Preparations for the delivery of Air Serbia’s third Airbus A330-200 aircraft are underway in Lisbon where the a special livery (pictured below) is currently being applied to the jet. The frame, which is expected to bear the registration YU-ARD, will promote the specialised Expo 2027 which will be held in Belgrade between May 15 and August 15, 2027. The livery has been created by the London-based SVIDesign and its founder Sasha Vidaković. It depicts “the deep and timeless connection between Belgrade and its two rivers. Ever-changing and playful fluid forms observed on the water surface represent the essence of this relationship, highlighting how it continuously evolves and adapts, inspires, and reflects”.
Air Serbia has previously said the upcoming global exposition in three years’ time will play a major role in its development and expansion. “We are currently updating our five-year plan because there is a big event in our region, the Expo 2027 in Belgrade, which is around the corner and will stimulate strong demand. We want to be part of that demand and capture as many passengers on our side as possible. We will continue to develop not only long-haul but grow our medium- and short-haul network, as well as the feeding network. We still plan to grow aggressively”, Air Serbia’s CEO, Jiri Marek, said in June. He added the airline was also looking into ways how to best organise its operations, as demand will inevitably drop off following the spike caused by the event.
Air Serbia’s third A330-200, which is being dry-leased, most recently operated on behalf of Air Belgium. Previously, it was delivered new to Etihad Airways in 2014 but was stored in late 2019 until it was taken up by Air Belgium three years later. The 262-seat jet features the Etihad cabins, including 22 business class seats in a 1-2-1 layout, and the remaining 240 in economy in a 2-4-2 configuration. It will not be significantly modified.
The airline’s fourth A330-200, which recently entered the hangar for maintenance prior to delivery, will also have a special livery promoting Expo 2027. Air Serbia has featured its original livery on its wide-body aircraft only between 2016 and 2019, after which it promoted “Serbia Creates” between 2019 and 2021, an intergovernmental umbrella body in charge of international promotion and export in the fields of creative industries, innovation, and a knowledge-based economy. In 2021 the airline unveiled a special livery commemorating engineer and inventor Nikola Tesla, while in 2022 it rolled out another special livery on its second wide-body featuring physicist and physical chemist Mihajlo Pupin.
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I like the fuselage but the tail is too white
ReplyDeleteAgree! Would have been great to have the original tail again for once!
Delete+1
DeleteVery very stupid design.
DeleteAs if a child played around.
They just can't leave that f***** tail alone 👿.
DeleteLooks amazing, well done by Air Serbia design team!
Delete^ if you read the text, you would see it's not Air Serbia's design team.
DeleteAre they going to change the paint after expo 2027
DeleteLivery looks really good
DeleteLike!
DeleteSo does this mean the plane could come in the next ten days?
ReplyDeleteMost likely. Livery painting probably does not take longer than a few days.
DeleteNot that good
ReplyDeleteYes, bring back the original livery!
DeleteAt the end of the day, they will be repainted in 2027.
DeleteIt actually looks great compared
Deleteto the uncreative “Serbia Creates” livery.
Maximum stupidity. They should simply put sticker on every plane and remove it after Expo.
Delete@09:24 Agree 100% but that is Air Serbia in general they are doing many things without logics.
DeleteThis is even more stupid since it is not a full scale Expo event but just a fraction of it.
EXPO је 2027. Колико би пута требало мењати налепнице за то време?
DeleteWhat do you mean a fraction?
DeleteIt is now a full blown Expo like it was in Dubai; it is scaled down to just a portion of the real expo event.
DeleteIt's a massive event for a country Serbia's size. Some people just have a need to spit on everything. Cities double the size of Belgrade were competing to become host cities.
DeleteI am not spitting at all. All I am saying and making a point is that this is a mini expo event and not a full scale event.
DeleteОво је уско специјализована изложба. Није класична EXPO изложба. И од почетка се то знало и за то се конкурисало. Тако да су коментари типа Вашег сувишни и непримерено.
DeleteSlazem se. Uvek ima onih koji hoce da omalovazavaju. Cemu to? Da li ih to cini srecnijima?
DeleteSumnjam.
Možda su znali oni koji su to detaljnije pratili, opšta javnost nije.
DeleteToo many special liveries.
ReplyDeleteFor an event of such global magnitude, it fully warrants the use of temporary special livery.
DeleteMarginally better than "Serbia creates"
ReplyDeleteTrue, that one was awful. The once with the tails were the best.
