Air Serbia has taken delivery of its first wide-body aircraft, an Airbus A330-200. The jet, which will carry the registration YU-ARA, touched down at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport this afternoon. The aircraft was greeted by a traditional water cannon salute and a delegation of airline representatives. On-board the flight was a group of VIP stakeholders led by Siniša Mali, Air Serbia's Chairman, and Dane Kondić, the airline's CEO. The aircraft was piloted by Davor Mišeljić, Air Serbia's Chief Operations Officer. YU-ARA will become the first wide-body passenger plane to be added to Serbia's aircraft registry since the retirement of Jat Airways' DC-10 aircraft (registered YU-AMB) in 2005. The registration process will be carried out by the Serbian Civil Aviation Directorate tomorrow.
The A330 is on lease from India's Jet Airways for a five-year term. It is expected to stay in Belgrade for several days before flying back to Abu Dhabi for final preparations prior to its entry into service. This will include work on the cabin, installation of the in-flight entertainment and connectivity system, as well as certification procedures from both European and American regulators. The jet will then be ferried to the Serbian capital on June 8, after which it is planned to operate a number crew familiarisation flights. The aircraft is also expected to visit Niš Constantine the Great Airport for promotional purposes. The A330-200 will commence regular operations on June 23 when Air Serbia launches its five weekly service to New York's JFK Airport.
Speaking at a press conference following the aircraft's arrival, Mr Kondić said, "The arrival of our Airbus A330 this afternoon was a historic occasion for Air Serbia and a sign of the bright future that lies ahead of us. The A330 is a modern and fuel-efficient aircraft that opens up many growth opportunities for the airline and will allow us to launch our long-haul service to New York, greatly simplifying travel and offering the fastest connection between the Balkans and the United States" He added,. “In the coming weeks the aircraft will be completely refurbished with new business and economy cabins which, coupled with our fantastic service offering, will provide guests with an unparalleled travel experience over the Atlantic“. Mr Mali noted, “This is a massive milestone for Air Serbia and for our nation. Watching our newly-painted Airbus A330 land at its new home in Belgrade for the very first time was a proud moment for all of us, showing that Air Serbia is continuing to invest in the future of the airline and Serbia itself. Our first wide-body aircraft and the bigger cousin of our A319 and A320 jets, the A330 is a sound investment choice that will reconnect Serbia and the United States in a few short weeks, opening new channels of tourism and trade for the economy”. He added that some 11.000 seats have been sold on the Belgrade - New York service so far.
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| Air Serbia crew on delivery flight |
The eight-year-old A330-200 will feature eighteen seats in business class and the remaining 236 in economy. Commenting on the on board product, Mr Kondić previously said, "We will probably have the best product flying transatlantic from Europe. People have been pleasantly surprised with our existing offering, which by and large is the very best business class offering in Europe, and that is exactly what people can expect with our long haul product". Air Serbia's long-haul business class will feature leathered fully flat bed seats (68.5 inch in length) in a 1-1-1 configuration. Furthermore, the airline will offer its premium passengers an on-demand dining and turndown service, as well as a personal in-flight entertainment system and a 2 X 32 kg baggage policy. Economy class passengers will have a choice of three meals, personal in-flight entertainment system and a 2 X 23 kg baggage policy.
• Some 11.000 tickets have been sold on the Belgrade - New York service, Mr Mali says. Aircraft to be added to the Serbian registry tomorrow.
• Chairman Mali notes that the airline aims to attract point to point, leisure and transfer passengers. He notes that the aircraft will be named. Mr Mali adds that the jet will give a significant boost to cargo capacity.
• CEO Kondić informs the press about the aircraft's upcoming cabin re-fit and other information available in the article above.
• Touchdown. The A330 landed in Belgrade with a water cannon salute. Air Serbia's CEO and the carrier's Chairman will speak to the press upon disembarking the aircraft.
• The aircraft is expected to land in Belgrade at 17.05 CEST.
Great. Can't wait! :)
ReplyDeleteNice. Good luck Air Serbia.
