EU: Air Serbia not in violation of Russia sanctions


The European Commission has said that Air Serbia and other non-European Union registered carriers that continue flying to Russia are not in violation of sanctions imposed by the block. In a document clarifying measures imposed onto Russia in the air transport sector, the Commission further explained that insurance companies should continue providing their services to such airlines. “The provision of re/insurance in the context of an international flight in and out of Russia by a non-Russian airline is not covered by the prohibition as it is not for ‘use in Russia’ but part of normal international services provided by the airline. This is also true for the re/insurance of any parts or components for the purpose of conducting repairs to an aircraft, where a non-Russian airline conducts flights into and out of Russia”, the Commission said. It previously noted that while it expects Serbia to align its foreign policy with that of the block, it has no intention of preventing Air Serbia from flying to Russia.

The Serbian carrier has reduced its operations to Russia, while its flights to Moscow and St Petersburg have been subject of sustained hoax bomb threats. The latest such threat came yesterday on its service from the Russian capital to Belgrade while the Airbus A330-200 aircraft was still on the ground in Moscow. The e-mail, which also included death threats against Air Serbia staff, resulted in the inbound flight departing with an over three-hour delay. Other carriers maintaining services to Moscow have also seen a rise in such hoax reports, with Turkish Airline having several of its flights targeted in the last few weeks.

Air Serbia has not commented on its operations to Russia since the war in Ukraine broke out over a year ago. On the other hand, Emirates, which maintains eleven weekly flights from Dubai to Moscow with its Airbus A380 aircraft and six weekly rotations to St Petersburg with the Boeing 777 jet, has said it has no intention of discontinuing operations to the country. Its President, Tim Clark, said this week, “As long as the state, our owner, requires us to fly there, we will continue. We carry humanitarian goods in our holds. We’ve got NGOs traveling in and out of Russia. We’ve got the diplomatic community going in and out of Russia ... so all we’re doing is being an enabler, facilitator, without taking a political position on this for the time being”.




Comments

  1. Anonymous09:02

    Good

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous17:33

      I love these great comments.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous09:02

    The Emirates CEO said it best.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous09:03

    Something that was well known from the beginning.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous09:03

    I believe the EU came out with this statement predominately because of issues airlines were having with insurance.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:09

      Which shows how these sanctions were not thought through before they were implemented. Now leasing companies are going to lose billions from 80 planes being stuck in Russia.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:16

      Many airlines have cited insurance issues for stopping flights to Russia actually.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous19:05

      @"Anonymous09:09

      Which shows how these sanctions were not thought through before they were implemented. Now leasing companies are going to lose billions from 80 planes being stuck in Russia."

      Around 800 planes of western makers are in Russia, these won't be insurable and re-usable anymore because maintaince history of each aircraft must be verified by lessors and by accredited maintance specialist with parts certified by original aircraft makers. In short, western lessors will lose about $150 billion in value of leased planes. Many lessors might go bust as a result. Russia on the other hand is unlikelly to lease another aicraft for a very very very long time for no leasing company would be mad enough to lease an aicraft to a country that ignores international laws.

      Delete
  5. Anonymous09:03

    Facilitator. What a nice word. 'Humanitarian goods' for sure. If you are in need of money you can do despicable things.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:39

      And who do you think are passengers on these flights exactly? They certainly aren't transporting soldiers so I really don't see an issue.

      Delete
  6. Anonymous09:04

    Of course the EU will not insist on banning JU since it would only infuriate the Russian side with which they are negotiating payments in Roubles for gas.

    EU is also starting to feel the effect of the crisis with many countries experiencing sharp rise in inflation (Spain 10%, Czech Republic 11.5%, Germany 7.3%, Lithuania 12%...).

    EU is working on normalizing the situation. On the other hand these flights with JU will considerably improve its image in Russia which is very important since 2.000 Russians have moved to Serbia and brought with them their business. I expect strong O&D demand between the two countries to become even stronger after all this.