DeleteI kind of liked Serbia creates livery, it was really simple and tone of colours was nice.
DeleteThe colour tone was nice, but the choice of the text was terrible. It was too wordy and no one really knew what it was about.
DeleteStill no one knows what it was about but it's not due to livery.
DeleteLove it. Looks real good. Super nice to see something different compare to traditional boring livery like most airlines do.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteAll around have special liveries on wide-bodies.
DeleteLike it..
DeleteMe 2.
DeleteI think it will look good live
ReplyDeleteOuch, that is NOT good!
ReplyDeleteBetter than any other long-haul liveries in the ex-YU region, that's for sure.
DeleteThe first one was the best.
DeleteThis one I do not like it at all.
Hope I'm allowed to express my opinion.
"...Better than any other long-haul liveries in the ex-YU region, that's for sure"
DeleteBetter than who? Which OTHER ex-YU airline(s) have long-haul aircraft???
I'm excited the plane is finally coming.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest none of the airlines had good expo liveries other than Emirates. Alitalia was horrid.
ReplyDeleteIf JU did something like the Emirates EXPO livery people would say it looks like a circus.
DeleteIs this actually being painted or is it just stickers (like Serbia Creates) out of curiosity.
ReplyDeleteIt's being painted on.
DeleteI have a feeling the fourth A330 will also have the same livery
ReplyDeleteOh no!
DeleteWell it says in the article it's going to be expo livery too. I also think it will be exactly the same.
DeleteCan I say that I likes the original livery that YU-ARA had most of all?
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteDon't think it's beautiful but wouldn't say it's the worst thing ever.
ReplyDeleteI am loving it! There is something chic about each A330 having a different tail livery. I find it different and exciting, I really hope they continue the trend with additional A330s that will be coming
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteWhy not each A320?
DeleteThey perform more cycles and are more frequently seen in places around Europe.
Of course, that’s why they should put big stickers on every plane. I think that was the case for Univerzijada
DeleteWhy weren't the colours of the engines and wingtips adjusted accordingly, would've looked much better
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteAre they going to change the paint after expo 2027
DeleteI assume that they create liveries by going to a nursery, giving the children a theme and some colours to work with. I can’t think of any other explanation that comes to mind when trying to comment on this design from a designer’s perspective.
ReplyDeleteIt shows how little educated you are.
DeleteI agree that the design doesn't seem very well done, even though I'm not a professional.
DeleteLeaving "classic" engine colour scheme with red/blue/white doesn't fit in this Expo one. They should leave engines white at least.
ReplyDeleteAfter some check they will become multi colored as is the case with APH wich still has a section of white on the engine since they never bothered to repaint it.
DeleteMy thoughts exactly. Still hope this will not be implemented this way. We can see that the actual scheme is different to the render, so there is still hope. Air Serbia's red just doesn't fit the pastel colours of this Expo scheme.
DeleteThat section on APH left engine is white because it was replaced due to dent on the engine that occured by the ground handling truck more than a year ago. Since dent is bigger then expected, it requires surface work, and it was simply replaced with a new engine pylon part that is all white.
DeleteAnd that pylon part could not be painted accordingly during the entire year? As is, it looks sloppy and demonstrates a lack of commitment to details.
DeleteA bit 2010s, but it’s alright
ReplyDeleteI like it, it is easily noticeable and memorable.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful. Eye catching. Different.
ReplyDeleteExpo is after tree years. Much early paintings and advert.
ReplyDeleteExpo starts in less than tree years. Ok to start promoting it now.
DeleteHow wonderful it is that after so many years (I've been following this site for 12 years) we argue about the livery on Air Serbia's THIRD A330. I have to be honest, being always an optimist, I didn't think we'd ever come to this point that soon.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more, it's something very nice to see.
DeleteCan't wait for ARE to come as well!
+1
DeleteIs Expo 27 paying for this free advertising?
ReplyDeleteCountries very much pay to get the honor to host Expo - very much a PA thing
DeleteSerbian govt. is owner of Air Serbia, and also organizer of Expo 27 - I don't get the question - who should pay to whom exactly :D
DeletePerhaps, technically speaking - yes - AirSerbia should get some dedicated money from the Govt for this ad, but then again - for sure they are already getting all kinds of funding from the same source... :)
Well they should get something given the cost involved in having to do a repaint again in 2028 to remove the scheme, the loss of its own branding for 4 years and the free flying billboard they are providing.
DeleteI would love to know how much they paid for this artwork design!?
