Air Serbia will today take delivery of a second Embraer E195 aircraft, as the carrier prepares to launch in-house operations with the Brazilian manufactured plane. The jet, registered OY-GDB prior to entering the Serbian registry, is expected to arrive from Warsaw this afternoon. Air Serbia’s first E195 (OY-GDA) is already in Belgrade, having been grounded since another E-jet, operated by Marathon Airlines on Air Serbia’s behalf, was involved in an incident upon take-off from Belgrade. The Serbian carrier has tentatively scheduled the entry into service of its first 118-seat jet for July 15 between Belgrade and Naples, followed by the Belgrade - Milan service. At this point, the second E195 is slated to enter service on August 1, however, changes remain possible. They are expected to bear the Serbian registration YU-ATA and YU-ATB.
The two E195s are being complemented by two wet-leased Bulgaria Air E190 jets. The airline plans to progressively replace its ten Airbus A319s with the Embraers and anticipates a sizeable fleet of the Brazilian made aircraft. “With the removal of the A319s from the fleet, there will be a gap between the A320 with 180 seats and the ATR72 with 72 seats. The A319 is the ideal match there, but because it is a maturing aircraft, the Embraer is a good choice to cover that gap”, Air Serbia’s CEO, Jiri Marek, said recently. Apart from Naples and Milan, the E195s have currently been scheduled to operate flights to Amsterdam, Athens, Frankfurt, Sarajevo, Skopje, Thessaloniki, Rome, Podgorica, Tivat and Zurich.
Air Serbia will operate the E195s with its own crew. Mr Marek recently noted, “We set the target [for the introduction of the Embraer in the fleet] at three months with one month buffer which brings us to the beginning of July. At the moment, it is going according to plan. We have already hired several pilots. We are also working on the introduction of the aircraft into our internal systems, starting from maintenance to flights ops and others. At the moment, we believe that if everything goes according to plan, we will have them in the fleet flying commercial flights in July”.
Nice!
ReplyDeleteHas it been painted in JU livery already?
ReplyDeleteI think it was painted months ago. It was originally destined for Marathon and was supposed to be the sixth Embraer operating for JU.
DeleteGreat, thanks
DeleteYes it's coming in JU livery.
DeleteWeren't they already in JU livery with Marathon, so just a new registration number and Serbian crew?
DeleteNo, GDA arrived in Belgrade at the end of January, but never entered the service. GDB was planned until the summer and here it is at last.
DeleteThat's a very old bird. 16 yrs
ReplyDeleteOY-GDA is too.
DeleteIt needs to order E2s
Delete^ not happening anytime soon unfortunately
DeleteAir Serbia can't afford newer Aircraft at the moment. It's priority is expansion.
DeleteIt might afford them but it would impact their profitability and it seems their only objective at the moment is to be profitable.
DeleteI'd love to see JU fly new gen aircraft I don't see E2 happening with Marek constantly going on about how new technology isn't reliable.
DeleteMarek clearly stated they will order new planes when they get to 40.
DeleteWhat is the difference between E1 and E2 jets?
DeleteThe E2 has a common cockpit with the E1, but the E2 has different engines, wings, many systems and aerodynamic improvements. The E-195 E2 also has three more rows for 12 more passengers. E190-E2 also has the longest maintenance intervals in the single aisle market with 10,000 flight hours for basic checks and no calendar limit in typical E-Jets utilization. This means additional 15 days of aircraft utilization in a period of ten years compared to current generation E-Jets.
DeleteThank you
DeleteIf they are maintained properly their only disadvantage is higher fuel burn
DeleteI hate Marek's bs about how new technology is not good or whatever, but the new gen engines have been a pain in the backside recently. This was also the case with E2 as it was with A220 and A320, so naturally JU wouldn't want to be in a position to have to ground their entire E2 fleet for inspections. But these issues will not remain forever and in fact JU should use the opportunity to get a favorable deal from Embraer to secure a real long term fleet development boost
DeleteI understand his point, you have to pay for something, commit to it, wait for the delivery and then pray nothing new grounds it.
