Air Serbia expected to push back China launch
Air Serbia is expected to push back the launch of its new long haul service between Belgrade and Tianjin from late October to December due to delays with the arrival of its second wide-body aircraft, EX-YU Aviation News has learnt. The airline is set to lease an Airbus A330-200 jet from Aircastle Limited. The plane, which formerly operated on behalf of South African Airways, is currently stored In the Arizona desert but performed a test flight in September. Air Serbia is still committed to launching the China service and has received approval from the China Civil Aviation Authority to commence a one weekly rotation. Frequencies remain limited due to China’s Covid-related restrictions.
Air Serbia has not commented on the likely delay of its China service. The carrier previously said flights to Tianjin would commence at the start of the 2022/23 winter season, which begins in just under two weeks. It noted the incoming wide-body aircraft would have a speedy entry into service, which would prevent the carrier from immediately installing its own interiors. Rather, the plane would feature cabins from the aircraft’s previous operator South African Airways. Air Serbia’s CEO, Jiri Marek, previously described taking on the 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”,
Air Serbia looks to eventually introduce flights to Beijing and Shanghai but has opted for Tianjin as its first point in China due to Covid restrictions. “We would have preferred to start with Beijing and Shanghai. However, there are very strict restrictions in China due to the pandemic and also with regard to market access. So, you can't just fly wherever you want. Tianjin was the best alternative”, Mr Marek recently noted. During the next summer season, which begins on March 26, 2023, Air Serbia will have two A330-200s at its disposal, which will enable it to launch two weekly flights to Chicago. “The new aircraft will be adorned by the image of Mihajlo Pupin, one of the other all-time greatest Serbian scientists”, Mr Marek said. The aircraft will complement the other A330 featuring Nikola Tesla’s image.
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