Air Serbia has set out ambitious growth plans for the coming period, in preparation for the centenary of Serbian aviation in 2027, when a surge in demand is anticipated as Belgrade hosts the specialised EXPO, while long-term, by the end of the next decade, the carrier believes it could boast a fleet of over fifty aircraft. “We believe the market and the region will continue to grow. We would like to capitalise on that growth and to keep our market share. If we look toward the end of the next decade, our airline could have more than fifty aircraft. Our network is reaching a respectable spread. We currently fly to more than eighty destinations and we have ambitions to reach 100 destinations by our 100th anniversary [2027]. That is not so far away from the current eighty, and it means that our main focus will now be on network densification rather than adding more destinations”, Air Serbia’s CEO, Jiri Marek, told “Aviation Week”. He added, “Our last two years were characterised by network spread, and moving forward we will continue to spread the network, but we will go into more depth. Air Serbia currently has 22 aircraft in its fleet and continues to utilise eight aircraft on a wet-lease basis through the winter season, so as to proceed with all the base maintenance tasks due on its own fleet to be ready for the next summer season”.
The airline’s CEO noted there is currently no urgency in renewing the carrier’s existing fleet of mid-aged aircraft. “It is not urgent for us for two reasons. With the existing size, we can still capitalise on the current volatile market and continue to target secondary, mid-aged, mature aircraft until we reach a size of between 35 and 40 aircraft. When we reach that size, it starts to become critical to establish long-term fleet plans, including possible new orders from manufacturers, which will naturally mean evolving to new technology. In a way, we are lucky not to have the new technology yet - like the A320neo, for example - due to growing problems with the engine”, Mr Marek said.
According to the CEO, once Air Serbia is ready to order new aircraft, issues faced by manufacturers and their suppliers should be resolved. “We believe that by the time we are ready for new orders, the technology will have matured and all the problems will be resolved. If you have a fleet of 200 or 300 aircraft, then you have many options for overcoming such challenges when part of the fleet is grounded due to engine issues. However, for an airline of a smaller size, when you forcibly ground, for example, 40% of the aircraft with engine issues, it can be very hard to overcome. From that viewpoint, Air Serbia will continue to use current technology until the problems with the new technology are resolved”, Mr Marek concluded.
So probably not another 2-3 years before new planes are ordered?
ReplyDeleteProbably sooner since it will likely take years between order and delivery.
Delete@Anonymous 09:02
DeleteTrue dat, backlogs are huge for both A320s and 737s. And production issues delay deliveries further.
Personally I think it's still early to think of ordering new aircraft. They are still in expansion mode so it's better to remain flexible.
DeleteUsually airlines order new aircraft when they are on expansion mode.
DeleteYes but only after they have a stable and well established network. Air Serbia is not there yet as they are still expanding into and consolidating their operations in key markets. They are a long way from ordering new planes.
DeleteI agree with @Nemjee. There is still many many things that need to be done at JU before new aircraft are ordered. Theyre better off dry leacing like this.
DeleteThere is still too much of a regional gap, like JU only flies daily to SJJ and 2 or 3 times per week to BNX.
When they solidify their position in the region having at least double or 3x daily flights to all the JUG slaviic/ balkan nations and have a few more long haul routes. then they could start looking at new planes. plus never know ww3 could be around the corner should wait at least 5-6 years to see how things are before paying for new planes.
For airline like JU, A220-300,500 and E-195E2 makes more sense then NEO or MAX. Also by the 2027-30 a lot of used NEOs and MAXs will be on the market. Production rates will eventually grow for both MAX and NEO.
DeleteA220-300 also has major problems with engine as NEO. A220-500 does not exsist! There will not be manu used NEO and MAX for cheap price in next 5 years that's for sure. For JU - best will be exactly what they are doing now - leasing 8 -16 years old 320 and ATR's for acceptable price. Within next summer they will have 10 x ATR72 and 6 X A320 with some 10 x A319 and 3 x a330-200. With aditional wet leased 5 x E190/195 this will be fleeet for next summer. In future A319 will be replaced with a320. Maybe for 2025 to go with aditional some 2 x A321 and one more a332 and this is what is best for JU in next few years.
DeleteBased
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteLet's hope it is not 25 wet-leases with 25 dry-leases :D
ReplyDeleteThey have only 8 wet leases. People are over dramatizing.
