Six airlines plan to utilise wet-lease aircraft on services to and from the former Yugoslavia during the 2025/26 winter season. This excludes cases where carriers operate flights through their own regional subsidiaries. A wet-lease is a leasing arrangement whereby the lessor provides an aircraft, complete crew, maintenance and insurance (ACMI) to another airline. The reliance on ACMI providers has expanded in recent years, accelerated by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, including supply chain bottlenecks, crew shortages and persistent delays in new aircraft deliveries.
Austrian Airlines will introduce Air Dolomiti Embraer E195 aircraft on its Belgrade service this winter, replacing the Braathens ATR72 turboprops that had been scheduled on a limited basis. The ATR72s will operate just three flights in January, none in February, and two in March, though their use will be more frequent in November and December. Notably, some of the E195s are former Austrian Airlines aircraft, which the carrier has begun phasing out of its own fleet and transferred to Lufthansa Group subsidiary Air Dolomiti. Meanwhile, Austrian will maintain the use of the ATR72-600 on its Zagreb flights throughout the winter season.
Swiss will rely on several wet-lease partners for its regional operations this winter. airBaltic’s Airbus A220-300s will be regularly deployed on flights to Belgrade, while Edelweiss Air’s Airbus A320 is scheduled to operate to the Serbian capital on just two occasions during the season. In addition, Helvetic Airways will provide a mix of Embraer E195 and E195-E2 aircraft on services to Dubrovnik and Sarajevo, with the latter set to see the wet-lease partner used on a regular basis throughout the winter.
Among the flag carriers from the former Yugoslavia, Air Serbia will continue to rely on two wet-lease partners this winter. Bulgaria Air will maintain operations with its four E190s, while a new operator, set to replace GetJet Airlines, is expected to be announced shortly, with aircraft to be deployed across various routes. Meanwhile, Croatia Airlines is in the final stages of securing a long-term wet-lease agreement for regional aircraft, which will gradually replace part of its Dash 8 fleet. The new units are anticipated to enter service from next year.
