Air Serbia reaches agreement for wide-body fleet expansion

Air Serbia has reached an agreement to expand its fleet of wide-body aircraft this year, following difficulties to clinch a deal in 2023. In a message to employees, Air Serbia’s CEO, Jiri Marek, said, “We have taken a number of steps and recently made agreements thanks to which, in the coming months, our fleet of wide-body aircraft will be expanded. We are delighted by this development. The new aircraft will give us an opportunity to expand our presence in China, and we are actively working on introducing nonstop flights to new destinations in China, but also increase frequencies on routes we already serve”.

The Serbian carrier had previously said it hopes to take delivery of its third Airbus A330-200 aircraft by the end of the first quarter of 2024, as well as a fourth jet of the same type during the year. The airline anticipates introducing services to Shanghai, for which it has secured slots for two weekly flights, and Guangzhou, for which it has permits for three weekly rotations. The carrier has also said it would look to increase frequencies on its flagship New York service, with double daily flights on select days of the week during the peak summer travel period.

Air Serbia had initially planned to take delivery of its third wide-body jet as early as June of last year, however, the deal with the leasing company fell through at the last minute. “In the summer [of 2023] we were expecting our third wide-body delivery, however, at the last minute, the lessor decided to scrap a twelve-year-old airframe. We are seeing that just because the value of the engines. It is much better for the lessor to sell those engines and scrap the airframe”, Mr Marek said at the recent CAPA World Aviation Summit in Abu Dhabi.