ReplyDelete400 dollars
DeleteThat's too much.
DeleteAt least one A320 should have this livery too.
ReplyDeleteI like it but they should have either toned down the engine cowling or completely change it. This way the fuselage and engines seem far to different.
ReplyDeleteIt's probably gonna be repainted in 2028 anyway so it's not that bad. Plus the government is probably paying for this, so even better.
Why it is better for you to government (meaning - you, through state budget) pay for the livery rather than profitable company itself?
DeleteBecause it's something that the state is hosting, not the airline.
DeleteIt's a good advertisment for Serbia as a country.
AirSerbia gets help to paint those birds.
In four to five years those birds will have to either go for a C or D checks so repainted them won't be such a hassle.
*repainting
DeleteBut what for JU will use its multimillion eur profit if not for aircrafts and its maintenance? I'm OK with supporting national airline when it goes south but paying them when they have their own profit, why? In other words: Serbia creates? Yes, great, the time is dire, national airline needs help, of course, put it wherever and send them money to survive. Keeping the same pattern in good times is weird. But hey, it's great if government doesn't have any other issue to solve with that money...
DeleteYou all made up they are getting paid to apply the livery and you are no discussing that as a given. Some people on here.
DeleteDo you think they chose livery on their own?
DeleteThey might not get money directly but some marketing such as Official Carrier of EXPO 27 or something like that.
anon 16:12
DeleteMoney spent on the expo advertisement campaign could be adequate enough for them to continue their long haul expansion to ensure its viability and keep it on track for further future growth. 3 long haul destinations and 2 widebodies in 12 months for an airline the size of JU is massive and definitely not cheap.
JU's expansion in the Euro-Med region to support this long haul growth isn't cheap either. JU is profitable but it still has debts to repay plus has been investing in enhancing their product to better the service it provides to customers (inflight service, new lounge, ground equipment, fleet modernisation).
The money invested in this campaign will definitely be returned in many ways, not only to the state budget but to local businesses. Additional staff required in a higher paying sector, additional demand for Serbian products (water, beverages alcoholic and non alcoholic, food and snacks), airport retail, tourism sector (hotels, cafes, restaurants, bars) and this is just scratching the surface. Growth of connectivity makes Serbia more attractive as a business tourism destination for conferences, which has been on an increase.
You need to spend money to make money and JU the past couple of years has been great return of investment.
But expansions of that type must be paid by profitable company, not government. I am very well aware of subsidies and I'm for them but not for this kind of expansion. Cluj is of no interest to citizens of Serbia but it might be of interest for the company's business model and they should finance it. If they are not able, they should postpone it for a time when they will be able to finance it. That's how we create sustainable company which will not depend on governement because governments change.
DeleteAir Serbia is profitable. On the other hand OU is in trouble yet they are investing in fleet renewal, their government is promissing support for airline they consider critical, all while operating within EU rules.
Delete@01:45
DeleteYou really believe everything you read in the comments? You really think they will launch Cluj because they painted an Expo livery on an A330? Some of you really need to start using your heads,
@01:45
DeleteWho says that JU can't fund its own expansion? Financial results more than show they are capable of it.
Sorry but its ugly.
ReplyDeleteIt's written here when it will be published for July
ReplyDeletehttps://www.exyuaviation.com/2024/07/belgrade-airport-maintains-record.html
Bože na šta liči.... hilarious😂
ReplyDeleteSećam se kako je isto bilo hilarious kada su prikazali nove uniforme. Na kraju kada su videli uživo ispade odlično.
DeleteCan someone (unbiased) provide some insight into the actual influence of Expo27 on JU and BEG? I'm not talking about three months in 2027, it's obvious demand will be higher during the event, but what about time before and after? I mean EXPO is still an event which has start date and end date, so I can't see how it will affect JU and BEG to the level that they should prepare for it today?
ReplyDeleteThere's going to be an obvious (significant) bump in passenger numbers in the months leading up to and during the Expo. This is the right moment to prepare for it, same as hoteliers are doing by adding and building new capacity.
DeleteHardly doubt JU can do anything meaningful today about temporary traffic increase in 2027...
DeleteI doubt any hotelier is building extra rooms for just the EXPO period in 2027.
DeleteSo then you know Air Serbia is just growing for the expo period. I guess the 40 new routes they introduced in the last 2 years before even Serbia got the right to host expo was because of Expo. Some of you people...