ReplyDeletePrva lasta sirokog trupa u jatu Er Srbije! Sve cestitke. Sledece ce stici u vremenu pred nama. Srecan dolazak u Beograd. Vreme razvoja dolazi posle pune privatizacije. Srecno Er Srbijo. ✈+Pozdrav iz Sydney✈+ Rod+
DeleteKonačno da ga vidimo uživo obojenog u boje AS:)..Mislim da će nas biti stvarno dosta na dočeku i da smo baš uzbuđeni.Sve pohvale celom timu koji je radio na ovom projektu.
ReplyDeleteI can't help myself - the interior looks really cheap - they surely could have done better and invest bit more! The competition is way ahead on the interior part.
ReplyDeleteYou haven't even seen it other than a computerized single image.
DeleteThose are just render photos and either way the interior appearance is probably 28th or 29th factor an average Joe will consider when choosing the carrier to fly with.
DeleteAnd you have better ideas? Lol
DeleteAviation expert
<they previously announced that the plane will go back to AUH for interior refurbishment, so this is not its final look.
DeleteLord almighty... Having a jelly doughnut and a coffee, having some pleasant memories on how civilized was yesterday's discussion on DBV and Ryanair. Alas...
ReplyDeleteYou nailed it, that difference is root of all customer satisfaction issues on this portal!
DeleteI'm flying today and I really hope to catch a glimpse of it when it lands! Can't wait! :)
ReplyDeleteIt would be smart if Air Serbia would sell promo tickets on "training" flights like
ReplyDelete"FLY WITH OUR NEW A330 TO ONE DAY SHORT BREAK IN BELGRADE"
They should sent it from Belgrade on regular routes to promote plane and JFK route, one flight to each of those destinations:
Ljubljana - 1125 BEG 1820 - LJU
Zagreb - 1115 BEG 1825 -ZAG
Skopje - 1610 BEG 0025 - SKP
Tirana - 1615 BEG 0025 - TIA
Tivat - 0915 BEG one of several flights to come back to TIV
Podgorica 0935 BEG one of two flights to come back to TGD
Bucharest - 1610 BEG 0030 - OTP
Sofia - 1610 BEG 0030 - SOF
That means passengers will fly from Lubljana with A330 and come to Belgrade at 1125, than will use later same day regular flight to go back home (18:20), of course on that day it should be 733 or A320 for second flight to fly all passengers.
Passengers on those flights would be:
- regular passengers (more of them than other days)
- enthusiasts want to fly on A330 and have short break in BEG
- enthusiast from BEG that will fly back in same plane
- journalists
It is very cheap promotion but in same time you can earn some money on:
- more regular passengers on A330 instead of smaller plane that day
- enthusiasts as extra paying passengers on flight
- organize transfer to Belgrade or even sightseeing + lunch/dinner to be payed by enthusiasts (they can even organize tour to Jat tehnika, Air Serbia headquarters, catering, Belgrade airport forbidden area like luggage sorting, operation, control tower...)
They can not do that in Banja Luka and Sarajevo, but they should do promo flights also to those two cities.
The idea is great but I am not optimistic that ASL would go for it...
DeleteThey should come to ZRH with A330. A320 is every day full from BEG to ZRH and back! There are a lot of people of Yugoslav descent who want to fly with them to BEG and then further to SJJ, ZAG, SKP!
DeleteThat is splendid idea. I hope someone will read this and ad least will do those promo flights on this way to Skopje, Podgorica, Zagreb and Ljubljana. I am not sure about Tivat (they can fly from Podgorica, not enough interest for those two cities combined), and that it would be enough feedback in Sofia, Tirana and Bucharest. But for Skopje, Ljubljana, Podgorica and Zagreb they MUST do it.
DeleteBravo Purger. Good proposal as always.
Cekaj da trosis gorivo za grad odakle se ljudi kunu da nece leteti? Besmislica.