DeleteI first would love to see JU getting new equipment but let's wait untill they can sustain the purchase financially.
If Marek would do that, whole load of haters would point at him and JU how reckless they are. Now they are pointing why there aren’t new planes and how bad it is for JU
DeleteBut there's a possibility to also lease brand new planes, they don't necessarily have to buy them
DeleteActually, almost nobody buy planes for cash. It’s credit or leasing deal, but leasing/credit installment prices for new planes are significantly higher than the older ones.
DeleteLeasing or financing with a bank is treated the same financially. They are all seen to be finance leases.
DeleteТреба узимати нове авионе ако доносе већи добит.
DeleteАко старији авиони доносе већу добит, који је разлог да се потроши више и повећа ризик??
Anyone know what the registrations will be for these two Embraers?
ReplyDeleteIt says
Delete"They are expected to bear the Serbian registration YU-ATA and YU-ATB."
Flightradar says departing WAW at 12pm arriving in BEG 13.45.
ReplyDeleteIsn't E195 too small to replace A319?
ReplyDeleteIt would decrease capacity but they are much needed.
Delete118 seat is only 26 less seats than the A319. but since the load on the a319 isnt over 90% through the whole year then losing 26 seats is okay. they should be cheaper to fly for cheaper tickets and will probably mean higher load factor in the end.
DeleteThere is no reason to replace old A319s with old Embraers. You have to count growth considering fewer seats. Initially, it has been said that A319s would be replaced with A320s and Embraers. It is not nice to see JU flying to European capitals with wet leased aircrafts.
DeleteIt's like there isn't a industry shortage of narrow body aircraft.
DeleteI think they'll grab any A320-321 they can get at a reasonable deal. Until then this birds were in their colors already so why not get them?
They can compliment the fleet with some slimmer routes or ones that are deemed to need higher frequency.
Not sure why they would get rid of the A319s for similar vintage E195s which are more expensive per seat mile and lack cockpit commonality with the A320s and A321s. I always saw them as something to replace the ATR72s. E2s I get for fuel efficiency but not E1s unless they manage to get some dirt cheap deal on the Maratonci aircraft post incident.
DeleteWell Marek did say they will replace the A-319 with higher capacity aircraft. The E-195 is there to bridge the gap between ATR and 320's.
DeletePlus it's more flexible, it has better range, speed and comfort then ATR. But it's also more economical then 320.
At the end of the day only the management knows what's going on and how they plan to develop. We can only guess by what they tell the public and what we find out.
Well of they wanted to keep the commonality of the a319 but upgrade it. Then there is always the availability of the A319NEO. And it available since no one is buying it. It has no backlog.
Deletea319neo is not available as it is made on the same production line a320neo and a321neo. That aircraft size is now filled by the A220-300
DeleteWill they sell business class on these?
ReplyDeleteYes they do
DeleteThey sell business on the wetleased Bulgaria Air ones too.
DeleteDo they leave the adjacent seat blocked?
DeleteNo, not on the ERJs
DeleteSo only the service and food is different. The seat is economy?
DeleteYes. And you get airport lounge access, fast track and first one on/off the plane.
DeleteFirst one on and off on AirSerbia is kinda of a matter of pushing your way to the door as soon as the plane nears the gate.
DeleteJesus how I hate seeing that.
Yes even very senior directors do that too. They nearly tripped my wife with their suitcase even though we were in the first row.
DeleteFinally
ReplyDeleteVery little time has passed since they decided to add the Embraer until now actually.
DeleteYes. It has been a very quick process.
DeleteSo we might see up to 10 E195s in the fleet?
ReplyDeleteThey need both E175 and E195 in my opinion.
