Long-time director of "Montenegro Airlines" Zoran Đurišić he became an advisor - an expert-consultant for air traffic to the Prime Minister Dritan Abazović.
According to "Vijesti" information, Đurišić will be in charge of proposing to the Prime Minister and the Government solutions for improving the work of the new airline "ToMontenegro", resolving the relationship with "Montenegro Airlines" in bankruptcy, Airports, civil aviation authorities,... and he will only be responsible for his work Abazović, that is, practically, he will be the first aviator of Montenegro.
Urgent issues are the relations between the new and the former bankrupt airline, which are arguing over the rights to the logo, hangar, membership in IATA,... which causes damage to both companies, as well as the appointment of a new board of directors of "ToMontenegro" because the current one's mandate was to end half a year ago due to the resignation of two members. According to "Vijesti" information, Abazović asked for an urgent response to reconcile the situation in "ToMontenegro" and stabilize the business, and the proposal is to elect a new board of directors from local aviation experts who have the knowledge and experience to contribute to the development of the new airline company.
Đurišić received his doctorate at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering 25 years ago, on the topic of artificial intelligence. School year 1989/1990. he spent the year in postgraduate studies at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Finland, in one of the most famous laboratories for artificial intelligence in Europe. He published 25 scientific research papers in the country and abroad.
He is the founder of the first Montenegrin national airline, "Montenegro Airlines", which he managed for almost 20 years until he was replaced in June 2013 by the then Government Milo Đukanović. MA operated successfully from its first flight in 1997 until the economic crisis caused by the recession of 2008, in which a large number of airlines went bankrupt and ceased to operate, all operating with huge losses. During his administration, the company did not receive state aid, it was repeatedly declared the best company in the region and the most stable of its or similar size in Southeast Europe.
When the state was founded, it bought two Fokker F100 airplanes, and MA later bought three more such airplanes from its own funds, and from 2008 to 2010, three more Embraer 195s were purchased with its own money and on leasing, and for the fourth a financial leasing purchase agreement was concluded.
After Đurišić, MA takes over the administration Daliborka Pejović and according to official business reports, since then the complete collapse of the national airline begins. From 2013 to 2020, the company received state aid of 93 million euros, so that, according to the latest financial report, at the end of 2019 it had accumulated losses of 97 million euros, short-term and long-term liabilities of 104 million euros, and the company's capital was negative and was worth minus 59 million euros.
In 2013, MA had eight of its planes, and in 2020 it will have "one and a half planes". The administration of Daliborka Pejović filed several criminal charges against Đurišić, all of which were dismissed after ten years of investigations.
In September 2020, the Competition Protection Agency banned further state aid to the company, and stated that the previous one was illegal. At the end of December, the then Government of Zdravko Krivokapić stated that it could no longer provide state aid to the airline company, and the day after that, the management of "Montenegro Airlines" suspended flights. Bankruptcy was introduced in April last year and is still ongoing, and creditors and workers have not been paid a single euro of debt. The bankruptcy judge in this case is also in custody Blazo Jovanić and bankruptcy trustee Saša Zejak due to accusations that they are members of a criminal group, which abused their official position in several acquired proceedings.
The bankruptcy administration of MA sued "ToMontenegro" for using a new logo that is similar to theirs and preventing membership in IATA, which makes it difficult for the new company to do business.
"ToMontenegro" was founded in February last year, while it had its first commercial flights four months later, on June 10. It was founded by the Government with capital and a state contribution of 30 million euros. The company made a loss of 4,9 million euros last year. He owns two planes, while the third is leased.
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