DeleteIt is normal that they are preparing now. It is in less than 3 years. They clearly state they had to modify their 5 year plan. A 5 year plan is a guide on what they plan to do and when. So maybe they will fast track some growth, open some new routes rather than later. Maybe they will start negotiations for extra capacity earlier. Maybe they have to organise scheduled aircraft maintenance differently. Maybe they have to figure out how they are going to place extra capacity at an airport which is underprepared even for the current level of traffic. But here everyone is an expert in line with the self proclaimed expert and knows absolutely everything about every topic, without in fact knowing anything. If they were unprepared you would be the first to cry and scream why they are unprepared saying they had 3 years.
Sorry, I've just asked question, I'm not an expert. You did raise couple of relevant topics like scheduling new aircraft or maintanance or slots and it makes sense so I can see now why they should prepare in advance. No need for hard words and feelings.
DeleteForv a smart guy asking about the hotel? Yes hotels are expending capacity as well, for your info they are contracting river cruises ships on behalf of branded hotels tgat are going to be parked on the Sava River.
DeleteThey could just keep one Expo 2027 livery and one important person…
ReplyDeleteThey got money for these liveries, so why would they refuse cash injection?
DeleteBeacuse they value consistency of their brand and know that they can't establish brand nor "famous Serbs" concept with two famous Serbs' faces and two not so famous visuals on four aircrafts? Or, on the other hand, maybe there are someone interested in advertising on all of their planes, so we can have Plazma ad on ATR, Persil livery on A319 and so on... Why not, if that brings cash.
DeleteFirst of all you have no clue if they got money or not. You made it up and presented as fact.
DeleteThe other guy comparing expo to Plazma. No wonder Alen Scuric is so popular in this region. People have the same understanding of aviation, tourism and economics as him.
Of course they got money for this. They are not crazy to this for free!
DeleteAnd yes, if Plazma pays enough for an ad, why not. Just remember that Pepsi paid for Concorde to be painted in their colors.
So is Plazma stupid idea or not?
DeleteNot terrible, not great.
ReplyDeleteto my liking it is excellent
ReplyDeleteI was hoping they'd paint the fourth in a JAT retro livery for the upcoming 100 year anniversary Hopefully they will consider painting the fifth or sixth A330 or even a future A320.
ReplyDeleteAir Serbia said in the text: We will continue to ,,, grow our medium- and short-haul network, as well as the feeding network.
ReplyDeleteThat's great news. Can't wait to hear more. They also talked earlier about the need to improve winter ORD performance and more feed can help with that.
They recently announced restarting Nice but can't link that to significant growth of the feeding network, esp for long-haul. Same if they also restart Cairo and Trieste. Looking forward to reveal of brand-new medium and short haul destinations.
Cluj coming this winter, possibly Chisinau as well.
DeleteElegantno i sofisticirano. Bravo JU.
ReplyDeleteI was ok with one 330 in Expo design, but two is a bit too much for me personally. Oh well... Glad they are getting the aircraft at least 😀
ReplyDeleteThank you
ReplyDeleteEtihad colours design.
ReplyDeleteShould have been a better motif of the confluence of the two rivers at Beograd.
ReplyDeleteYeah, something a little more identifiable to Belgrad.
DeleteDoes anybody know what name the plane is gonna carry?
ReplyDeleteI think it would be reasonable for "Expo 2027"
DeleteImagine getting A380 until 2027 until Expo ends with paint of Expo 27...It would be great advertisment and achievement for both AirSerbia and Expo 27
ReplyDeleteA380 can't land in Belgrade.
Delete@anon 23:19
DeleteA380 can land in BEG.
There is a clip on YouTube of it landing in LIS, presumably to undergo inspection and painting:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqfIkOeXtJc
Why 'presumibly' when it was reported 20 days ago it is in Lisbon to prepare for service
Deletehttps://www.exyuaviation.com/2024/07/air-serbias-incoming-a330-prepares-for.html?m=0
Because "certainly" would imply that I have some evidence to support my certainty. However, since there is no mention of any such activity in the clip, I was not there to witness it, the best I can do here is say that this particular landing coincides with the activities mentioned in the report you linked. Hence, I presume that it is related, but I have zero evidence to actually confirm it.
DeleteDamn girl!
DeleteMhmm!
Deletehttps://www.sierra5.net/novice-novo/novice/6806-prekrasna-kreativa-na-letalu-air-serbie
ReplyDeleteWe can see the livery here, it's actually stickers that are put on the aircraft that is stated by the text, and from the photos it looks like the engines will be white with the words "Expo 2027" on it