The Civil Aviation Agency gave the green light to the new Embraer, which took off for Rome

The Embraer E195 aircraft, which was recently leased by the national airline Air Montenegro on a three-year dry lease, is fully technically sound, airworthy and registered in the Civil Aircraft Register of Montenegro.

This was decided late yesterday afternoon after an extensive and very detailed inspection of the aircraft and all its accompanying documentation, the Civil Aviation Agency of Montenegro (CAA) said, unofficially, "Vijesti" learned from several sources involved in this process.

Inspectors and experts from the CAA, which is an independent regulatory and supervisory body, or rather a kind of supreme civil aviation authority in the country, have spent almost two full weeks thoroughly inspecting this E 195 at the airport in Podgorica, "down to the last screw", and combed through all its extensive accompanying technical documentation, which testifies to its maintenance and servicing from the moment the aircraft rolled off the production lines of the Embraer factory in Brazil in the early summer of 2008 until today.

Air Montenegro's new Embraer E195 takes off on its first commercial flight on the Podgorica-Rome route (video: Air Montenegro)

This aircraft, which was previously in the Danish civil aircraft register and flew under the registration OY-GDB, has been entered into the Montenegrin register and has been given the new designation 4O-AOE.

The CAA acted with additional caution and attention in checking this aircraft and all the details related to it, since a series of information has been circulated among the Montenegrin public in recent months about the alleged invalidity of part of the accompanying technical documentation of this aircraft, which speaks about its maintenance, i.e. all its previous regular and possible extraordinary service interventions.

However, after extremely detailed inspections and checks of all aspects of this aircraft, the CAA "gave it the green light" for registration and issuance of an airworthiness certificate (a kind of confirmation that the aircraft has passed a technical inspection).

This inspection procedure was, as we unofficially learn, meticulous and very thorough, precisely because of the suspicions that have been expressed in the past period among a part of the Montenegrin public regarding the alleged shortcomings in the documentation, or rather the general condition of this aircraft. The CAA was extremely thorough and relentless in this, which is why the inspection lasted almost two weeks, and Air Montenegro, as the future operator of this aircraft, acted fully in accordance with all the findings and additional orders of the Agency.

"The CAA has given the green light to the leased E195 aircraft of the national air carrier Air Montenegro, for registration in the register and issuance of a certificate of airworthiness. The decision was made after the Agency's regulatory requirements were met, which met the conditions for the aircraft to be registered in the Montenegrin register, and soon to be included in air traffic because it meets the necessary conditions," said "Vijesti" interlocutors from the aviation sector, emphasizing that "the entire process was carried out in accordance with the regulations and practice applicable in European civil aviation", i.e. according to the standards prescribed by EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency).

"Such procedures are carried out in accordance with strictly defined rules, professionally and in accordance with the transposed European regulations and international standards," concluded the sources of "Vijesti", adding that after this procedure and the registration of the aircraft in the Montenegrin registry, there is no reason for any doubt regarding the good technical condition or validity of the aircraft's previous maintenance.

The new Air Montenegro E195 aircraft is in the national airline's fleet under a so-called dry lease arrangement, which means that it will be flown by Air Montenegro's flight crew, and serviced and maintained by the cabin crew, or technical staff, of the Montenegrin national airline.

For the use of the aircraft, Air Montenegro will pay its owner a rental fee, the amount of which varies depending on the level of utilization of the aircraft (the number of so-called cycles, or flight hours).

According to unofficial information, this aircraft, which has already been nicknamed Echo (due to the English transliteration of the last letter in its new registration mark "E" - Echo in international radio communication), could already be included in Air Montenegro's regular traffic today, most likely on the route to Rome.

CAA: The Agency's team made decisions professionally, independently and in accordance with regulations

"The Civil Aviation Agency (CAA) has issued a certificate of airworthiness for the aircraft and a registration certificate to the company To Montenegro, which means that it has become part of the civil aircraft register of Montenegro.

"Concurrently with this process, an amended air operator certificate was issued, and the company can use this aircraft for commercial flights, given that it meets the necessary conditions," the CAA said in a press release.

It is added that the Agency's team made decisions professionally, independently and in accordance with regulations, guided by the basic principle that safety is the absolute priority.

"The CAA's decision was made after a thorough physical inspection of the aircraft, a review of complete documentation and evidence, as well as the airline's actions in eliminating the identified non-compliances, following the inspection.

Aircraft inspections are a standard procedure, and the usual procedure is to resolve any identified non-conformities or irregularities during the entire process, which is a requirement for issuing a certificate of airworthiness.

"The aircraft is now capable of safely operating flights, in accordance with national regulations, European regulations and international standards," the statement said.

The CAA said that this demanding procedure was professionally and dedicatedly handled by the entire Aviation Safety and Aircraft Operations Sector, safety management and compliance monitoring system managers, and CAA lawyers.

"The Montenegrin aviation authority remains committed to maintaining the highest level of safety and security in all aspects of the country's civil aviation," the Agency concluded.