Salinger Igor/PODGORICA
Pelikan Blue Line, the Montenegro-based regional which started airline services earlier this year, plans to undertake a major fleet upgrade by the middle of next year.
The airline is flying scheduled and charter services from Podgorica and Tivat using two 19-seat Ayres Let 410 UVP-E turboprops, but aims to introduce the first of two 100-seat jets by mid-2001. The Lets are also occasionally used on charters for Montenegro Airlines or on cargo flights.
Privately owned Pelikan, based in Podgorica, was founded in 1997, initially operating an Aerospatiale Gazelle helicopter, a Cessna 172, a Piper Warrior and the government's Cessna 421 Golden Eagle. After carrying out various non-airline operations such as pilot training and air taxi flights, Pelikan acquired two Let 410s earlier this year enabling it to start weekly flights from Podgorica and Tivat to Bari, Italy, and Banjaluka, Bosnia-Herzegovina. Another flight to Bari and a Podgorica-Skopje service have recently been added.
Dragan Ivancevic, owner and chief executive of Pelikan, says that purchase of two 100-seaters will enable his company to expand its scheduled network throughout Europe and will also provide more capacity for charters. Ivancevic says that he does not aim to undergo major expansion: "Two Let 410s and two 100-seaters will be enough, along with some 60 employees."
Source: Flight International
