Air Serbia will lease its second Airbus A330-200 aircraft from Aircastle Limited with the frame having previously operated for South African Airways. The jet is due to arrive in Belgrade this October and will be put into operation to Tianjin, New York and European destinations. The aircraft will temporarily replace the airline’s current A330-200 which will undergo scheduled maintenance during the winter season, after which both twin-aisle jets will be utilised. This winter, the Serbian carrier plans to deploy its newly arrived wide-body jet once per week to China, three times per week to New York, as well as to popular European destinations. “In addition to serving future flights to China, which we plan to launch this autumn, this plane will also be deployed on flights to important European destinations that are in high demand”, Air Serbia’s CEO, Jiri Marek, said.
The CEO described taking on its second A330 as a “big deal” for a regional carrier. “We are very satisfied with the performance of our A330-200, because flying just to one long haul destination with just one aircraft is quite challenging. The new addition will be vital to our further expansion, launching new routes and increasing the frequency of flights in our existing network of destinations”, Mr Marek noted. Speaking separately to “Aviation Week” he added, “Our New York JFK operation is profitable and, combined with the new opportunities in China and expansion in the US, it was an easy decision to go for the second aircraft”.
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During the next summer season, which begins on March 26, 2023, Air Serbia will have two A330-200s in use, which will enable it to launch two weekly flights to Chicago. “The new aircraft will be adorned by the image of Mihajlo Pupin, one of the other all-time greatest Serbian scientists”, Mr Marek said. The aircraft will complement the other A330 featuring Nikola Tesla’s image. Although the exact frame of the incoming A330 is unknown, South African Airways has recently returned both ZS-SXX and ZS-SXV to Aircrastle and both are stored, although the lessor has provided up to six of the jets to the South African carrier over the past decade, however, most have new operators now. Both of the aforementioned jets are eleven years old.
I hope the new A330 will be allowed to fly to Moscow.
ReplyDeleteIt will, it was confirmed to me by my friend from operations department
DeleteI doubt that they will allow Moscow, but what others destinations could be: Barcelona for sure for New Year and Zurich
DeleteA330 will go to Moscow in winter. There is no need for widebody aircraft to ZRH or BCN once winter comes. Even Wizz Air is keeping the third weekly only through summer. It's a very seasonal route my friend.
DeleteWhen it comes to Zurich, LX is fighting JU big time over there. I think we are going to be more than lucky if JU keeps 17 weekly frequencies on the A319.
They will use it to Istanbul on select days for sure.
DeleteI don't think so. A330 flew to IST because of basketball. A330 has a longer turnaround time which means connections in BEG would be messed up. Only way they would send it is on the night flight.
DeleteIt's a shame TK's widebody fleet is falling apart so they couldn't have upgraded their BEG flights which are full to the brink. Serbs and Turks love flying on TK because of its great service. They only fly on JU and Pegasus when there is no room on TK.
I think they will also use the plane to Qatar firing the winter once per week for the World Cup.
DeleteThis plane will be busy. I assume it will have 24hr turnaround in China so the same crew can operate the flight back and not be in quarantine for a week.
DeleteSame crew won’t operate both legs. Its simply not possible. One set of crew will fly as passengers in one way and then operate the flight back.
DeleteI don't think it's safe. That second crew would be exhausted.
DeleteWhat does the airplane rotation have to do with the crew rotation? Anither set of crew will simply take over the aircraft and will fly it back. They will already be in China. EASA FDP limitations don't allow you to deadhead on the outbound leg and operate the return, since the positioning counts as duty hours. If quarantine is needed, they'll send the first set of crew to operate the return flight some 7-10 odd days (however long the quarantine in China is) before the inaugural flight, so they can operate the return.
DeleteNICE.. Just looked up South African A332 cabin..Its very similar to JU-ARB. The change should be easy.
ReplyDeleteYes, and the economy cabin is way more modern, including the IFE screens, so maybe when ARB goes into maintenance they will install the same economy product as on the new aircraft!
DeleteI can tell you right away that the cabin will not be upgraded. Unfortunately JU isn't putting much effort in the IFE. I guess it's beacuse most of their passengers are flying with them because they were the cheapest option on the market.
DeleteWell that’s a bummer, so will ARB and the new aircraft have different IFE screens in economy?
DeleteYes, that is quite correct. Like I said, JU doesn't really care about their hard product which is a shame.
