Whether the national airline Air Montenegro can introduce a third aircraft type, the "Embraer E195", into its fleet and whether it is safe for traffic will be known after it is checked by the Civil Aviation Agency (CAA).
The procurement of this aircraft has caused several reactions in the public today, including from the national airline, which announced that the third aircraft, the "Embraer E195", has passed all technical and operational checks and that the procurement was carried out in accordance with professional standards, while the Ministry of Transport stated that there was no consultation in this process, and that decisions that are not based on a full technical check cannot have the support of the relevant body, because passenger safety is an absolute priority.
"Vijesti" announced yesterday that the national airline Air Montenegro has submitted an official request to the Civil Aviation Agency for registration in the national aircraft register, an aircraft of the "Embraer E195" type, which the company will take on a long-term lease. This aircraft was previously registered in Denmark and had the registration number OY-GDB. This aircraft was supposed to enter the fleet of the Serbian national carrier Air Serbia last year, based on a long-term lease agreement without crew, maintenance and insurance (dry lease), but this did not happen.
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Earlier today, DNP President Milan Knežević also reacted, calling on Chief Special Prosecutor Vladimir Novović to question him on allegations published on certain portals that he is pressuring the management of AIR Montenegro and the Civil Aviation Agency to purchase and register an Embraer E195 aircraft "without valid documentation", and to investigate all previous activities related to the procurement of this aircraft. His reaction came after the Analitika portal published this information yesterday.
Meeting between the Ministry of Transport and the CAA
The Ministry of Transport, headed by Minister Maja Vukićević (DNP), announced that it understands the great public interest in the information that the company To Montenegro has made a decision to purchase an Embraer E195 aircraft, and wants to clearly state that the safety of passengers, crew and overall air traffic is an absolute priority.
"The decision to purchase the aircraft is made exclusively by the board of directors of the company To Montenegro, and the Ministry of Transport was not involved or previously consulted in the decision-making phase. In order to ensure full information and oversight of this issue, a meeting was organized at the Ministry with representatives of the Civil Aviation Agency (CAA), as the competent regulatory body. On that occasion, the Ministry requested to be informed in detail about all the circumstances of the specific case and expressed a clear expectation that the decision-making process will take into account exclusively the highest safety standards and internationally recognized practices," said the government department.
They emphasized that risky investments, which may raise doubts about technical and regulatory soundness, not only endanger passenger safety, but also call into question the reputation of the company itself.
"Such decisions, if not based on a full professional and technical review, do not have the support of the relevant Ministry. The Ministry of Transport remains committed to the principles of responsibility, transparency and professionalism and will take all available measures to preserve air traffic safety and the trust of citizens," said a spokesperson from the Ministry of Transport.
Air Montenegro said that they would like to emphasize that they will not participate in public controversies that do not aim to improve air traffic and develop the national airline, but rather serve to spread disinformation and politically manipulate, with the ultimate intention of causing panic and causing damage to the company and air traffic in Montenegro.
The company points out that Montenegro needs better air connectivity, and that Air Montenegro needs to increase its fleet in this regard, and they managed to achieve this using exclusively their own funds.
"Every unargued attack on this procedure, which does not seek to establish facts and reference evidence from authorized institutions, but rather attempts to damage the company's reputation through media captions, in the most important segment - passenger safety, is merely an attempt to personally profit by endangering the common good.
"As the national air carrier, we strongly distance ourselves from tendentious and inaccurate claims that, without any evidence, attempt to question not only our expertise and commitment to passenger safety, but also the findings of all relevant international institutions," Air Montenegro said.
Air Montenegro: Priority is respecting civil association standards
The national airline announced that all operations are carried out in full compliance with the requirements of international institutions such as EASA (European Union Aviation Safety Agency), IATA (International Air Transport Association) and ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization).
"Our absolute priority is to uphold professional civil aviation standards – not sensationalist statements from unprofessional sources. While we are actively working on expanding our fleet and introducing a third aircraft, we are in the final stages of negotiations with renowned partners from the global aviation industry, including aircraft manufacturers, certified maintenance organizations, as well as leading European airlines. This cooperation confirms that relevant stakeholders in the international sector recognize us as a safe and responsible partner.
Air Montenegro said that we will not allow ourselves to be drawn into political squabbles, nor to have our professionalism questioned."
Knežević, who summoned Chief Special Prosecutor Vladimir Novović to question him on allegations published on certain portals that he was pressuring the management of AIR Montenegro and the Civil Aviation Agency to purchase and register an Embraer E195 aircraft "without valid documentation".
Knežević: If I am a suspect, order detention, I will not invoke immunity
"At the same time, I expect the authors of this heinous lie to be heard, and to disclose their sources, because they are obliged to do so since it is a threat to national security. Only sick minds or a corrupt organized criminal group that wants to hide behind my name can impute the shameless fabrication that I have anything to do with the purchase of a "defective" aircraft. That is why I expect an immediate reaction from the SDT to investigate all these allegations, as well as the activities so far in the procurement of the aforementioned aircraft. It is time to expose the perfidious strategy of labeling DNP and me as the undisputed masters of air traffic and airports. The party I lead has only one out of five members on the airport board of directors, one out of five members on the Civil Aviation Agency, and none on the Air Montenegro board of directors, which makes the decision on the purchase of the aircraft. The majority in these bodies is held by another party from the ruling coalition. I was neither consulted, nor have I ever participated in "I would not agree to take over the authority of the airport and Air Montenegro, nor would I agree to take over responsibilities that do not belong to me. Neither the director of Zeta Airport nor the director of Tivat Airport are DNP personnel or officials, nor is the director of Air Montenegro. This in no way means that they are not competent and professional in performing their functions, but it certainly means that I did not appoint them to the same positions as is being created in the public eye," said Knežević.
He called on Novović to immediately order his detention if he is suspicious and to publicly announce that he will not invoke immunity.
"But I also call for, if there are others who are suspicious, that investigative actions be carried out against them as well, even if they are all members of my family. And the owners of the portal and the authors of this shameless lie directed against me will have the opportunity to prove it in court. And no one can claim that as a public figure I am obliged to suffer more than others, because these are not political texts, but heinous and monstrous accusations that I am pressuring the board of Air Montenegro to buy a faulty plane and thus endanger the lives of passengers. I will not cross that line for anyone, because there is a limit to tolerance, and in this case it was shamelessly crossed," said Knežević.
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