DeleteFor an airline of their size that is a lot.
Delete8 is not "only" tbh.
DeleteThey were one of the largest ACMI users in the world this summer!
DeleteAll planes operated by JU are leased. And all the incoming ones will too be leased.
DeleteYes, and?
DeleteDid they make any loss because of it or they will have a profit of approx 50 mil EUR as informed by Marek?
New planes will be also leased, but from the banks or leasing companies.
DeleteAlthough this is specialized forum, I have a feeling that people don't get the basics about the aviation. Yes, the best would be that AirSerbia has hundreds f 8wn planes, that they fly everywhere in the globe and that tickets are free at least for Serbian citizens (even then some would brag about something).
DeleteReason why they have many wet leased plans are not lack of planning, but exactly good planning of their fleet.
Market to dry lease is not 1good at the moment , but it's better on wet lease side.
Labour market in Serbia doesn't go on their favourit, so leasing a plane with crew helps.
Maintenance slots, scheduled or unscheduled are problematic.
Spare parts delivery is critical.
And the list can go on and on, and all this in favour of the model AirSerbia is following.
One would say why haven't they took a planes earlier, but who the hell takes the planes to have them grounded?!
Support for AirSerbia! Bravo and go on!
I agree with anon 13:05. People here don't understand the business, or just manipulating with information to spit on someone.
DeleteI would like to support JU too, and to congratulate on results!
Another one here with support and congratulations 😆
DeleteAnonymous 13:05, do you know what is AOG in one normal company???
DeleteWhy you writing something without elementary knowledge from aviation… AS = Wet lease airlines is not capable of planning, employing and training a sufficient number of mechanics and pilots…. They can’t paint all A/C in same AS paint scheme… Those AS “experts” should do something, come on dude don't be funny...
New are aircraft are very expensive. The airline will need help to order NEOs or MAXs that have a list price of 100 million dollars each.
ReplyDeleteOrder them now so they can ground them straight away because of engine issues?
Delete@09:05
DeleteLEAP engines do not have issues.
And if you order aircraft today years will pass before getting them.
There are alternatives to Airbus and Boeing in the form of C919 aircraft
DeleteYeah they are rushing to get those.
Delete10:09, and no waiting list, why is that?
DeleteGiven that both Airbus and Boeing have been consistently messing up every single new aircraft for the past 20 years, with turning into a forever nightmare, planes literally going on fire, etc., it's only a matter of time before airlines decide that it's all like Chinese rubbish and might as well get it cheap from the real Chinese
DeleteAnd naturally as always Vinci and BEG won't keep up and we are going to experience more chaos and delays. That said, JU needs to better coordinate their growth with the airport, obviously Vinci is not competent enough to do it on their own.
ReplyDeleteBEG should think of what comes next. They can add a few more A and C gates but I think it's wise to consider the idea of building a completely new (satellite) terminal.
Given all this growth, it's crazy to think how underdeveloped Serbian aviation has been. Luckily we seem to be slowly moving in the right direction.
+1
DeleteThey will expand the C gates in the near future, maybe 1 to 2 years from now.
DeleteExpansion of the C gates will only be a short-term solution. There isn't much land left over there as they are already close to the highway. I don't think they can add more than 4 or 5 C gates. It's the same with A gates where they can add 3 or 4 extra ones.
DeleteWe come to the grand total of (maximum) 9 gates. Will this be enough at BEG where growth is not exclusively fueled by Air Serbia but by others as well?
Unfortunately it makes much more financial sense for Vinci to milk the already existing infrastructure and profit rather than make pensive new investments to brand new satellite terminal.
DeleteJust my2cents
Hope not because last year they had to pay penalties to JU for the mess they created. BEG should have a fantastic summer next year and hopefully Menzies helps in fixing certain problems form the past.
DeleteNemjee finger crossed for that but Menzies has a very bad reputation in the UK.
DeleteI notice Menizes is advertising job positions in BEG for ground handlers, cleaners etc.
DeleteI heard they struggled last year and if my memory serves me correctly the same happened at a few other airports across Europe.
DeleteJob market seems to be cooling a bit so hopefully they won't struggle to find employees.
They will expand the C gates up to 6 more airbridges and a couple of bus gates too.
