Air Serbia to retire Boeing fleet by 2020
Air Serbia is likely to phase out its remaining three Boeing 737-300 classic jets, used by its dedicated charter brand Aviolet, by 2020. As reported by the "TangoSix" portal, the Aeronautical Museum in Belgrade has requested for one of the aircraft to be preserved upon the type's retirement from Air Serbia so it could be displayed at its premises. Branislav Malović, Air Serbia's Officer for Relations with Government Bodies & Organisations, responded that the carrier would consider the proposal, noting that the B737 registered YU-AND, the first aircraft of its type to operate in Europe and the oldest still in operation on the continent, would be retired by 2020.
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| The arrival of Europe's first B737-300 (YU-AND) in Belgrade, August 5, 1985 |
Air Serbia retired one of its B737s earlier this year and currently has three in operation. All of them are owned by the airline and were delivered new to its predecessor over thirty years ago. Despite their old age, most have had a low utilisation rate since the majority were grounded for the better part of the 1990s. Air Serbia runs an average of three rotations per day with the B737s during the summer season on charter flights. The jets are also used as a replacement on mainline operations in case of technical issues or delays with other aircraft. Commenting on the future of the Aviolet brand, which relies on the aircraft, the airline said last year, "Aviolet was created as a brand to take advantage of the old aircraft in terms of how we gave them separation to the mainline fleet. We will always be in the charter market, because that is the nature of the outbound Serbian market. While we have those aircraft, they will be branded as Aviolet. Aviolet remains a good option for us but the interesting thing is to see if it has legs to do something more than just what it is currently doing".
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| "The most modern aircraft in JAT's fleet", 1986 ad |
Last year, Air Serbia's Chief Operations Officer, Declan Keller, said the carrier could invest in the B737 jets and thus extend their utilisation by a further four to five years. However, such a move would require a costly engine overhaul and cabin refurbishment. Alternatively, Mr Keller noted that the airline would consider retiring the aircraft. Initially, the airline planned to retire the jets in 2014. In addition to the three B737s still in operation, Air Serbia's other aircraft of the same type, which have been grounded, are now being cut up and sold for spare parts. In June, the airline sold ten spare engines used by its former Boeing 737-300 jets to Icarus International Group, an aircraft engine parts and component supplier. The ten engines in question are all CFM56-3B1.
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