Air Serbia eyes five-member wide-body fleet

Air Serbia plans to operate up to five wide-body aircraft in the future as it prepares to take delivery of its second twin-aisle jet in the coming weeks. “In 2023 we will operate two Airbus A330s. If China proves to be a success story and the markets open up, we could increase to three aircraft. In the long-term, I can imagine a fleet size of around five aircraft on long haul routes”, Air Serbia’s CEO, Jiri Marek, told “Aero Telegraph”. He added, “The two aircraft we will be using now are the A330 Ceo, which offer good value for money. We already have a lot of experience operating this aircraft. On the other hand, in the short and medium haul sector, we are not just limiting ourselves to the Ceo version, because the leasing market is very dynamic and volatile following the pandemic, and we will seize every good opportunity that comes our way”.

Air Serbia is targeting to have all of its cabin crew members trained for the wide-body, with new batches of crew soon starting their courses. Air Serbia is leasing its second A330-200 aircraft from Aircastle Limited with the frame having previously operated for South African Airways. The jet is due to arrive in Belgrade next month and will be put into operation to Tianjin, New York and European destinations. It will temporarily replace the airline’s current A330-200 which will undergo scheduled maintenance during the winter season, after which both twin-aisle jets will be utilised. “In addition to serving future flights to China, which we plan to launch this autumn, this plane will also be deployed on flights to important European destinations that are in high demand”, Mr Marek, said.

The CEO previously described taking on a second A330 as a “big deal” for a regional carrier. “We are very satisfied with the performance of our A330-200 because flying just to one long haul destination with just one aircraft is quite challenging. The new addition will be vital to our further expansion, launching new routes and increasing the frequency of flights in our existing network of destinations”, Mr Marek said. Although yet to be confirmed, Air Serbia is expected to lease the A330 previously registered as ZS-SXW. It was delivered new to South Africa’s national carrier eleven years and has been stored since May 2020, when it was returned to its owner.

EX-YU Aviation News

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