DeleteIt has to be more. There are 10 A319 and they want to expand. OK, few recent A319 will probably stay up to 5 more years, but 20 year old ones must be replaces very soon. So I expect 12-14 E175/190/195 and 4 A319 by 2027
DeleteYou should also consider A320s as replacement for A319s alongside the E jets, basically a combination of A320s taking over busier and E jets the less busy routes
DeleteYes, I expect also 12-14 A72, 10-12 A320/321 and 6-8 A332/333 in 3 years. I am counting dry and wet leases, up to 50 planes in 2027
DeleteThis is the perfect plane for JU. Should have been incorporated into the fleet back in 2016.
ReplyDeleteExactly. Really looking forward seeing Embraers around. It will nicely diversify the fleet and offer a right aircraft for a right type of operations.
DeleteThey should have gotten the CS300 when the Canadians were selling them dirt cheap in 2015 and 2016 during the Belgrade tour and before Airbus took over.
DeletePretty sure back in 2016 there were still alive dreams of actually going through with the 10 A320neos order that ended up scrapped clouding the realistic 100 seater options in E jets or CSeries. Since the early days of this blog we were all saying how JU needs the DC9 successor. Crazy it tooks them 20 years, but at least they've come to their senses.
DeleteMost of the former DC-9 workload has been taken over by Air Serbia ATR 72-600. They have 10 of those.
DeleteBut a jet is a jet. I avoid props wherever possible because of the noise levels, slower speed and restricted cabin baggage etc.
DeleteATRs took over DC9 role but were never the right replacement neither in capacity nor range and especially aren't as popular with passengers as jets, even though -600 series has come a long way compared to -200
DeleteATRs did not take over the DC-9 role. JAT only ever had 3 ATRs compared to 11 DC-9-30s. They were a new aircraft designed to open new routes domestically originally. They were never used internationally up to 1992.
DeleteIt is a sensible solution for the future in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteEmbraer is perfect for increasing frequencies.
DeleteYes but about 15 years too late. These aircraft are so old now. They are now being replaced with the E2s.
DeleteThe E190/195 seems to be quite efficient, optimizing the network well so that it doesn't have to stop on weak routes. The E175 would be a good alternative to the ATR.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteIt'll never match the efficiency of ATR on the Balkan routes, but for developing new routes and markets in wider Europe with good frequencies E75 is ideal
DeleteAn e175 is too expensive to run. It was designed for US operators to manage their restrictive union agreements that prevent certain pilots going from regional to mainline and getting extra pay.
DeleteTrue, but seems to do the job for LOT and KLM as well
DeleteThey don't operate with KLM but only with KLM Cityhopper, their regional arm
DeleteI notice that these two Embraers are LR - long range. What does this mean on a plane like the Embraer?
ReplyDeleteIt means that they do have the longer range than tne non-LR models.
DeleteNot that long ago aircraft manufacturers(especially regional) used to slap ER/LR(extended/long range) on their planes that can get few hundred extra miles of range with different engine options or better optimized fuel tanks. It was a mess having for example CRJ200, CRJ200ER and CRJ200LR marketed as different aircraft, compared to A319 with IAE or CFM engines marketed as the same, while in reality both offered variations in range, take off weight and thrust dependant on engines but on the same airframe. E95 even had an AR(advanced range) version, but E2 I believe dropped the LR designation just as Airbus dropped it when taking over the CSeries program
DeleteGood job!
ReplyDeleteAt least it's not a wet lease
ReplyDeleteIt is great that they are getting more Embraers. These aircraft will be useful on slimmer routes or adding more frequencies on certain routes currently operated by larger aircraft but less frequently.
ReplyDeleteTheir livery really looks best on this aircraft.
ReplyDeleteSo these planes that were formerly operated by Great Dane Airlines and then leased to Marathon Airlines which wet leased them to Air Serbia and now Great Dane will lease them directly to Air Serbia?
ReplyDeleteThat's right.
DeleteAre the Embraers being used on some former ATR routes to increase capacity?
ReplyDeleteYes
DeletePrague is often upgraded to Embraer. Tirana too.
DeleteConsidering their age, it makes you wonder what the future of JU's fleet will be. I don't think these planes will stick around past their 20th year. By then maybe they will order new planes but the make up of that order will be interesting, especially considering Embraers are now playing such an important part in their fleet.
