central London. Previously known as London Gatwick,In 2010, the name changed from London Gatwick Airport to Gatwick Airport...
and Milan Malpensa International Airport.
On 16 September 2008, the airline announced that it will order one more Embraer 195, which will not be leased but bought for 31 million USD, and put an option on the fourth Embraer 195. This will potentially grow its fleet to four Embraers.
Montenegro Airlines is currently in process of privatisation. It will initially offer 30% of the stock, and the most probable partner is European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The Government of Montenegro
Government of Montenegro
The Government of Montenegro is the executive branch of state authority in Montenegro. It is headed by the prime minister. It comprises the prime minister, the deputy prime ministers as well as ministers....
may later choose to completely sell the remainder of the stock.
On 17 April 2009, El Al Israel Airlines and Montenegro Airlines issued a joint statement reiterating El Al's keen interest in buying 30% of the stock, but the plan failed. El Al's subsidiary, Sun d'Or International Airlines, has begun, as of 28 May 2009, a scheduled service between Tivat Airport and Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport
Ben Gurion International Airport
Ben Gurion International Airport , also referred to by its Hebrew acronym Natbag , is the largest and busiest international airport in Israel, handling 12,160,339 passengers in 2010...
.
The second Embraer 195 arrived at Podgorica Airport on 23 May 2009 while the third Embaer 195 arrived at Podgorica Airport on 18 July 2010
Codeshare agreements
Montenegro Airlines has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:Adria Airways
Adria Airways
Adria Airways d.d. is the Slovenian national airline. Today, the majority of Adria Airways business is in scheduled flights. Adria operates to 16 cities throughout Europe this winter and offers excellent connections to South East Europe. It is a Star Alliance member since 2004 and a Lufthansa...
(Star Alliance
Star Alliance
Star Alliance is the world's first and largest airline alliance, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany . The alliance was founded in 1997 by five of the world's leading airlines: Air Canada, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways International and United Airlines...
) Austrian Airlines
Austrian Airlines
Austrian Airlines is the flag carrier airline of Austria, headquartered in Office Park 2 on the grounds of Vienna International Airport in Schwechat, Wien-Umgebung and a subsidiary of Deutsche Lufthansa AG. Together with regional subsidiary Tyrolean Airways and charter arm Lauda Air, it operates...
(Star Alliance
Star Alliance
Star Alliance is the world's first and largest airline alliance, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany . The alliance was founded in 1997 by five of the world's leading airlines: Air Canada, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways International and United Airlines...
) Jat Airways
Jat Airways
Jat Airways is the national airline of Serbia and the former national airline of Yugoslavia, and has its head office in the Jat Airways Business Center in Belgrade. It was established in 1927 as Aeroput, making it currently one of the world's oldest airlines still in operation...
Fleet
The Montenegro Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of 4 July 2010):| Aircraft | In Fleet | Orders | Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Embraer E-195LR | 3 | 1 | 116 | Entry 2013-2014 |
| Fokker 100 | 5 | 0 | 102 | 2014-2015 replaced by Embraer |
| Total | 8 | 1 |
On 16 September 2008, Montenegro Airlines made a purchase for another E-195. This Embraer will be the first Embraer actually bought by Montenegro Airlines rather than just leased.
Incidents and accidents
- On 25 January 2005 at about 11 pm Fokker 100 nosegear collapsed after runway excursion. A Montenegro Airlines Fokker 100 (YU-AOM) jet ran off the side of the runway during a night landing in snowy conditions at PodgoricaPodgoricaPodgorica , is the capital and largest city of Montenegro.Podgorica's favourable position at the confluence of the Ribnica and Morača rivers and the meeting point of the fertile Zeta Plain and Bjelopavlići Valley has encouraged settlement...
. The nosegear collapsed and the airplane skidded for about 700 meters before coming to rest, 1180 meters after touchdown. Two passengers, the pilot and copilot were lightly injured. 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 AirportPodgorica AirportPodgorica Airport is an international airport located south of Podgorica, Montenegro. It is the main hub for Montenegro Airlines....
). - On 7 January 2008, at about 9:30 pm, a Montenegro Airlines Fokker 100 (4O-AOK) was shot at while landing at Podgorica AirportPodgorica AirportPodgorica Airport is an international airport located south of Podgorica, Montenegro. It is the main hub for Montenegro Airlines....
. 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 were injured. The reason for the incident is unknown; however, reports indicate that it may have been inadvertent and a result of guns being shot during celebrations for Orthodox ChristmasChristmasChristmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
.
External links
- Montenegro Airlines
- Montenegro Airlines (Montenegrin)