Air Serbia’s CEO, Jiri Marek, has said the carrier will utilise one out of four Airbus A330-200 aircraft next year primarily as a back-up to maintain service continuity when one of the three other jets need to be taken out of service for maintenance, as well as ad-hoc charters which are in high demand. Speaking to “AeroTime”, Mr Marek said, “This fourth A330 aircraft will primarily be used as a spare and will help cover for planned maintenance downtime on the other three aircraft. It will also be available for ad-hoc charter services, such as the one operated by Air Serbia in October 2024 between Tokyo and Belgrade, carrying a Japanese business delegation which attended the Serbia-Japan Business Forum. We have lots of requests for those charters, but we never have free capacity because of our long-haul operations”.
Mr Marek explained it was no easy feat for an airline of Air Serbia’s size to go from one to four wide-body jets over the last few years. “For an airline of our size to go from one widebody to four in basically two years is massive growth, which means that we also need some time for the pilots to be able to accumulate enough experience. Then we can start to use this fourth aircraft. But we do not want to use it fully. We want to always have some spare capacity”. As EX-YU Aviation News learns, some pilots are currently undergoing training in Toulouse.
Air Serbia is still due to take delivery of its fourth A330-200, which has been undergoing maintenance in Dusseldorf since August. The special Expo 2027 livery has been applied to the aircraft and its delivery was expected by the end of December, with today’s date as a possibility for its arrival. However, as EX-YU Aviation News learns, this will likely be pushed back into January. Air Serbia currently has three A330s, one of which was delivered in 2021, replacing a pervious unit that was utilised since 2016, another delivered in 2022 and the third this year. Based on existing schedules, which are subject to change, during January, Air Serbia’s 268-seat A330-200 (Mihajlo Pupin), which is considered to need the most work done on improving its cabins, is scheduled on just two flights out of Belgrade and is no longer scheduled on any flights past January 22. The jet is expected to serve as the spare in the wide-body fleet.
In other words they are unable to grow Long haul any further. To have 25% of your Long Haul fleet as a spare will make the Long Haul operations loss making!
ReplyDeleteYU-ARB is on power by the hour contract so not really.
DeleteI love how some people think here that the management does not know wheather something will be profitable or not and are waiting for an anonymous poster to tell them in the comments section.
DeleteP.S JU is about to post a net profit of 50 million euros for 2024.
So much profit so why not invest in a better product?
DeleteThere is an article from last week that they are investing in a better product. Although you are aware of that yourself.
Delete@09:12
DeleteThere were a lot of articles on FF, code-shares, improoving hard product, punctuality, new planes and so on yet little to none has been done. But let's wait and see.
Actually I think this spare A330 is not a bad idea at all. They need to work on long haul market seriously to keep customers. It won't be done with cancellations, Wamos ad hoc's and Pupin cabin. Also there is a potential in long haul charters.
So many pilots and cabin crew left the company this year… the working conditions are horrible, and last month the management cut the salaries for the cabin crew. That is how profitable they are 😂
DeleteCabin crew labor union is basically shut down and workers are just left alone with incompetent performance managers. Hard reality, but the true one unfortunately…
That's exactly how they make a profit. They cut costs. Most Serbian people don't get how capitalism works. If you don't like your job, you quit.
DeleteThat's not how capitalism works. In Capitalism good employees are rewarded for doing a great job. JU does the opposite.
Delete^ I'm pretty sure you don't work there to be in a positron to comment if someone is rewarded or not.
Deleteask how the conditions are in Amazon sites in the US, or waiter who rely on tips to survive
Delete@10:01
DeleteDon't worry, the guy/gal you're replying to, is probably Michael O'Leary. When copying SWA business model he "forgot" one thing: terms & conditions.
We are reading a lot about low salaries and poor working conditions in AirSerbia. I am shocked even to read about this nowadays as I've thought it belongs to '90s and early 2000.
DeleteWith the market saturated by job offers, good job offers and for nice salaries, and where all employers struggle to find the candidates, I don't understand how it is even possible that any company, especially state owned one behaves like that.
Market for the pilots is global, they can find a job immediately at all parts of the world. Similar is for the cabin crew, so I don't understand why company and the management is walking on such a thin ice to lose them all.
On the other hand, why don't they simply quit and Zeke better opportunities?!
^because it is mostly pure fabrication that someone writes here in the comments.
DeleteWouldn't getting Wamos Air or others for unforeseen circumstances be much cheaper! This is nuts! Why stop at 4. Get 5, and keep 2 as spares. Just crazy.
DeleteWhen they get Wamos people here are screaming how it's expensive.
DeleteThis is a sure way to lose money. A plane sitting on the ground, just in case, is not a good use of assets. JAT managed to fly to regularly serve 16 long haul destinations with a fleet of 4 DC-10s. And Air Serbia manages just 3 going onto 4 with Shanghai.
DeleteGood to hear they want to do more long haul charters, even on ad hoc basis.
