Milestone In First Boeing 767 Conversion In Europe Marked At Ceremony In Jat Tehnika

Avia Prime Group, one of the leading organizations for aircraft maintenance in Europe, consisting of three eminent companies including JAT Tehnika, organized a ceremony to mark the spectacular milestone in the Boeing 767-300 conversion, which is done for the first time in Europe.

The ceremony was held at the JAT Tehnika’s hangar number two, one of the largest facilities of its kind in Southeastern Europe, where the conversion of this wide-body aircraft is performed, in cooperation with the Israeli Aerospace Industries.

During the ceremony, representatives of Avia Prime, Israeli Aviation Industry, Challenge Air, as well as the ambassadors of Israel, Poland and the Czech Republic in Serbia, symbolically "cut-out" the fuselage of the plane, after which the aircraft fuselage skin section was removed with a steel crane revealing the opening for the new cargo door.

The ceremony was attended by high government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, company partners from the region and the world, as well as members of the Serbian academia.

In appropriate speech, the chief executive officer of Avia Prime Group, Piotr Kaczor, addressed the guests, who stated that with this significant step and progress, Avia Prime group successfully entered the wide-body aircraft conversion market, which marked the beginning of a new era for the group.

The Israeli ambassador to Serbia, Jahel Wilan, said that he is very proud of the first conversion on European soil and of the arrival of the Israeli aerospace industry in Serbia, which is the leading company in the world.

The Polish ambassador to Serbia, Rafal Perl, said that Belgrade became the first facility in this part of the world to provide this type of service. He also said that he is pleased that today we celebrate not only the opening of a new chapter in the company's history and the expansion of the plant in Serbia, but also new investments and new jobs.

Shmuel Kuzi, executive vice president and general manager of the aviation division of Israel Aerospace Industry, said that this place is unique and that he appreciates it because he saw a job well done, but that an even bigger challenge is coming because his next goal is an even bigger wide-body aircraft.”

This center has a huge capacity, since it is located at the center of air routes from Europe to the Middle East, to provide adequate service in the cargo sector at comparative prices to interested airlines, and thus contribute to the development of this segment of the aviation industry in Serbia and the region.

This is only the first in a series of steps in the development of this segment, as other types of wide-body aircraft are expected to be adapted to the cargo sector.

JAT Tehnika, our largest aircraft maintenance organization dates back to the 1920s. The company currently employs over 600 people. It has a hangar space of over 30,000 m2 with 9 production lines.