50-year throwback: JAT's tour around the world


Written by Veljko Marinković


An event that took place exactly fifty years ago serves as a prime example of how different aviation was in the past compared to today. Belgrade was both the first and last stop on JAT's historic around-the-world tour, which departed on November 10 in 1974. Passengers had the unique opportunity to visit Manhattan, the Taj Mahal, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the Wat Phou monument, unwind on Hawaiian beaches, enjoy sushi in Tokyo, or savour authentic baba ghanoush in Beirut - all on a single journey.

JAT's first around-the-world tour, 1974

JAT's charter division, Air Yugoslavia, organised the airline’s first around-the-world tour, stopping in Belgrade, Beirut, Bombay, Singapore, Tokyo, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York, London, and returning to Belgrade. This tour spanned more than 40,000 kilometres over 19 days. As part of the JAT AirLift program, JAT’s intercontinental aircraft, a Boeing 707-321C (YU-AGA), crossed three continents, three oceans, and all time zones, landing at eight airports worldwide. With 170 passengers on board, the Boeing 707 took off from Belgrade at 8 p.m. on November 10, embarking on a once-in-a-lifetime journey. Some passengers likely reflected on the adventures of Jovanče Micića, the protagonist in Branislav Nušić's popular book, Put oko sveta (A Journey Around the World).

Passengers checking in for JAT's first around-the-world tour > JAT Boeing 707 YU-AGA pictured during final preparations before departure > Passengers disembarking after completing the tour, Belgrade Airport, 1974

Several leading airlines of the time offered round-the-world flights, prompting JAT to do the same to stay in line with global trends. Additionally, chartering during the winter months helped maximise aircraft utilisation, as JAT otherwise operated charter flights to North America and Australia, with seasonality heavily impacting EX-YU aviation. Notably, this was not Belgrade Airport's first experience with a world tour: in 1963, Pan Am’s world tour brought the first American aircraft to Belgrade’s then-newly opened airport, with stops that included New York, London, Frankfurt, Istanbul, Tehran, Karachi, New Delhi, Calcutta, Rangoon, Bangkok, Saigon, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Honolulu, and San Francisco.

JAT promo posters for the fifth world tour, published in NIN magazine, 1976

The JAT AirLift package included two nights’ accommodation in each city, all transfers, a tour guide for sightseeing, a four-star hotel with half-board, and, of course, the airline tickets. Interestingly, a JAT doctor was among the crew, always available to passengers. The crew and aircraft stayed with the passengers at each destination. All seats for the inaugural world tour were sold in just twenty days, despite the high promotional price for the time (864 USD).

JAT flight crew in front of the Ramada Inn Hotel at Niagara Falls during the fifth world tour, 1976 > Captain Živko Jerinić and Boeing 707 at Buffalo Niagara Airport > JAT B707 taxiing at San Francisco Airport during its third world tour in November 1975 (Belgrade-New Delhi-Bangkok-Hong Kong-Kyoto-Tokyo-Honolulu-San Francisco-Buffalo-New York JFK-Belgrade)

Due to the high and unexpected demand, JAT quickly organised a second tour, departing Belgrade on December 25, 1974, and running until January 13, 1975. This new itinerary included New Delhi, Singapore, Hong Kong, Kyoto, San Francisco, and Buffalo, replacing stops in Beirut, Bangkok, and Los Angeles. Flights were scheduled with shorter flights (up to six hours) in the early morning to allow daytime city tours, while longer flights were flown overnight. The Boeing 707 was in the air for 55 hours on this tour, helping flight crews keep their licenses current. In total, five world tours were organised, with three more taking place in the winter of 1975-1976. After launching JAT's scheduled service to North America and Australia, passengers could independently book destinations previously included in the JAT AirLift program. As passenger volume and aircraft utilisation increased, around-the-world tours were eventually discontinued.

JAT AirLift Program

Next year, those interested in experiencing travel reminiscent of JAT’s Golden Age of travel fifty years ago will have a rare opportunity. According to SimpleFlying.com, Pan Am will make a legendary return from June 27 to July 9, 2025, with a 12-day transatlantic journey. The tour will cover historic transatlantic destinations, including New York, Bermuda, Lisbon, Marseille, London, and Foynes. A privately chartered Boeing 757 with an all-business-class cabin featuring modern lie-flat seats will be used. At a price of $59,950, passengers will experience a journey where "travel itself was a glamorous experience, and the journey was as important as the destination".