DeletePa ljudi lete iz Zagreba, zar ne? Oni koji ne žele letjeti neće. Takvih ima i u drugih gradovima koji iz razno-raznih razlog ne žele letjeti sa JU. No, jasno je da ljudi lete iz Zagreba za Beograd, 14 je tjednih letova, malo li je? Konačno oni trening letove trebaju obaviti i ovako i onako. A330 u Ateni, Parizu i Zurichu ne znači ništa, jer tamo su oni svakodnevna pojava, dakle na njih se neće osvrnuti niti mediji, niti putnici. Ali u ovim gradovima i te kako hoće. Konačno dolazak A330 nije samo promocija linije za JFK nego i promocija Air Serbije i ostalih letova.
DeleteJa bih Podgoricu stavio prvu (strateško tržište, time im daješ određenu poruku da su važni za Air Serbiju), a Tivat posljednji (dva tjedna kasnije). Jer Tivat bi i ovako i onako bio pun obzirom na količinu putnika koji lete na toj liniji u 6. mjesecu, pa ni nemoraš imati entuzijaste. A330 napuniš za Tivat bez imalo problema, a usput napraviš i promociju (pokoji lokalni novinar dođe poslikat, lokalni političari, turistički djelatnici, možda i koji entuzijasta).
Purger, good idea!
DeleteI'm sure many from ASL read the blog and hopefully will take freeby advice.
Purgeru gradovi u kojima je A330 atrakcija su gradovi za Wizz i sl kompanije. Njih sakuplajmao sa ATRovima i mozda u buducnosti sa RJ.
DeleteLHR, SVO,AUH i ZRH su koliko sam cuo destinacije gde ce biti Training letovi ako se nesto nije promenilo .
DeleteAli svakako odlican marketinski predlog G Purger.
INN-NS
Purger,
Deletegreat idea!
would be fantastic marketing for the airline. As you say the first promo flight should be TGD, I think ZAG would be better, just my opinion. Having it on regional flights is great for marketing but longer flights are needed for better ac familiarisation ie ZRH, CDG, SVO.
But definately JU should work on day breaks in Belgrade especially since some connections can be long ie SJJ via BEG to AUH etc. Would be great for city tourism as well as to offer an interesting product to its 'guests', and a great advertising for Serbia. TK does it and I think its a fantastic idea.
This is such a great idea! A330 Balkans tour would no doubt catch the eye of passengers in the region. An A330 at airports such as LHR, ZRH, CDG is a regular thing, but a rare, maybe even exotic Air Serbia A330 definitely wouldn't go unnoticed by the enthusiasts at many airports.
DeleteAnonymous 2:07.
DeleteOf course ATR fly to those airports, but that does not mean A330 cannot once come to those airports for promo/training flight.
Purger excellent idea!
Hi Purger,
DeleteYour idea could be prevented by aviation regulation if they are in fact how you put it "training" flights, paying passengers would not be aloud.
This is definitely the case in Australia, Europe could be different but I doubt it.
@2:46 Jedini aerodrom sa sirokotrupcima u okolini je Atina i IS i leti SKG i DBV za ostale ne treba trositi resurse ko leti letece preko bare.
DeleteQ400 not true. Most of the companies use their new birds for "training" flights on regular routes. Even A380 was flying in some regular inside Europe routes for that reason.
DeleteNije istina da će svi letjeti preko bare sa JU. Primjerice putnik iz ZAG ima opciju nekoliko dnevnih letova do FRA, MUC, VIE, ZRH, CDG, LHR, CPH, AMS, LOT, BRU, te letjeti iz tih gradova za JFK. Od kompanija koje uz Air Serbiju može koristiti za letove do JFK to su British, Lufthansa, Air France, KLM, Swiss, Sabena, LOT, Norwegian, SAS, Turkish, Aeroflot, ČSA/Delta, Iberia, TAP. Svi oni lete za Zagreb (SAS i TAP u code-share sa OU).
Znači JU i te kako treba promociju za taj let. A330 umjesto ATR-a na jednom od letova je najjeftinija moguća opcija.