    Azur Air has already requested to fly to BEG from June.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:39

      Don't think those June flights are gonna happen.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:45

      Me neither but there is a reason why they applied for them. They know how many Russians left the EU and Russia in order to settle in Belgrade.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:53

      Aeroflot also seems optimistic about resuming flights to BEG in May.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:53

      I meant *too optimistic

      Delete
    5. Anonymous11:41

      If the economic situation in Europe keeps on getting worse then I see them rushing to remove these sanctions and restrictions.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous19:15

      "Anonymous09:04

      Of course the EU will not insist on banning JU since it would only infuriate the Russian side with which they are negotiating payments in Roubles for gas.

      EU is also starting to feel the effect of the crisis with many countries experiencing sharp rise in inflation (Spain 10%, Czech Republic 11.5%, Germany 7.3%, Lithuania 12%...).

      EU is working on normalizing the situation. On the other hand these flights with JU will considerably improve its image in Russia which is very important since 2.000 Russians have moved to Serbia and brought with them their business. I expect strong O&D demand between the two countries to become even stronger after all this."

      You’re like Putin’s PR manager, or totally ignorant of facts on the ground. Ukraine is winning war against Russia, and it is quite likely this war will continue on for some time. Croatia has already blocked Russian Gas and Oil deliveries through its ports, I imagine noumber of EU nations are doing similar, in Fact Poland and Lithuania already announced they’ll cut their links and gas/oil pipes to Russia/Belarus. Inflation went up cause of oil and gas price hike, it’ll stabilize and probably fall as market adjust to new supply routes, i.e Algeria, Azerbaijan, Qatar, UAE, Kuwait, Iraq….
      EU has just imposed economic sanctions on Russia and Putin and they’re likely to be strengthen after evidence of mass murder and war crimes by Russian troops. EU is unlikely to remove sanctions as long as Putin is in power, this could be for another 12 month or 10 years, we’ll see. EU is unlikely to ease situation for Russia and some EU member states want to impose sanctions on Serbia, Poland, Estonia and Lithuania already considering banning Air Serbia from its skies.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous19:22

      @Anonymous11:41
      If the economic situation in Europe keeps on getting worse then I see them rushing to remove these sanctions and restrictions.


      Not sure where you live, but I do live in the EU and am in contact with EU partners on a daily basis, economic situation in the EU is fine, yes we have a slight inflation due to increase in energy costs, which is a norm, but nothing that would halt EU from imposing tougher economic sanctions on Russia…. I mean not sure what channels you’re watching, but if you watched DW, Euronews, France 24, Channel 4 UK, CBS Canada, you’d see there’s no question of relenting on sanctions, US is calling for even tougher sanctions and EU is looking at it as well now. This war will last at least another year or two….


      Delete
  7. Anonymous09:08

    I'm pretty sure Air Serbia is still making a good profit on these flights, which is why they are continuing to fly.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:53

      Definitely

      Delete
    2. Anonymous02:19

      Serbia is making enemies in the EU, only Orban's Hungaey will ally itself with Serbia and Russia, question now remains how soon before Hungary is kicked out of the EU and NATO? How some nations feel about Serbia .... https://twitter.com/i/status/1510717978890887169 and this will only escalate in comming months and weeks. You think EU will forget or forgive, any time soon? Ask these people and see their replies.

      Delete
  8. Anonymous09:08

    "The e-mail, which also included death threats against Air Serbia staff"

    Sick

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:53

      Really getting out of control

      Delete
  9. The only sure thing is when the war ends, and someday will end, I don't know when. Air Serbia will be a "persona non grata" for the Ukraines.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:12

      I wonder if Qatar Airways will be too.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:15

      Given Air Serbia's track record in Ukraine, I don't think anyone will lose sleep over it.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:22

      I'm also quite interested to see Turkish Airlines' operations to Ukraine in the future.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous11:08

      I am not sure Ukrainian airlines will have great image in Serbia too.

      Delete
    5. JATBEGMEL11:29

      @Bel Cielo

      Going by that logic, I guess we wont see JU in TIA either....

      Delete
    6. Anonymous11:42

      Or EK launching TLV.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous11:57

      Cmon Bel Cielo, JU flies to Zadar, Dubrovnik, Tirana, JFK, OU had flights to Belgrade, not to mention all carriers from NATO member states, there is even the agreement on BEG-PRN flights. And the position of Serbia is incomparably more neutral in Ukraine war than in those conflicts. There are flights between Israel and Arab countries too and those relations are by far more complex than Serbia-Ukraine.