JAT's second around-the-world tour, 1974
JAT's fourth around-the-world tour, 1976




Comments

  1. Anonymous13:34

    Beyond iconic!

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous08:27

      Excellent article
      Very good

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  2. Darko13:57

    Fascinantno!

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  3. Anonymous14:04

    First time to hear about this flight, and must say that I am a little bit jealous. Would be great to see Air Serbia A330 on a such tour, around the 🌎

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  4. Anonymous14:59

    Thank you for another great article. I talked to the person who was on one of the followup trips and it was an amazing experience. Thank you.

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  5. Anonymous15:17

    Glorious! Thanks for sharing that with us, I had no clue it ever happened. Interestingly enough, the routes completely skipped the Eastern bloc.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous15:26

      Interesting observation. Maybe because Belgrade have direct flights to all capitals of the Eastern bloc. I am just guessing

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    2. Anonymous15:33

      It skipped all Europeam cities/countries.

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  6. Anonymous15:20

    If internet is correct 864 USD in 1974. is 5737 USD today.

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  7. Anonymous16:54

    JAT was a great company at the time, innovative, proactive and customer orientated.

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  8. Anonymous17:03

    This is an interesting read. Thank you both, Veljko and Luka, for providing it. I can just imagine how good the feeling was onboard but on the other hand, how difficult it was to arrange all these flights, slots, hotels, and permissions. I'm still trying to find out how B707 was configured on Google. Did it have a J class and an IFE system? Can someone help?

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    1. Anonymous18:28

      It had business class in the first two rows and some kind of entertainment system. Given that 707 had 180 seats which is similar to A320, but it was some 10 meters longer than 320, I am pretty sure it was more comfortable to fly on it than on Wizz or GetJet

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    2. Anonymous20:11

      It was Pan Am’s old configuration. Even the seat belts clips had Pan Am inscribed on them. Pan Am was dumping the 707s for 747-100s which it launched. Seat pitch would have been 1970s standard 34 to 35 inch. So yes, very comfortable by today’s narrowbody transatlantic standard but also very noisy because of the 4 jt8d engines.

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    3. Anonymous20:18

      Inflight entertainment was probably looped wired radio with tubed air headsets like on DC-10s later. 4-6 channels of Yugoslav music, ie folk and pop.

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    4. Anonymous10:22

      If I remembered correctly JAT 707 had pop-up screen (platno) and projector for movies. It was white box. And a little bit trivia about YU-AGA itself: Operated by Pan Am from 1959 to 1970 this 707 led an interesting life. Seen in 1974 at Heathrow after returning from a lease to JAT as YU-AGA she was later N711UT and 9Q-CRY when it was impounded at Bristol then stolen at night and operated for a further 3 months before it was seized again in Ankara in 1980 where it was broken up.

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    5. Anonymous10:42

      Interesting because PA 707s had lots of TVs in the open overhead bin area (very advanced at the time compared to the cinema screens). Presumably these were removed before the lease to JAT.

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    6. Anonymous10:49

      https://www.pinterest.com/pin/pan-am-boeing-707-cabin--247346204524293952/

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    7. Anonymous11:15

      Great. I know that JAT invested a lot in 707's to be competitive on markets to US and AUS, when scheduled flights started. Not sure why removed TVs

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    8. Anonymous14:13

      TV's are on 110V in US and 220V here.....oh, no, wait.....

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    9. Anonymous21:40

      Your point? The TVs ran on the plane’s power not mains like they do today. It is not like they would have had to drag a long cable behind the plane plugged in at BEG! It is not like they rewire planes because when they cross the Atlantic they use a different voltage. Most likely PA removed them before leasing the planes to keep their competitive edge. PA were one of the best airlines for service up until the 1970s.

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    10. Anonymous23:15

      More likely to remove unnecessary excess weight (save a bit of money on fuel). Those TVs are monsters!

      Delete
  9. Anonymous18:35

    Beautiful read- thank you so much!

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  10. Anonymous09:05

    It sounds unimaginable from today's perspective.Thanks for sharing

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