Air Serbia to roll out new product on latest A330 jet


Air Serbia is set to take delivery of its latest Airbus A330-200 aircraft replacing the existing jet of the same type in its fleet. The twelve-year-old plane, which features a special livery, will also boast a new business class hard product. The airline will no longer offer herringbone seats in its premium cabin, but will instead have staggered lie-flat seating, with two middle seats, and, for the most part, direct aisle access for all seats. Despite the aircraft being previously operated by Aeroflot, it will not feature the Russian airline’s hard product. The new cabins will be installed over the next two weeks. Air Serbia’s existing business class seats, that are to be retired, were inherited from the now-defunct Jet Airways, which previously operated the outgoing A330 aircraft.

Overall, seat capacity will remain similar and the economy class layout will be the same. Passengers in both cabins will have access to personal in-flight entertainment screens with on demand movies, TV shows and music. The soft product will also remain unchanged, with business class passengers having access to a la carte dining, amenity kits and sleepwear, while economy class passengers will continue to be served two complimentary meals and have access to the airline’s Sky Au Pairs nanny service - cabin crew who are specially trained to take care of children throughout the duration of the flight..

As the Serbian carrier prepares to take over its replacement A330-200 aircraft, to be registered YU-ARB, Serbia’s President, Aleksandar Vučić, held talks with the Crown Prince and de facto ruler of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, over the future of the carrier’s partnership with Etihad Airways, among other things. Mr Vučić noted that further talks will take place concerning the arrangement. Etihad reduced its ownership stake in its Serbian counterpart last December from 49% to just 18%. At the time, the Emirati carrier said it would continue to work closely with Air Serbia and the two have since expanded and extended their codeshare partnership. However, Etihad has discontinued its service to Belgrade.

Photo courtesy of Brian Buckley


Comments

  1. Anonymous09:07

    Can't wait to see it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous09:08

    When is the plane expected to enter service?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:10

      In April.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:16

      And YU-ARA lease expires May right?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:21

      Yes but they need to deliver it in its original form.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:22

      True so they need time to return it to previous state.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:37

      Remove the livery, take out their current economy class seats, put back the old ones, take down the wifi antenna and so on.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous09:39

      It would be cool that they take photos of both side by side at BEG :D

      Delete
    7. Anonymous09:43

      Same as they did with the A320 that left in the end all white without wifi antenna, and I assume seats were removed.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous09:44

      JU has to store the seats the plane came with when it was delivered. Before it is returned those are installed.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous09:45

      Ah that's interesting, didn't know that.

      Delete
  3. Anonymous09:08

    What will be the name on the aircraft? No Wifi available anymore?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:11

      Wifi it's installed in BEG.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:11

      *is

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:37

      Good

      Delete
    4. Anonymous11:14

      YU-ARB will be named "Nikola Tesla". ;)

      Delete
    5. Anonymous11:15

      Didn't someone say that it will be after a female?

      Delete
    6. Anonymous11:19

      It would be weird to have Tesla on the tail and then name the plane differently.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous16:55

      Why should an aircraft have the same name as YU-ARA?
      Does anybody know an airline withe the same name on different aircrafts?

      Delete
    8. Anonymous18:50

      @16:55

      Because they are stupid and they lack creativity.

      Basically YU-ARA, YU-ARB and BEG airport as well as its main 'square' are all named after Nikola Tesla

      Exaggeration much?

      Delete
    9. Anonymous20:23

      YU-AMB (DC-10) was also Nikola Tesla :)

      Delete
    10. Anonymous20:52

      Enough is enough.

      Delete
    11. Anonymous21:30

      Anon 20.23
      YU-AMA was Nikola Tesla, YU-AMB was first Edvard Rusjan, later City of Belgrade.

      Delete
    12. Anonymous22:02

      Correct.

      Delete
  4. Anonymous09:08

    "but will instead have staggered lie-flat seating, with two middle seats, and, for the most part, direct aisle access for all seats"
    What can we expect? It seems to me something similar to Swiss or Brussels business class on A330.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:09

      Seems like it. Aer Lingus too.

      Delete
  5. Anonymous09:09

    Good the herringbone seats weren't quite popular because they were turned away from the windows.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:10

      But with 1-1-1 seating it was probably the most exclusive A330 business class flying around.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:24

      Having just one seat in the middle is really uneconomical for the airline. Great for passengers though.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:32

      Not if you are traveling with another person.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:36

      Well the middle seats are turned to towards the window seat on one side so that was an option for people traveling together. The other window seats were really perfect for privacy since it was turned towards the back of the middle seat.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous10:27

      The seats were pretty good in my oppinion
      https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xiv9RROwGNM/YEAAWUpzC5I/AAAAAAAA4U8/eP0VAf2FkqEzFFyEgiCxi5TPS5wVwO1QgCLcBGAsYHQ/s700/Air-Serbia-Business-Class.jpg