AnonymousMay 11, 2016 at 3:01 PM
DeleteBUD and OTP also receive widebodies. ;)
@ Purger,
Deletegreat idea! Unfortunately no one will listen to it as we're on the Balkans... :(
A promo flight with paying passengers is one thing but to use training flights which are required by the regulators to be undertaken by Air Serbia as a product offered to the public would definitely not be legal.
Deleteagain you are very wrong Q400. Qatar does that all the time
DeleteAnd Lufthansa, and Air France, and British (they had A380 on London-Paris route)...
DeleteSwiss still flies their new 777 to FRA etc. on schedule flights to have more landings because flight time is low.
DeleteAustrian does the same with 767 and 777.
@ Q400
DeleteThey are not exactly training flights in the sense theyre being trained to fly the type on the ac. Its more of familiarization with the aircraft, that is, using shorter flights to be more familiar with the type before sending it on a longer flight, in this case JFK.
QF also did such flights when they received the A380, flying it domestically and to New Zealand first before its first scheduled flight (I think it was MEL-LAX). JU isn't the first or last to do what it will do.
we will see what happens with BEG or JFK in fog..
DeleteSo maybe we are talking about two different things here, the way I understood Purgers first post is that Air Serbia could sell tickets as a promotion while the crew undertake training or conduct flights to satisfy the regulators that Air Serbia can undertake RPT ops with this aircraft. Not Aloud as per the regulations I read.
DeleteIf the suggestion is the Air Serbia will undertake familiarisation flights and use this as away to promote the aircraft with paying passengers on board ok, I understand this could be possible but there is no way they would be training flights.
The first flight Air Serbia will conduct in the coming weeks to NY will be an approval flight that is required by the airline to do and would most likely have the senior pilots on board along with regulatory representatives from both the JAA and FAA who will ensure Air Serbia can safely fly this plane during RPT operations. Here for example you cannot sell tickets for because technically up until this point no approval is given. This is standard practice for all airlines introducing a new route with a different category of aircraft.
wow looks great in that livery. Congratulations Air Serbia. Three years ago they promised transatlnatic flights to NYC by the end of the first half of 2016 and they delievered.
ReplyDeleteAir Serbia A330 https://www.flightradar24.com/ETD801/9ad5c35
ReplyDeleteidemooooo JU :-)
DeleteMislim da je kasno za uvođenje zimskih letova BEG-DBV pogotovo od jučer kad je Turkish započeo cjelogodišnju liniju.
ReplyDeleteTrebali su brže reagirati.
its not late, but i think its long awaited for DBV and/or SPU go all year. Im sure a daily ATR would do well in the winter months, both O&D and transit.
Deleteово није давор!
ReplyDeleteTo je cabin crew, a on je pilot.
DeleteExciting! On the way I'm tracking it now!
ReplyDeletehttps://www.flightradar24.com/ETD801/9ad5c35
ReplyDeleteFinally! " NCC-1701 (USS ENTERPRISE) " is arriving in Belgrade!
ReplyDeleteUZASNE UNIFORME I FRIZURE! MENJAJTE HITNO!
ReplyDeleteThe mens uniform looks good but for the females it looks incomplete.
DeleteFemale crew is missing imo vests. Would protect the shirts from staining and would look better. Maybe the scarf should only stay when on ground, boarding and disembarcation / top of drop to disembarcation.
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ReplyDeleteMa da, sada A350, zatim i A380, i još b788 i b789
Delete... "i vecini pilota", fenomenalno.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
Deletesine, kaze se hvala, bez izdvajanja bilo koga, pogotovo 90% naspram 10%
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteBilo bi to stvarno super da se tako napravi:
DeletePicousti Vučić
^^^
DeleteKim Jong Vucic :)
Steta sto je dat izbor Novinarima da daju ime i ljudima koji nemaju vezu sa Avijacijom.
DeleteINN-NS
Jer ovi koji imaju veze sa avijacijom bi sigurno glasali za Vučića
Deletehahahaha
Smesni ste ne bitno ali ne trebaju novinari tabloida da glasaju .
DeleteINN-NS
"Isto tako treba dati Premijerovo ime ovom A330."