Delete30 airbridges and more then a dosen bus gate could easily handle 15 million passengers. After that, or some years before they should expand the airport on the other side where they could build a new terminal building with the same capacity as the old one.
That exactly is the problem. Yes, that capacity can handle 15 million passengers if flights are spread out throughout the day. This is not the case with BEG given that Air Serbia has four waves when almost their entire fleet is at the airport.
DeleteThen to this we have to add Wizz Air which departs at pretty much the same time and so do Lufthansa, KLM and now British Airways.
My guess is that under current condition BEG can handle 10 to 11 million passengers per year without serious problems. Once we pass that mark that's when 'fun' begins.
One way to solve this is to build additional remote stands and to start charging more for airbridges. In such a way carriers such as Wizz Air as well as E-jets could migrate to remote stands so as to join ATRs.
* more than
DeleteA330 x8
ReplyDeleteA321 x4
A320 x12
A319 x4
E195 x8
E190 x6
ATR x 12
A350 x 2
DeleteLOL!
DeleteI think the fleet the original poster published looks relatively realistic. Maybe there will be fewer A330s but I don't see why it is funny.
DeleteNot a single 380?!
DeleteDear Mr Tax Payer, please stop repeating this ridiculous thing you heard during the election campaign, as people may laugh at you here. No matter 7f nad how much money has been "given" to AirSerbia, they have returned much, much more! Just if we take airport agreement, it would never be as high!
DeleteSo , are they gonna be able to find 25 wet leases ???
ReplyDeleteTheir budget is brimming so they can afford even more than 25. However, that’s not the direction they are going in.
Delete“Our last two years were characterised by network spread, and moving forward we will continue to spread the network, but we will go into more depth."
ReplyDeleteInteresting
Which means they won't shy away from introducing new routes next year.
DeleteWhat's the status on a321?
ReplyDeleteApparently, if true, by some, one has gone into painting
DeletePainting for Air Serbia?
Deleteda
DeleteWhat sources said that Air Serbia A321 is in painting?
DeleteSome. Some sources.
DeleteIs there any specific sources that have been mentioned? I have checked planespotters.net and it says nothing about Air Serbia getting A321
DeleteThere is no parking space for such amount of planes @BEG! ;)
ReplyDeleteThere is plan to further expand the airport, and certainly by the end of the next decade, which is end of 2030s the airport will be expanded.
DeleteI am not sure Vinci will be ready to go into expnasion work couple of years before they need to leave BEG.
DeleteJasmineeeeeee!!!! Ivaneeeee!!!!! Olezeeeee!!! APeeeee!!!! Svi uhljebi i aparatcici iz OU!!!! Jel'vas bar malo sram kad ovo procitate?
ReplyDeleteNijeeeeeeee! Minken, Vrankvurt vroom vroom
DeleteOU is amazing. Buying new 220s, has solid fleet, Hungary doesnt have national carrier. Have bunch of domestic lines. Belgrade has population in metro area more than half of Cro. So, it will never been comparable.
DeleteOU is not buying planes. It is leasing them for 500 million USD and first arrival is already delayed by 6 months.
DeleteYou are right, Hungary doesn't have a national carrier because they have Wizz Air which is based in Hungary. Every time you buy a ticket with them your money goes to their Hungarian accounts. Every plane is registered in Hungary and I suppose that is where most of their taxes are also paid.
DeleteI don't think you should compare Hungarian aviation with what OU is doing for the Croatian one. Meanwhile Wizz Air dominates Hungarian aviation while OU can't even protect its home base in ZAG.
Actually quite a few planes are registered in Malta, UK, UAE
DeleteIndeed but the vast majority of their fleet still carries the Hungarian registration.
DeleteActually Hungary doesn't have the best business environment and their tax system isn't the most competitive. I am not surprised that Wizz is looking for more business friendly markets.
@11.45
DeleteLagos has population of 10 Belgrades. Nemjee explained it about Wizz and HU, and another poster told you they are buying nothing, they just concluded another corruptive deal on expense of poor croatian people. My message to you : do learn basics of aviation, stop spreading lies and misinformation and spare us all of your chauvinist idolatry
And yes, OU is amazing only in kissing LH ass and stealing public money
DeleteMy message to you, dont be rude. No one is chauvinist. It is fact that Belgrade has population like half of Croatia, while population in Cro descending in Belgrade grows, plus Vojvodina which has 2 million people doesnt have an airport. Learn about geography. It is facts. Jasmin is smartest you could find. So no offence. What is lie?
