11.09.2009.

Press conference on occasion of Batajnica air show

A press conference was held at Batajnica airfield today on occasion of the upcoming air show to be held on Sunday, 13 September. The minister of defense Dragan Sutanovac, State Secretary Zoran Jeftic, Air Force Commander Brigadier General Ranko Zivak, commander of 204th aviation base Brig. Gen. Mirko Vranic and the director of the air show Colonel Sreto Malinovic.

Minister Sutanovac, just before the start of the conference, had just finished his flight on Galeb G-4 plane flown by Major Zoran Erkic. After he had exited the air craft, he said that this flight had just been assured of the safety of the air craft and that he was sure that the upcoming air show would go down smoothly just as his flight.

Sutanovac said that he was giving full support to SAF airmen, who as he underlined, were performing one of the hardest tasks in the military. The Minister of Defense also took this opportunity to once again announce this great event and to invite the citizens to turn out in as great a number as possible.

State Secretary Zoran Jeftic said that the majority of costs, as much as 80%, were invested into infrastructure, predominantly in the flight control tower and asphalt areas, as well as the maintenance of these areas. He thanked the donors for investing such large sums of money in organizing the manifestation.

Brigadier General Ranko Zivak reiterated that SAF Air Force units were ready to carry out all tasks and that the infrastructure was now in an optimal state. A coordination meeting will be held tomorrow with all the participants, and he also hoped that the flight program will be of great quality. During the preparations for the air show, he said that the top safety standards were observed as for the air crafts and the visitors’ safety.

The director of the air show Colonel Sreto Malinovic said that 15 air forces had confirmed their participation so far, but that a far greater number of foreign delegations would attend the air show as guests. Malinovic stated that 40 attractive and state of the art air crafts would be gathered in one place on Sunday, and he said that thanks to the organization of the air show, Batajnica airfield was largely modernized, while he also took this opportunity to continue with the renewal of the airfield.