DeleteDo sad si mi bio simpatičan, ali posle ovog komentara sam izgubio svako poštovanje prema tebi.
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DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteA sto ne bi kombinacija dvoje najzaslužnijih:
DeleteMali Vučić
How are sales going for Kiev and Hamburg, anybody knows?
ReplyDeleteLED and HAM are going really well, KBP not so much. Not bad but not good either.
DeleteWhere are tickets mostly for?
Delete(for each destination)
DeleteLED and HAM are 90% O&D, don't remember for KBP.
DeleteConcerning LED, are they planing on increasing capacity and even go daily? Since currently 90% is O&D, with daily flights they might catch some transfer pax.
DeleteThere was talk on this site before how JU might cancel WAW after summer season and introduce LED daily instead. It would make sense since JU was planning to discontinue WAW last winter, but changed their mind due to Lot suspending BEG temporarily.
DeleteIt looks like the A319 is too big for WAW. Dropping WAW in the winter and sending the capacity to HAM and LED would make better sense to me.
DeleteThis is a destination that a regional jet would do better than the ATR, which is why LOT is doing better.
@ Anonymous May 11, 2016 at 6:13 PM
Delete90% O&D don't mean 90% load factor. It does mean that 90% of the passengers aren't transferring. This have nothing to do with the load factor which might be for example even 50%.
Yeah, but everything goes to show that this route should be more than profitable. Even the airport said that this was the busiest unserved route as around 20k pax visited BEG from St. Petersburg. This is only russians (not including serbians). Plus with direct flights, greater tourism interest should be expected.
Deleteany new destinations flights from PRN or BEG ?
ReplyDeleteu 16:45 slece
ReplyDeletenema sanse, kilavi iznad Bugarske :)
Deleteevo ga..udje u Srbiju
DeleteUvazeni Anon 4:22 PM.
DeleteZbog Vaseg bolesnog pesimizma, idite na pregled kod stocnog lekara. Ocigledno su Vam ''kilave'' oci. Brz oporavak od bolesti koja se zove mrznja. Zelim Vam ozdravljenje od mrznje. Oporavak I svako dobro. +✈Rodney Sydney✈+.
Roki, malo lakše sa uvredama. Niko vas nije vređao. Budite pristojni.
Delete@Ex-Yu - We're very happy you reverted to the old design, it's so much faster and clearer than the new one! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThey can't even make the delivery flight under Air Serbia callsign :)
ReplyDeletethis is not a delivery flight. it is to register the plane as yu-ara. delivery flight under air serbia callsign will be in early june.
DeleteEtihad call sign, Air Serbia flight number.
DeleteLanded!!!!! Juhuuuuuuuuu!!!!! :-) Welcome home you beautiful bird!
ReplyDeleteLanded! Whooooo lets do this ASL!!!!!!
ReplyDeletehttp://imgur.com/6UwiREY
ReplyDeleteOn final approach
Air Serbia A330 looks great at Belgrade airport. Congratulations on a new plane and looking forward to first flight to New York on June 23!
ReplyDeleteAny photos at BEG?
ReplyDeleteOT: Croatian government selling 8 companies, Croatia airlines is among them
ReplyDeletehttp://www.jutarnji.hr/vijesti/hrvatska/osam-velikih-poduzeca-koje-drzava-zeli-privatizirati-nema-ih-vise-na-popisu-strateskih-firmi/3741996/
The sooner, the better :)
Delete1 April comes often in the state of Croatia.
DeleteMy God this is so surrealistic! All this fuss about a leased plane! Well okay.......I am speachless!
ReplyDeleteHej! Osam Veicanstvenih krasi siroku kabinu novosletelog clana flote. Er Srbijinog Erbasa A330. Novi dan nad Beogradom. Nova era za buducnost razvoja Srpsog vazduhoplovstva Otadzbine Srbije. Kako lepo vas je gledati odavde iz Sydney - a. Kako sjajno je biti prisutan tu na Tesli, pored aviona. Ponovo sebi obecavam da cu se licno uveriti u lepotu insignije prvenca inter kontinentalnog saobtacaja Er Srbije. Dvadeset treci jun jeste blizu. Zaista Er Srbijo. Krasnasi. Iz jesenjeg suncanog Sydney - a, Vas Rodney Marinkovic. Ponovo+✈✈✈
DeleteWhat???? In English please
DeleteRadovan Radovane, danas ujedate.