Delete“We believe the market and the region will continue to grow"
ReplyDeleteHope so
They certainly will, but the question for JU should be if the yields would be the same once the Russian traffic returns to its normal level.
DeleteYields won't be the same but costs won't either. Not to mention that insurance won't be a problem and they could overfly Belarus once again.
DeleteWhy does Turkish fly daily still over Belorussia? How come JU can' t?
DeleteFrom what I know their airspace was closed to most carriers. Maybe something changed in the meantime. Maybe JU's insurers aren't too crazy about them flying over Belarus. TK sends to Russia their older A330s which they actually own.
DeleteMožda zato što se Srbija pridružila sankcijama Belorusiji na vazdušni saobraćaj.
DeleteJU didn't fly to Minsk. Belavia did
DeleteWho said they did?
DeleteNice pic :)
ReplyDeleteBravo za Er Srbiju! Za sve koji lete na krilima. Svima koji vole i postuju napore ljudi koji uporno stvaraju buducnost!
ReplyDeleteOvo je najlepsa i najveca vest u ovoj godini. Ne samo u Srbiji. Vec i na celom kontinentu. Da li je kupovina flote, ili iznajmljivanje, to odlucuju ljudi koji grade strategiju i placaju
Pored mojeg velikog optimizma za rast Nacionalne avio kompanije. Ovlika namera za povecanje flote Er Srbije je vera za razvoj kompanije mogucnosti i izbora u komercijalnonom vazduhoplovstvu Srbije.
Zaista vesti ovakve vrste odusevljavaju. Ucvrscuje veru.
Rodney Marinkovic. ✈🌐🛬😀✈
Kraljevo i Sydney.
Vera? O kakvoj veru vi pričate?
DeleteAnon 15:08 govorim o mojoj veri o planu uvecanja i rastu Er Srbije. U ovom kontekstu sam izgovorio rec vera. Ni jedan zdrav covek ne moze stvarati dela a da ne veruje u svoje namere i trud koji ce podneti za ostvarenje. O kojoj drugoj vrsti vere ste Vi, nepoznatog imena i prezimena anonimus ste me pitali?
DeleteSvako Vam dobro. 😀✈🌐🛬
Are there second hand A320neos on the market?
ReplyDeleteThere are. Alaska Airlines got rid of them
DeleteAmerican Airlines took them.
DeleteIn time they will have to transition to neos.
ReplyDeleteNeos will eventually completely replace all ceos, so yes.
DeleteA320neo is suited for Air Serbia and would really help during the summer in terms of capacity.
DeleteThey transitioned to having a regional jet in their fleet, that's enough for them for the time being.
DeleteBest of luck JU
ReplyDeleteI hope it materializes
ReplyDeleteWill be interesting to see what their fleet will look like in 5 years
ReplyDeleteI think 2024 will bring surprises regarding Air Serbia fleet
DeleteHow do you mean?
DeleteBrand new B733 leases will join the fleet!!!
DeleteI’m just imagining JU with the A320neo + the Zorro Mask on the aircraft 🇷🇸
ReplyDelete+1 A320neos would look great in Air Serbia livery
DeleteAnd what is such a big difference between the standard A320 and the A320 Neo to look so great from the existing? come on boys be real!
DeleteAnon 10:28
DeleteThe A320neo has a maximum range of about 3,500 nautical miles, slightly more than the A320ceo. In addition to the more fuel-efficient engines, the A320neo also features wing design improvements, including “Sharklets” wingtips that reduce drag and increase fuel efficiency by a factor of approximately 7%
Re-read anon@10:28s comment.
DeleteHow will the airport cope with all this?
ReplyDeleteIt won't, they still can't cope with the expanded check-in area. I mean it's been how many months now and they still haven't opened a single coffeeshop.
DeleteHope it will be dry leases rather than wet leases.
ReplyDeleteWell done Air Serbia. Really looking forward to their huge development in the next few years.
ReplyDelete+100
DeleteThe pace they are going at, they really will have 100 destinations by the 100 year anniversary in 2027.
ReplyDeleteFor example, Hawaiian airlines bOUGHT B787 for 115 M USD, and Boeing overtake this option from AIRBUS which offer A330-800/900 for same price.