      Delete
  10. Anonymous09:10

    Due to these sanctions Finnair was forced to terminate Japan flights as well as delay the launch of Busan. AY also said that because of that they had to reduce their European network as they get less transfers. LJU was one of the first victims with more to come.

    Finnair is set to lose millions from this.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:15

      I believe they are the most affected EU airline.

      Delete
  11. Anonymous09:20

    How many flights does JU have to Russia now?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:21

      11 in total.

      8 to Moscow
      3 to St Petersburg.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:30

      Krasnodar 2x weekly should restart on 22nd April if the airport there reopens.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:34

      I doubt it will reopen by then.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous11:13

      Sochi should start and that airport is not closed.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous11:54

      They are starting it in June.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous16:29

      When is Rostov on Don supposed to resume?

      Delete
    7. Anonymous16:33

      Rostov Airport is still closed.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous16:34

      Flights to ROV are scheduled to start on 15. June.

      Delete
  12. Anonymous09:21

    Did I read this right? Emirates has 11 weekly flights on the A380 to Moscow?!?! And Air Serbia is somehow the problem.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:22

      Yes. Meanwhile Turkish Airlines has 4 DAILY flights to Moscow on the B777.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:24

      JU has mostly been singled out because the Ukrainian deputy foreign minister decided to launch a tirade about JU, without mentioning any other airline. I guess she picked a company she thought was an easy target. Otherwise, no one would have even known.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:40

      How many flights does QR have?

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:41

      Daily with B787 and 3 weekly to St Petersburg with A320.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:43

      A320!? How long is that flight?

      Delete
    6. Anonymous09:44

      It's officially scheduled at 6 hours 5 minutes from DOH and 5 hours 50 minutes from LED.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous09:45

      Should be noted that Etihad also has 11 weekly flights to Moscow. 7 with B787 and 4 with A320. They don't fly to St Petersburg.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous09:48

      Seems that amongst foreign operators, the UAE has the most capacity to Russia.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous09:49

      No, Turkish has more, especially since it also flies to other Russian cities and not just Moscow and St Petersburg.

      Delete
    10. Anonymous09:50

      Does TK fly into Sochi?

      Delete
    11. Anonymous09:53

      No, but Aeroflot flies from Sochi to Istanbul.

      Delete
    12. Anonymous09:55

      TK flies to

      Yekaterinburg 3x per week
      Moscow 35x per week
      St Petersburg 14x per week

      Delete
    13. Anonymous10:05

      So is TK a war profiteer or is that title only reserved for JU? Funny how no one put pressure on TK to terminate or reduce flights yet they did to JU.

      Delete
    14. Anonymous10:07

      I think Moscow is 28 times per week.

      They fly a mix of A321/A330-200.

      They don't longer often send the 777 anymore.

      Delete
    15. Anonymous10:09

      It is 35 weekly from next week. I checked their schedule.

      Delete
    16. Anonymous10:11

      I was in Istanbul 2 weeks ago and on the streets you can hear more Russian than Turkish.

      Delete
    17. Anonymous10:23

      Don't forget that lots of those are actually Ukrainians.

      Delete
    18. Anonymous10:32

      True that is likely.

      Delete
    19. Anonymous15:01

      And you all forgot Etihad who flies daily into SVO

      Delete
    20. Anonymous15:14

      I mentioned Etihad at 9.45 :)

      Delete
    21. Anonymous08:59

      Bit sad that many here are still not getting the point that Turkey is not a EU membership candidate unlike Serbia and keeps making irrelevant comparisons…

      Delete
  13. Anonymous09:27

    Hope this clarification goes some way to calming some people down.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous09:35

    What are the Air Serbia fares to Moscow now? Have the prices come down?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:14

      Check it on their web site.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous16:31

      Return economy fares are hovering around 850 euros.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous16:32

      Most people are buying one way flights.

      Delete
  15. Anonymous09:36

    I hope they will be able to continue with the flights.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:23

      Of course they will.