DeleteRale savage!!!
DeleteCan someone explaine what Radovan wrote I don't speak serbian sorry
Delete@ Anonymous May 11, 2016 at 8:15 PM
DeleteBetter not to know lol
Roki is in a tough talking mood today, No bad mouthing Air Serbia will be tolerated.
DeleteI guess he is afraid to mess up with me...I understand
DeleteNow I realize why RADOVAN MARINKOVIC does not write in english, I saw an old post in this blog, his syntax, his grammar, his spelling were awful! I wonder what he is doing in Australia!
Delete11.000 karata u pretprodaji dok jos nije stigao avion, uz sve hejtere da uopste nece ni stici, je fenomenalno,
ReplyDeleteNo hater, but 11,000 tickets sold is not that good. Do the math and you will see what I mean. Even if we assume that all the tickets are return ones.
ReplyDeleteits not that bad either. It works out around 44 full flights. Remember that 3 times since the 2000's tickets were sold on these direct N American flights that have failed in the past, which no doubt leaves people skeptical. I just hope the investment into this adventure will be good for Serbia in the long run.
Delete@6:19 ...kapiram da bi ti u datim uslovima bolje, naravno ;)
DeleteConcerns over ticket sales are irrational. When Air Serbia gets approval to put Air Berlin and Etihad codeshare (with Etihad selling AUH-JFK via BEG), together with influx of new customers once flights start in June, should provide sufficient pipeline to keep the planes reasonably full. Codeshare is in the works.
DeleteHahahah yeah, hundreds of thousands of people will fly from AUH to JFK via BEG, you know, since the market is so big. Just like so many passengers will fly on AB's code. lol
DeleteWhile I am really happy to see a big bird being finally based in BEG (and hoping I will catch it from YYZ eventually), at the same time I find it hilarious how all the media hyped up the event and created a euphoric situation as if a space ship landed.
ReplyDeleteToo bad it couldn't arrive before the elections :-)
DeleteYou YYZ should then looking around your own backyard..I saw in the Canadian media soo much article about your Canadian airline called WestJet getting a bunch of 30 years old 767 and you live in such a modern and rich country.We are happy here with one and much younger aircraft then what airlines can affird in your country.
DeleteAre you seriously implying that Air Serbia is better than WestJet? LOL
DeleteYes I am . WestJet is cheapest airline and worse in flight service
DeleteThe ticket in canada for 30 minute flight is 480 dollars ...does not include the bag, seat reservation, no food, no in flight entertainment plus you have to do all the work your self as they usually have 1-2 a gets at the desk. When arriving to YYZ with WestJet you have to wait for bags 2 hrs. Agents are so washed out, dirty and not well groomed. I think AS is totally opposite and hope not ever dropping to that level .
Yes I am . WestJet is cheapest airline and worse in flight service
DeleteThe ticket in canada for 30 minute flight is 480 dollars ...does not include the bag, seat reservation, no food, no in flight entertainment plus you have to do all the work your self as they usually have 1-2 a gets at the desk. When arriving to YYZ with WestJet you have to wait for bags 2 hrs. Agents are so washed out, dirty and not well groomed. I think AS is totally opposite and hope not ever dropping to that level .
Air Serbia A330 paint job & official video:
ReplyDeletehttps://youtu.be/pwG5tekIw_M
There are no winglets during painting and in the last scene.
DeleteIt must be a complot!
DeleteАирлија
ReplyDeleteLong time reader, and finally my first post.... Just wondering if there will be any way to fly one day to Vancouver, Canada. I live here, and no matter the season I fly to Europe, aircrafts are always packed. Not a single empty seat... I am deeply convinced that Europe is underserved from this place.
ReplyDelete