Air Serbia has terminated its wet-lease agreement with Marathon Airlines following an incident on February 18 involving an E195 aircraft operated by the Greek carrier that struck ground infrastructure on take-off, forcing a return to Belgrade.
Flights previously operated by Marathon Airlines for Air Serbia will now be managed by other aircraft in the fleet to ensure continuity, effective from February 21, 2024.
Air Serbia expressed readiness to cooperate with safety investigations despite not operating the flight, apologising to passengers for the situation and emphasizing their commitment to maintaining operations.
The two airlines had collaborated since June 2023 under an ACMI contract to add regional jets to Air Serbia’s fleet, with Marathon Airlines handling one E175, one E190, and three E195 aircraft for the Serbian carrier, all of which were returned to Athens following the termination of the agreement.
The ex-Stobart turboprop reportedly took off without authorisation on the wrong runway before striking the equipment and returning to the airport.