      Delete
  16. Anonymous09:36

    Just because the EU haven't blocked these flight now, doesn't mean the situation can't change.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:38

      They just said that their sanctions have nothing to do with foreign airline flying to Russia.

      Delete
  17. Anonymous09:38

    Honestly I'm really not sure if Air Serbia reducing Moscow was really down to "external pressure".

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous09:46

    Great, now ADD MORE FLIGHTS.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous09:46

    EU can claim anything but that will not end future bomb threatening provocations most likely from Poles or Ukrainians. Also the amount of negative comments online abouut Air Serbia is not small regarding this same issue. Obviously, some airlines like Wizzair took immediate advantage and stuck a saving refugees banner on their website for quite a long time. In the end, it is all a matter of battle for making money as usual.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:52

      So a few bad reviews written online are more important than thousands of satisfied customers each week that fly on JU? Wizz Air can put up banners as much as they want but in the end JU has the happy customers.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:21

      JU was flying neither to Ukraine nor to Poland before war in Ukraine started.

      So thy are not going to be affected by these threats at all.


      Delete
    3. Anonymous15:09

      @09:52 I really like the fact that there are still flights but I am not persuaded about satisfied customers when the plane is sometimes late 8-9 hours. It doesn't make sense and such delays are not justifiable; in my opinion security at Belgrade airport is not performing well. This entire plane can be checked and dispatched in 3 hrs and not require 8-9 hrs instead. It all comes to proper planning and pro active actions ...something Serbia is traditionally not well known for (and yes by the way I am Serbian!).

      Delete
  20. Anonymous10:02

    Increase flights immediately.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:54

      Agree

      Delete
    2. Anonymous17:44

      2x daily to Moskva
      1 daily to Pitersburg

      Delete
  21. Just as a clarification: Turkish Airlines plans 5 daily flights in between Moscow and Istanbul as of April, all operated by A330-200 aircraft. This makes Istanbul the most served international destination ex-Russia at the moment.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:22

      One more reason to increase flights.

      Delete
  22. Anonymous10:32

    Good news for JU

    ReplyDelete
  23. Anonymous15:15

    Hopefully this puts an end to groundless claims how Air Serbia will be sanctioned, banned from Europe and other nonsense. Obviously Air Serbia knows this full well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. JATBEGMEL16:25

      In fact, apparently Interpol will be treating these threats as terrorism. Congratulations to these individuals. They can now show their patriotism by not leaving their own country without thinking about being arrested, while Poland and Ukraine will soon have diplomatic pressure to arrest and prosecute the individuals.

      Delete
    2. Such claims are not groundless. It all depends how the situation will develop. If the war continues, and EU decides to strenghten the sanction and isolate Russia completely, it might simply put pressure on Serbia as well to choose : EU flights or Russia flights. To put it very clearly : I am not calling for it to happen, but today statement is far from any guarantee that it won't happen. After all, JU did give up on planned increased frequencies to SVO. I doubt by its own will.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous16:35

      Agree with pozdrav. Situation can easily change. Of course JU will choose to keep flights to EU over Russia.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous21:03

      Please keep dreaming out of your own jealousy.

      If EU wanted to stop them it would have already happened.

      That chance is slimmer by the day.

      So keep dreaming.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous21:06

      They have much bigger fish to fry now.

      Delete
    6. Actually that chance is much bigger with time passing and the war going on. And your childish jealousy BS, I will not comment at all

      Delete
    7. Anonymous00:17

      Wishful thinking.

      Delete
  24. Anonymous15:37

    Great, now is the time for Banja Luka to Moscow flights!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Anonymous15:38

    Extremely based

    ReplyDelete
  26. Anonymous16:30

    During the first 10 days of April, almost all Air Serbia flights from Moscow to Belgrade are sold out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous00:42

      That's why they are not stopping flights. They are still making money

      Delete
  27. Anonymous16:30

    Demand from Russia is still strong.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Anonymous16:37

    Well said Tim Clark.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Anonymous18:29

    Government owned Air Ukraine continued to fly to countries that bombed Serbia during 1999 activities. Probably AeroSvit as well. They could have set a precedent at that time by stopping those flight but they didn't. There were no threats to Air Ukraine for continuing to operate flights during that period.

    ReplyDelete
  30. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete

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