DeleteHow about we wait and see? Most were complaining how they are not expanding long haul operations.
DeleteI guess let’s wait and see to be 100% sure
DeleteIt's disappointing that JU doesn't invest a little more into their IFE. Local movies, TV shows and music I doubt is prohibitively expensive for them not to have better content.
DeleteThe team that was in charge of these things is no longer there and they still have not replaced them.
DeleteThe team is needed to contact Universal, pick the titles, pay the invoice, get the files and upload it?
DeleteThe team is needed to come up with an idea on how to make the journey as pleasant and memorable as possible. Once their plans gets approved they execute it. Unfortunately JU is ignoring all these extra perks which are needed if they want to make it on the long-haul game.
DeleteEven BA suspended their BOB on short and medium haul flights.
It's not only to come up with an idea, but to maintain relationships with suppliers, keep a look out at what the competitors are offering and ensuring the pre, during and post flight product is as good as it can be.
DeleteIt's not only about the long haul product but also short haul and regional.
A nice thing to see at least is that the water bottles they offer on board no longer have "junior" (for kids) written on them, which was the case for years. Its the small things.
A good start might be having more local movies and tv series on offer, as well as music.
But the majority of the movies and shows are local
DeleteYes old movies which are cheap to rent. I agree with everything written above, JU definitely needs to start paying attention to little details. I guess there is no pressure on them since they are always going to get bailed out.
DeleteKindergarden-level conversation about IFE: "all these extra perks which are needed if they want to make it on the long-haul game"
DeleteWhat they need is to keep those costs low! If is worth upgrading IFE in eco class? Absolutely not! There is no nonstop competition on BEG-JFK, unlike routes like LAX-JFK or LHR-JFK where chosing an airline goes beyond just price and loyalty. Almost all adult passengers have a smartphone/tablet onboard anyway. For a tiny two-bit leased longhaul fleet Air Serbia will do just fine if the new cabin is at the similar level as in YU-ARB.
Excellent news. And while these planes may be 11 years old, they have only been flying for 9 since they have been in storage since 2020.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteI really hope they will uniform the A330 fleet and have the same hard product in both.
ReplyDeleteSame!
DeleteSame!
DeleteI hope JU will get its act together and actually create a decent and competitive corporate program. The one they have right now is useless.
Delete+1
DeleteLooking forward to its arrival :)
ReplyDeleteSo this A330 will be registered YU-ARC?
ReplyDeleteYes
DeleteFor how long will YU-ARB he under maintenance?
ReplyDeleteI'm also wondering. I doubt it will be several months meaning one of their A330s will be sitting on the ground most of the time.
DeleteC check is usually a month
DeleteDepends on type of check for start. Is it smaller like C1 or heavy like C12. After that it also depends on additional findings. I just finished C2 check on pax B757, it was supposed to be 25 days. Actually it was 73 days.
DeleteWhy did it take so much longer? You couldn't fix the problem in 25 days?
Delete@Anon 14:08
DeleteLot of structure cracks/corrosion in cabin, engine pylons and MLG bays. Took time to get all repairs approved by Boeing, to get some parts and structure repairs take a lot of time.
PS. There is a B767 cargo here, came in on 1st of April, it won't leave until October.
I hear all cabin crew will be (is being) trained to be able to work on the A330. Up until now only some crew was A330 trained.
ReplyDeleteGood idea. Less hassle with scheduling and staffing.
DeleteA lot of pilots have also recently done type upgrade from A320 family to A330.
DeleteCan't wait for it to come to BEG!
ReplyDeleteEx-Aeroflot A332 of 2008 has 34 business seats and 207 Economy, SAA A332 of 2011 have 36 business seats and 186 Economy, will Air Serbia change seating to dense configuration?
ReplyDeleteYes. They reduced the business cabin on ARB.
DeleteComparing ARA with ARB, they've had a slight increase in business capacity while maintaining the same capacity in economy.
DeleteYes, but the original layout when JU took the plane had more business class, so they reduced it to match it's needs. They will most likely do the same with SAA jets.
DeleteThere was a recent trip report on JU's business class to JFK, let's just say that it really wasn't that good despite them charging really high prices. I think JU should not focus on this segment as they don't know how to. Even LO announced the upgrade of their outdated premium product. Everyone is doing it besides JU, they even replaced lieflat beds with reclining ones when ARB came. Maybe it's time to consider an all economy layout on the A330? What do you guys think?