ReplyDeletethat is the smart step forward and much needed gap is being filed
ReplyDelete* filled
DeleteThey need all the planes they can get.
ReplyDeleteIs the cabin crew working on the Embraers only trained to work on Embraers or are they working on other aircraft types too. I mean, were these crew specifically hired for the Embraers or they have been working at JU on other types prior to Embraer arrival?
ReplyDeleteCabin crew can have up to three types they can fly on.
DeleteI know but I don't think that any of the existing JU crew went for training. I think they hired brand new crew with Embraer experience.
DeleteSo foreign cabin crew?
DeleteNo, it is not foreign cabin crew.
DeleteSo they had Serbian speaking Embraer trained cabin crew ready to hire in the market?
DeleteYes former Air Montenegro crew.
DeleteSo foreign crew or did Air Montenegro have Belgrade crew? I thought Montenegro Airlines terminated all non Montenegro citizens a few years back.
DeleteAs if a Serbian company ever had a problem hiring Montenegro citizens
DeleteBut the poster said they were not foreign but they are. That was my question. And what about Air Montenegro, how will they deal with their staff being poached?
DeleteI wouldn't be surprised if their first new aircraft order is for Embraers in the years to come...
ReplyDeleteThat would be great. Embraers are probably the cheapest. Or maybe it is ATR.
DeleteWell of all the jets in their fleet I believe Embraers are the cheapest by far, and they need the largest number of them. ATR is surely the cheapest overall but I believe their long-term lease is cheap enough for JU to push for Embraers first.
DeleteThey need 10 Ejets and some A321s
ReplyDeleteAll Bulgarian air's jackdaws in one place :D
ReplyDeleteFlew recently with the Bulgaria Air E190 from Frankfurt to Belgrade. Selected seat in row 3 which was fantastic considering the huge legroom it has. Very comfortable flight.
DeleteOnly on raw 3 in lowcoster seats and saloon. Nothing impressive.
DeleteAdmin,
ReplyDeleteis there any relevant info about destiny of OY-GDC? Is it still at BEG airport parked or maybe already scrapped?
It won't be scrapped until investigation is completed.
DeleteIt is a write off.
DeleteThey could by 4O-AOC for small money and repair OY-GDC. Only question is if there is a place at BEG where that huge repair could be done
DeleteAre you for real? It would cost less to buy a young Embraer then repair those two.
DeleteSure, I am for real. It’s surely cheaper to take hull, wings and some hydraulic from Montenegro government, because nobody else need it. They may sell it for small money or just scrap it. The rest they may sell easily.
DeleteOn the other hand, everything else is in excellent condition on GDC
It has a large pole stuck in its wing, leaking fuel and you want to fly on that?
DeleteWings can be replaced and JU needs all the possible planes. Of course, this is the matter of insurance, not AirSerbia
DeleteThis is not a DC-3 and wings cannot just be replaced.
DeleteAnd what about tail scrape on the rear fuselage after it was dragged across dirt, what about the landing gear which travelled on a rough grass field?
DeleteOf course wings can be replaced. Fuselage and wings are produced separately and assembled in the production process. As far as I know tail isn't damaged, and surely wheels are to be replaced timely
DeleteAre you an aircraft engineer or are you talking about model toy airplanes. Wings never get replaced!
DeleteSo, you claim that fuselage and wings are casted in one piece? That means you are aircraft engeneer of a new kind. Anyway, wing doesn’t need to be replaced, because aircraft was flying one hour after accident, which means no structural damage is made.
DeleteSo if it is arriving today to Beg why is the first flight scheduled on Aug 01 ? Isn't this too long of a period? In the recent past ATR's joined the fleet within +/- 10 days after arrival.
ReplyDeleteObviously it is not too long because obviously certain procedures have to be completed. And it is not "if", the plane has just landed in Belgfade.
DeleteI believe that in 15 days only GDA may enter the service. GDB only in a month.
DeleteOY-GDB landed in BEG :)
ReplyDeleteWelcome!
Delete