      Delete
    6. Vlad11:06

      Not really. The 1-1-1 config sounds good in theory, but if you have a more careful look at the promotional photo, you can see that even the model (who is presumably not taller than 1.85m) can't fully stretch out head-to-toe in lie-flat mode. This is a big problem when you pay $$$ to be able to sleep comfortably on a red-eye flight. That plus the fact that you have to be a contortionist to look out the window for any period of time are big drawbacks. There are 1-2-1 configurations out there where everyone still gets direct aisle access, but retains a comfortable 2m of lie-flat space to sleep.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous11:22

      I flew with JU business class on the A330. I'm 1.80cm and could stretchy out normally, the seats are fine but like Vlad said it is virtually impossible to look out the window which is a shame. Also if you are on the right window seats you are directly facing the person seated in the middle so there is less privacy.

      Interestingly these YU-ARA seats have a do not disturb button, let's see if they install them on the new ones.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous11:30

      As far as I know "do not disturb" button should be mandatory in business class.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous11:33

      I don't think it's that common. At least I haven't come across it.

      Delete
    10. Anonymous10:29

      @Vlad, dude choosing an airline to flying based on "body position for looking out the window" is a criterion only for avgeeks, not for normal people. Nobody cares except a few thousand men on the internet who chair fly Microsoft Flight Simulator in their spare time.

      Delete
  6. Anonymous09:11

    JU has really come a long way in JFK. The route has matured quite nicely and it makes me happy it will be boosted ahead of schedule.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:15

      True. It's been operating 5 yrs now

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:22

      That's exactly my point, many of their other routes didn't last that long: Varna, Budapest, Warsaw...

      Delete
  7. Anonymous09:16

    Great work

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous09:23

    A little upgrade to their entertainment system would be welcomed too. I mean greater variety of movies and TV shows.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:39

      Yes, it's pretty bad but it seems like very few European airlines are installing state of the art IFE. Only TK and AF have the brand new ones. LH Group has the older one from about ten years ago. Only new ones are on the A350 fleet.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:41

      I don't generally have a problem with their IFE since they have a couple of Hollywood movies and couple of Serbian ones and the same for TV shows, which is sufficient for a flight like BEG-JFK. The issue I have with their IFE is that they don't seem to update it very often so you have the same selection for months.

      Delete
    3. Vlad09:48

      "LH Group has the older one from about ten years ago."

      About 90% of the long-haul LH fleet has the new IFE now. Modern LED touchscreens and much higher resolution.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:53

      Those touch screen tvs were installed about a decade ago when new interior was introduced. Only A350 has the LED IFE.

      Delete
    5. Vlad11:12

      I flew an old LH B747-400 FRA-YVR and back in Feb 2020 and had the LED IFE on both flights. They've retrofitted most of the fleet.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous11:57

      No, the B744 fleet was not retrofitted as it is planned to be retired. Only one aircraft type has the new interior: A350.

      B744 has the same interior as the A380, A340, A330... and it's the older version.

      Delete
    7. Vlad13:41

      I'm not talking about the interior, but about the screens alone.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous14:20

      The screens were not changed.

      Delete
    9. Vlad21:35

      OK, then I'm lying and I didn't have the immovable new high-res LED screens on my flights a year ago.

      Some people...

      Delete
    10. Anonymous07:00

      I flew on the B744 last year and the screens were the old ones. Makes no sense to install the new product on a type that is being retired. Btw the old screens were also touch screen.

      Delete
  9. Anonymous09:38

    Interesting that the plane has different engine type than YU-ARA.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous09:39

    It's a shame they won't have 2 A330s in the fleet.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:39

      It will happen sooner or later.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:42

      Having 2 A330s would come with big costs.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:46

      That's why revenue will also increase to cover the increase in cost.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:00

      But what can be the revenue during pandemic. I fear costs would outweigh it.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous10:45

      Well in the pandemic you could secure much lower leasing rates which you couldn't once demand recovered. Also they could use this opportunity to launch ORD especially since JFK is performing better than anyone could have expected.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous14:02

      If a small bulgarian airline like GullivAir can have 3 A332, I don't understand why JU can't have 2...

      Delete
    7. Anonymous19:55

      Cause they're stingy.

      Delete
  11. Anonymous09:42

    So what do people think the talks with Etihad are about? Will they completely exit?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:44

      Maybe a dignified exit where they will find a substitute partner (there was talks of the Chinese). Remember they also found Adria as a substitute when they left Darwin Airline.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:47

      That turned out well...

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:52

      I don't think they spoke much about JU-EY. I think it was mentioned just in passing. I think the focus was on receiving more aid from the UAE. A few days after his visit an Egyptair A33F landed in BEG with medical supplies.

      Delete
  12. Anonymous09:43

    Why do most airlines paint their aircraft in Shannon in Ireland. Any particular reason? Can't it be done in house?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:45

      Nope, special technology and technique is required to paint the whole aircraft. I mean the 90 years sticker Jat Tehnika put didn't last long. Imagine what would happen with a whole livery!