ReplyDeleteI hope they focus on maintaining service quality and cabin upgrades, especially on older planes like Mihajlo Pupin. Expansion should go hand-in-hand with passenger comfort.
ReplyDeleteThat plane needs some serious work if they want to attract premium travellers.
DeleteIn order to attract premium travelers apart from extensive upgrade of the cabin they need to introduce a FF program.
DeleteWiFi service is a must in 2025. Especially on long haul flights.
DeleteYeah I really don't mind the older economy seats either in terms of confort. WiFi on the other hand is something that should really be prioritized.
DeleteYesterday we saw that it's not only Pupin that has bad cabins.
DeleteI understand the need for spare capacity, but having one aircraft sit idle for most of the time could be costly. I hope they balance utilization to avoid unnecessary expenses
ReplyDeleteThey've probs done the math that the charters + need for backup longhaul aircraft is profitable enough to do it
DeleteI mean there's a lot of charter potential out of Belgrade, mostly to SE Asia, Tanzania, Cuba, etc.
I’d love to see Air Serbia leverage this extra capacity to add seasonal flights to popular destinations like Bangkok
ReplyDeleteNot gonna happen.
DeleteProbably not. But perhaps Zanzibar or Maldives is more feasible.
Delete^ Yes, a few charters a year could work to those
DeleteThey said it can happen only if local tour operators get their act together.
Delete@ 14:36 charters are not the same as seasonal flights..People travel without agency these days...They should add seasonal scheduled flights
DeleteI’m still waiting for them to announce Miami and Toronto.
ReplyDeleteLikely next winter.
DeleteThree aircraft are enough for current destinations including Shanghai and both Miami and Toronto twice weekly as seasonal services. Miami being winter and Toronto summer seasonal.
DeleteIt is highly likely they might schedule Beijing first.
DeleteI think having a spare A330 is a good move. Maintenance issues can ground flights, and this approach will help them maintain schedules without disruptions
ReplyDeleteIs it A330 scheduled for Rome operations in January?
ReplyDeleteI believe that removed it
Delete*they
DeleteNope, they are still there
DeleteRemoved, 319s and 320s flying instead.
DeleteWhat a waste of money. Why don't they launch an extra intercontinental destination and/or increase frequencies on existing routes too?
ReplyDeleteBecause one plane is going to be retroffited next year.
Delete^ and you thing Pupin's retrofit will take a year to complete?
DeleteIt takes around 3 months and it depends on the slot they got at what time of year.
DeleteWasn't that supposed to start on February? Did it changed?
DeleteNo it was not supposed to start in February. It was just made up by someone in the comments here that it will start in February because it was not scheduled on any flights in February.
DeleteI hope the cabin refurbishments include modern IFE systems and better seats. C
DeleteThey need it to compete with larger airlines
Meanwhile American Airlines
Deletehttps://ibb.co/P17N67p
lol I flew pupin to JFK in august the dude next to me was missing the fucking recliner button. even if they were to retrofit their cabins the current ethiad cabins they have are already pretty outdated and would likely not be very competitive. realistically we would probably see major upgrades to the cabins once they have a decent long haul network (probably around expo). if vucic is gonna pull 18 billion dollars out of his ass he might as well put some of that into new planes.
DeleteNo 18 billion is being pulled out of anywhere, it is just ridiculos how people are reapeating that nonsense constantly. The Expo and National stadium cost 1,5-2 billion in overall.
Deletei know it is nonsense, i made a sarcastic remark. gonna be honest with you I really don’t really understand what the whole point of this expo thing is, but the national stadium should cost roughly 250-300 million.
Delete^ how is this aviation related?
Delete@Anonymous14:37
DeleteThat is hilarious. At least the phone charing outlet works🤣
Was there any questions if the airline plans to introduce more E-jets? Or are they going to have just YU-ATB with crews for just one aircraft?
ReplyDeleteI actually think this is very smart, especially if the charters kick in. They seem to be focussed on preventing schedule meltdown from reoccurring.
ReplyDeleteI think long term the long haul aspect of JU will begin to unravel. Being one of only two airlines in the whole of eastern europe to fly long haul is no easy thing and given the airlines inability to offer anything better than the competition i just dont ser the long term viability.
ReplyDeleteThe amount of people who actually hopes it unravels from day one is astounding. I wonder at the mindset of such people. Yet next year it is 9 years of JU long haul flights. But hope dies last I guess.
DeleteDon't know if the amount of people is astounding. Could be just one for all we know. Going into year 9 of long haul and 98 for the airline while being profitable is good news for almost everyone else.
DeleteThe comment was 'Long run'. The idications are that long haul from eastern european airports is very hard to pull off. I personally wish them great success but they do need to pay great attention to their service which isn't great lets face it.
Delete^ how many times have you flown with them long haul to make that conclusion?
DeleteSo most likely no new long haul routes after Shanghai until winter 25/26?
ReplyDeleteYes, that's when they will probably start Miami and makes sense to start it in winter.
