Macedonian Airlines expands with Boeing 737-500

Seen taxing at Skopje Alexander the Great International Airport, in the Republic of Macedonia, in the early morning of 30 July and just minutes before taking off on its way to Zurich is MAT - Macedonian Airlines Boeing 737-529 (registered Z3-AAH), the latest aircraft to join the fleet of the Macedonian national flag carrier. This 1991-produced, 126-seats aircraft has performed its first commercial flight in MAT - Macedonian Airlines livery on 27 July. It has previously served with the South African airline Nationwide Air Charter that ceased all operations on 29 April 2008. According MAT - Macedonian Airlines, another Boeing 737-500 will join the fleet in August 2008 in a move that would finally lead to a significant increase of the capacity of Macedonia's flag carrier and overcoming of its long-lasting problems connecting with the shortage of aircraft for servicing the increased number of scheduled and unscheduled destinations. Until recently, MAT - Macedonian Airlines fleet was made of only one aircraft - an 86-seat Bombardier CRJ-900 (registered Z3-AAG, c/n 15001) - that was constantly supplemented by a number of different aircraft taken on wet-lease.