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:46

      Haha good point

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:48

      Who did the painting of the JAT liveries in the 90s? Tehnika? or the planes went somewhere. The three dots I definitely know was Tehnika.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:49

      I should say livery not liveries, there was only one - the wing one, or flame livery as it is more commonly known.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:51

      What are the other venues in the world where a/c can get painted?

      Delete
    6. Anonymous09:54

      I think if the livery is simple then Tehnika can do it but here we are talking about a rather complex livery with overlapping colours and Tesla's face. In the JAT era, I am sure they did everything in Belgrade. I am sure they were trained and equipped back then.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous12:57

      I think they painted YU-APG in BEG, although it was not a complicated thing to do, since it was painted all white, before they returned it.
      SNN is well known for paint job, there are very few places that could paint widebodies in Europe.

      Delete
  13. Anonymous10:02

    What is the point switching existing ARA to ARB and incurring all additional costs for repaint, refurbishment... etc when ARB is not much younger? Is the new leasing rate much more favorable?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:03

      Yes, it's cheaper.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:56

      Anyone know the lease rate?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous12:53

      195.000$ per month

      Delete
  14. Anonymous10:02

    I hope they got the jet at a better rate than the last A330.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anonymous10:16

    What was the Aeroflot registration for this plane? can't see well from the picture

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:19

      VP-BLY

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:24

      Has it operated for anyone else other than Aeroflot?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:26

      No, just Aeroflot.

      Delete
  16. Anonymous10:35

    Exciting stuff

    ReplyDelete
  17. Anonymous10:36

    Good. This further shows their commitment to the JFK route.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hows Shanghai/China not a priority for AirSERBIA, is beyond my understanding....
    What is going on?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:26

      At the moment it would not make much sense considering China is closed for most inbound and outbound travel.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:57

      For those flights to begin it would need another A330.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous11:57

      it would make so much sense with all the talks about vaccines and EU not wiling to recognize chinese jabs

      Delete
    4. Anonymous12:01

      China is considered a safe country by the EU so Chinese can travel to the EU with very few restrictions, regardless if they are vaccinated or not. Only issue is China does not let its citizens to travel.

      Delete
  19. Anonymous11:25

    Plane heading to Netherlands to get the new seats.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:25

      https://www.flightradar24.com/VPBLY/2716a6d5

      Delete
  20. Anonymous11:56

    Air Serbia needs two Airbus A330s

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:58

      Why?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:36

      So they can use existing discounted aircraft leasing rates and launch more long haul routes.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous21:56

      And lose even more money then it is now? The A330 operates at about a -30 to -40% rate (revenue minus direct operating costs). It's a political aircraft, nothing more. The economics of that operation are horrendous.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous21:56 , your comments are extremely funny and continuous to show how much you hate their success in USA . FYI just cargo alone is making a huge profit on their single 330. Load factor and casam shows magnificent numbers.. sorry to disappoint you . Your lies are old and nobody cares to listen to it anymore .

      Delete
    5. Anonymous22:54

      Calling JU flights to JFK political is insult to tradition of decades of JAT flights to the JFK and around the world. Political was a decision to block JAT from long distance flying in 1991.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous23:26

      It was in 1992.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous07:03

      Basically JU today is just returning to the pioneering days of world aviation when Serbian AeroPut was expanding and was among the first to offer transfers from central Europe to the port city of Thessaloniki.
      Civil aviation and Serbia have a long history of tradition.

      Delete
  21. Anonymous11:58

    I would love to see this plane at my airport SKP :) I hope they do a regional tour like they did with the first A330.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:36

      Would be nice

      Delete
    2. Anonymous13:12

      That would be amazing. They could get a lot of free press and people would pay to fly, since we all are missing the feeling.

      Delete
  22. Anonymous11:59

    YU-ARA has proven extremely reliable. In terms of technical performance I think only 1 flight was cancelled because of an issue for 5 years. That's pretty good and important for an airline relying on a single wide body. Hope YU-ARB performs the same.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:35

      And when I remember how people said that the schedule would be a disaster because the plane would often go out of service etc...

      Delete
    2. Anonymous15:44

      One airplane operation is always a gamble. All it takes is a ground collision with a service truck or something similar, and it could be out of service for weeks.

      Delete
  23. Anonymous12:35

    What is the pitch in economy?

    ReplyDelete
  24. Anonymous12:56

    Any chances for dirt cheap promo flights to ZAG, BNX, TGD and SKP with this beauty just like they did with ARA?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous14:24

      No as they don't have to train and familiarize the crew anymore

      Delete
  25. Anonymous13:13

    Does anyone know will the economy cabin be “refreshed”?

    ReplyDelete
  26. You’re doing a great job Man, Keep it up.

    ReplyDelete

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