DeleteNo, I think they will announce YYZ from May/June within February
DeleteThat would be nice. We will find out soon I guess.
DeleteSmart
ReplyDeleteWhen will YU-ARE arrive in Belgrade?
ReplyDeleteNext month
DeleteIt keeps getting pushed back.
DeleteI do hope they consider to fly some long distance leisure destinations.
ReplyDeleteSound's costly to have an A330 sitting around as a spare when you only have a small fleet.
ReplyDeleteYU-ARB is on a power by the hour contract. Meaning they pay for it only when it flies
Delete^ LOL, no! Power by the hour contracts have a minimum number of hours and therefore minimum charge.
DeleteLessors don't just give you a plane and you pay a lease only and if you are flying it.
The stuff we read here...
Article says YU-ARC Pupin is expected to be spare, not ARB.
DeleteYes, sorry I meant ARC is on power by the hour.
DeletePupin was leased during covid when there were a lot of available planes with very good conditions.
DeleteLessor leased ARC power-by-the-hour without any minimal flight requirement clauses. Calm down, guys. All will be good. ;)
DeleteUtilization of three active aircraft can now be pushed to 6 or even 7 per week knowing another one is on the bench, ready to jump in right away for weather or mechanical issues. For example, YU-ARA while still at Etihad flew AUH-JNB route daily. That route is shorter than BEG-JFK but it shows aircraft with the right schedule and backup could maximize utilization.
DeleteWonder to which destinations they had ad hoc charter requests in the past
ReplyDeleteDo they really need a back up plane? I mean there were very few instances when an A330 went tech.
ReplyDeleteThe issue is when a plane does go tech the entire long haul schedule is impacted for a week or even more.
DeletePlanes should not be going tech so frequently if 1) they are new and 2) if they are serviced regularly. The Etihad experience showed that A330s could be used daily. It had nothing to do with availability of backup aircraft but more with the fact that Etihad’s dispatch reliability was so much better.
DeleteThe South African Airways aircraft YU-ARC really should be withdrawn ASAP. It is such a downgrade for anyone and the business product is not worth it.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteAnother comment was made without reading the news text first.
DeleteInteresting move. Hope it works out.
ReplyDeleteMr. Marek fantasies again! He just invented a good excuse for justifying a plane on the ground.
ReplyDeleteHe said something along the same line months ago. So it was obviously planned and he probably knows better than you.
DeleteOk, they admited, the don't have enough crew and pilots for long haul..It is clearly stated in the article...So if that is the reason for having all these planes sitting around ( not 1, but 2, because we didn't forget its gonna be only 7 flights in total till april, and in april/ may not much more as well) is ok, fair enough,but Air Serbia should've thought about that earlier, when all those pilots had left the company, for whatever reason..
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteThat’s not true. Type rating difference from a319/320 to a33x is just few days of education
Delete
ReplyDeleteAnonymous09:36
So many pilots and cabin crew left the company this year… the working conditions are horrible, and last month the management cut the salaries for the cabin crew. That is how profitable they are 😂
Cabin crew labor union is basically shut down and workers are just left alone with incompetent performance managers. Hard reality, but the true one unfortunately…
…………….
They can find even worse in Europe.
As I could see, they pay even too much pilots in Serbia.
Europe, they are around 2000 euros.
Once, it was well payed job, now it’s practically low cost job with low cost Airlines.
National Airlines offer the water from 2 litter bottle, you get one caramel and that’s it.
It’s gonna be even worse, because companies are looking to spend always less.
They can find a lot of Western pilots in Europe for less money.
Wow, just wow.
DeleteThere was no entertainment on a 13 hours flight from Guangzhou. I hope this is not going to repeat.
ReplyDeleteSorry, who are National Airlines? And pilots don’t just work for low cost airlines which BTW are in the minority for long haul flying.
ReplyDeleteWhy is it always about growth with most of you commentators? Is endless growth the main objective? A small business cant offer a premium product? In my life experience, 90 percent of premium product has come from small family business, whilst only 10 from the " big players". I dont understand this relentless goal of growth. All we hear constantly is the need for growth. It cannot be sustained!
ReplyDeleteIt can. Long haul growth will come at the expense of other airlines in the wider region that can't or won't fly long haul. Regional feed will also grow to provide better long haul and other connections.
Deleteanonymous21:32 Totally agree premium products come from small companies in developed countries usually. And yes, people do not understand than fast exponential grown, also can bring so fast problems, to not use harder words.
DeleteJudging by comments, only billionaire CEOs of profitable airline companies post here.
ReplyDeleteAd-hoc charters during the European winter would be great to places like Australia or South East Asia.
ReplyDeleteI've booked A330 roundtrip flights in January on FCO-BEG-FCO, it seems like the timetable is now showing A319 on both Thursdays, what a dissapointment!
ReplyDeleteCharters, replacements, wet-lease, it will not be grounded.
ReplyDelete