Serbia has been in talks with Turkish Airlines (TK, Istanbul Airport) and its maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) unit Turkish Technic for several weeks about the possibility of opening a joint MRO operation in Belgrade Nikola Tesla, the Serbian aviation news site Tango Six reported.
The launch of such a venture would be in the context of the Turkish carrier’s expanding ties with Air Serbia (JU, Belgrade Nikola Tesla) as the local flag carrier would likely also have its aircraft maintained by the company. Relations between Air Serbia and its main MRO provider JAT Tehnika, which Polish-based Avia Prime Group owns, have reportedly been strained in recent months over bottlenecks, prompting the airline to send some of its aircraft to Istanbul for maintenance.
Aviation Week first reported last week that Turkish Airlines was “working with investors, for example in Belgrade” to outsource some of its MRO outside Türkiye, in the words of the airline’s chairman Ahmet Bolat, who added: “We will make a decision accordingly. We are always open to opportunities. We evaluate future prospects and so on, that’s the important thing.”
Labour costs are falling in parts of southeastern Europe, he claimed, making it a favourable region to invest in. However, Kazakhstan and Indonesia are also options for Turkish Technic to expand to, Bolat said.
Such a business would “have to be backed up by other carriers that have the same engines.” To keep costs low, it would repair parts, engines, and components, the chairman said, “then it is possible to make value, then you can make profit from an aircraft hangar.”
Air Serbia and Turkish Airlines maintain a codeshare agreement, and last summer they signed a Memorandum of Understanding to expand their cooperation in terms of codeshare operations, cargo, and frequent flyer programme integration, potentially through a new joint venture.