DeleteI don't think you know the difference between a recliner and lie flat seat and as someone who has flown with YU-ARB business class I can definitely confirm it is a lie flat seat.
DeleteThis is a lie flat seat, not a recliner
Deletehttps://www.airserbia.com/data/images/media_centar/aircraft/airserbia_a330_16.jpg
I suggest flying with them before making conclusions and definitely not basing your entire opinion on a single review.
It would be ludicrous to get rid of business class. On my flight BEG-JFK two weeks ago (Thursday departure) there were only 2 empty seats in business.
My good old friend Anon 14.24, no that is lot lie-flat bed. YU-ARA had it but YU-ARB doesn't have it, it is almost there but not completely. Just like you, I am also shocked by the fact that they decided to take a step back. That is why I wouldn't be surprised if they removed business class and replaced it with premium economy.
DeleteIt is a lie flat bed.
DeleteAnd stop talking nonsense about them removing business class.
DeleteThey do have lie flat beds, I don’t know what you are talking about.
DeleteEmirates for alot of their B777 aircraft dont have lie flat seats (business class), it's an angle recline. They also don't provide amenities bags for certain long haul day sectors. They don't offer slippers or pyjamas in business either, only first class. The first amenity bags offered by JU had products EK were offering in their first class. EK B777 configuration for business class is 2-3-2, which means not all seats have direct aisle access.
DeleteLO B787 for years had a much inferior product to JU despite having a decent amount of aircraft in their fleet to divide the costs. LO is behind JU by about 10 years in terms of onboard business product. JU has only recently started to take a step back.
JU lacks a work environment where people want to stay, one of their biggest problems. Hundreds of Serbian nationals have worked in Middle East companies in various fields, and that talent should be sought after and kept. Instead, alot have left due to the poor work environment at JU.
JU overall is a decent airline, however it lacks alot of the simple touches found at other airlines. Little thought is put into their products and services which end up being executed poorly. This is where some outside experience can help.
So basically you are saying is that JU's busine$$ class is like flying on EK first class?
DeleteHm.
@Anon at 14:11 There is a reason some comments get mean responses. This one fully deserves ridicule. Obviously a comment with sad mix of excessive jealousy and lack of airline expertise.
DeleteReach out to seat vendor to get an earfull if you tell them those are not fully lie-flat seats. All-economy layout suggestion for A330 means you missed the Kindergarden door and ended up in a wrong conversation. LOT soft product on a Dreamliner went from mediocre to low across all cabins.
@18,31
DeleteAbsolutely not. However, elements of JU service is something an airline like Emirates, as an example, offers only to their first class passengers. It in no way implies that JU business is better than EK first.
https://www.facebook.com/onemileatatime/posts/pfbid0c8XHDvcaZrR8JYT93oX6vFYFQjoP9obbT5wBu4UNLrLHXqBPpv5anMiVnVET9DoUl
Delete^ how many times are you going to share this? It is one person's opinion. I can find you a ton of bad reviews about Emirates.
DeleteThat reviewer didn't have a single positive word to say about Croatia Airlines long haul product. That could explain repetitive links to Air Serbia review.
DeleteWhat about Toronto Belgrade
ReplyDeleteHere we go again
DeleteMore likely to be on Air Transat or Air Canada if Belgrade airport operator gets serious to make those flights happen. Just look at incredible effort that had to be done behind the scenes to establish Belgrade China flights or to bring Emirates to Zagreb.
DeleteCould be wrong, but there is no indication so far VINCI is breaking the sweat to bring airlines from Canada to Belgrade.
I kinda wish they would enable in-flight wifi. I don't care much for their IFE but internet would be nice on long-haul flights. Probably too expensive for them, but maybe they'll change their minds with the expansion..
ReplyDeleteThe wifi they had onboard was nothing impressive and way over priced, barely anyone was using it. Prices were definitely one of the most expensive in the skies. Other than us interested in aviation, not many notice it's not there anymore.
DeleteHi there, is this actually happening? With AirSerbia have two wide body aircraft? What was the most wide body aircraft JAT had at one time, two DC10s?
ReplyDeleteYes. It's happening. JAT have 5 DC-10 at one point
DeleteI am wondering,since Air Serbia is adding flights to US, why there is no flights to Canada? There used to be direct flights to Toronto.
ReplyDelete