ReplyDeleteSo, be gentle whan announcing A320 NEO prices in hundreds of M $/€. Also for A220.
Of course
Best regards for POZDRAV IZ RIJEKE
Da li nekom od postojećih A319 ističe lizing sledeće godine? Pretpostavljam da će ih zameniti sa A320/321
ReplyDeleteTako je.
DeleteMislim da 1 ili 2 ističu ove godine, i da nekoliko ističe sledeće.
DeleteIf they have 30 planes now and they plan to grow 20% each year, they would reach 50 in 3 years. 3 years is not that long-term...even 5 is more middle-term
ReplyDeleteThe CEO says they could have 50+ aircraft by the end of the next decade. I would say that is long term.
DeleteYou're kind of missing a point...unless your point is blindly defending every single word CEO says even when no one is attacking him.
DeleteI really don't know what you are talking about? Blindly defending what? I just said what the CEO mentioned in the article. I don't think they will have over 50 aircraft in 3 years.
DeleteEnd of next decade is 2039th year, Marek predicted growth between 15-20% for the next few years. I commented that with this kind of growth they could easily reach 50 in 3 years (with 20% growth 2024:36 planes,2025-43.2,2026-51.84), which is way sooner than 2039th (and pretty short-termed if you ask me), so I don't get the point of correcting me.
DeleteAnd, yes, technically the statement that they could have 50+ by the end of next decade wouldn't be incorrect...just pointless.
A lot of airplanes are needed until 2027 and Expo fair. 2.5-3 million guests are expected in only few months
Delete... and in 50 years they expect to have 100 planes.
ReplyDeleteThose 10-15 year goals are just for our entertainment. Who knows where current management will be in 10-15 years. It's like when 81 year old president talks about 2050 climate goals.
@anon 12:41 +1000
DeleteFinally ! Some logic in this blog !
No, it's called long term planning. Hard nowadays, but still an essential part of business.
DeleteLong term planning in aviation right now is a mix of wishful thinking and crystal ball fortune-telling. From geopolitics to eco impact to technology roadmap, it's more uncertainty than ever.
DeleteStick to executing next four quarters as planned.
Anonymous16:28
DeleteNo, it's called long term planning. Hard nowadays, but still an essential part of business.
You are so funny, those who don't know how to plan and train enough mechanics, QA people, pilots, traffic plan, AOG department? Those like that, the "experts" will plan something...??? 😂😂😂
10 A330 Neo
ReplyDelete10 A321 Neo
20 A220
10 ATR 600
Leto 2027:
Delete5 A330
4 A321
10 A320
10 E195
12 ATR76
@16:19
DeleteThat is the most realistic estimate here so far.
6x A332
ReplyDelete24x A319 or E195 (only one type)
12x ATR76
737 MAX family would be much better option than Airbuses, no issues whatsoever, reliable engines, etc.
ReplyDeleteNo issues just a few deadly ones
DeleteI know they get a lot of hate for their ground staff but I would like to share my experience from today. Some business partners were flying from BEG to ATH (126 passengers on the B738) and when we reached the check-in the lady working there was absolutely wonderful. She was smiling, helping us and even went into the system to tell us what gate they had as it didn't write on the boarding pass.
ReplyDeleteShe was not an exception. One next to her was very young but equally pleasant.
A Croatian guy was checking in and he asked where is the smoking zone. Even though she wasn't a smoker herself she advised him where to go based on what others told her.
I suppose these are the new hires so hopefully the candidates they hired recently are of very good quality. Their new ground staff uniforms are also wonderful and they look very smart.
There is not a single national airline in the world that has developed with wet lease options. Everything else is manipulation and misinformation of people. 35 years of experience in aviation, my young kids.
ReplyDeleteRight, FR as Europe's biggest airline still hasn't figured out that they should own planes in order to be successful. Hmm you should let them know.
DeleteFR owns every aircraft in their fleet. Every single one!
DeleteRyanair is not a national flag carrier airline.
DeleteJAT/AS worker, I trust that you researched every single national airline in the world before making your statement. What seems to be your issue with wet leases? Are you saying that Air Serbia won't be able to develop due to use of wet leased aircraft?
As for new boarding music - I can clearly hear "April u Beogradu" melody :)
ReplyDelete