Air Serbia inaugurates second long haul service



AS IT HAPPENED

14.25: Lift off, flight JU702 has taken off for Tianjin.


14.17: Air Serbia's A330-200 destined to Tianjin has pushed back from the gate and is expected to take off within the next ten minutes.

11.30: Check-in procedures for the Tianjin flight have begun, with long lines at the dedicated check-in desks for today's service. The flight from Belgrade is sold out, along with all other flights to the Chinese city this month and in early January.











10.50: The press conference is now complete. Press will now tour the A330-200, registered YU-ARC.



10.30:
Ms Brnabić notes, "I am very happy with the cooperation between Air Serbia and VINCI [Belgrade Airport] concessionaire. That synergy is and will bring excellent results".

10.28: Mr Marek notes Air Serbia is in the final stages of concluding a codeshare partnership with Air China and is also working with Hainan Airlines and several others to unlocking greater connectivity in China. "We want to be the gateway for Chinese passengers in the Balkans. We also plan to grow operations to Tianjin and other destinations in China as soon as Covid restrictiona are lifted", Mr Marek said.

10.20: Prime Minister, Ana Brnabić, said, "After two decades we are restoring flights to China. Tianjin is an exceptional city, the twentieth largest in the world and one of the most important economic hubs in China, which in 2021 had a GDP of 224 billion dollars. Hainan Airlines also operates to Belgrade so now we have Hainan and Air Serbia linking the two countries. As soon as restrictions in China are lifted we expect a big influx of tourists from the country. Before the pandemic, there were 145.000 Chinese tourists in Serbia. After the pandemic, with visa-free travel and flights, you can only imagine the tourist potential". 

10.15: Ambassador Chen Bo notes,  "These flights will bring new opportunities to strengthen relations between Serbia and China".

10.10: The CEO of Air Serbia, Jiri Marek, is now speaking. He notes, "It wasn't easy to come to this point, as Covid restrictions are still in place in China. However, with the help of the governments of Serbia and China we secured all necessary permits. Special gratitude goes to Air Serbia's employees who made this launch possible. In the future, we hope to launch flights to Beijing and Shanghai. We started planning our service to China two years ago. Air Serbia will no longer be the same following this launch. We are becoming stronger and have set the pace for future growth". 

10.09: All set to begin


10.00: The start of the conference is running slightly late. 

09.30: Ahead of the route launch, the Director General of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Tianjin Municipality, Luan Jianzhang, said, "Tianjin attaches great importance to the opening of nonstop flights with Serbia. We began talks with Serbia’s national airline back in April and since then various stakeholders have been involved and are coordinating with each other for the successful launch of this route, including the airport, the transportation commission, health commission and other relevant departments. We will make full use of all the resources at our disposal to promote the service between Tianjin and Belgrade”.

09.25: Officials from Air Serbia and the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade have started arriving ahead of the start of the press conference at 10.00.


09.00: Today's agenda: 10.02 - Air Serbia's CEO, Jiri Marek, will address the press. 10.07 - Ambassador of China to Serbia, Chen Bo, will address the press. 10.12 - The Prime Minister of Serbia, Ana Brabić, will speak. 10.15 - Q&A. 10.25 - Press will tour A330-200 jet registered YU-ARC.

08.55: Tianjin on the departures board at Belgrade Airport.


08.45: Journalists will have the opportunity to tour one of Air Serbia’s two A330-200s, registered YU-ARC, today. The aircraft will feature the cabin product of its previous operator South African Airways, until early next year. 


08.35: The inaugural flight between Belgrade and Tianjin is expected to operate with Air Serbia’s A330-200 registered YU-ARB (Nikola Tesla). The carrier’s other A330-200 jet, registered YU-ARC (Mihajlo Pupin), is expected to operate its first revenue service for the company tomorrow, to Zurich, as flight JU370, followed by New York on Sunday. Equipment changes remain possible. 

08.30: Air Serbia will hold a press conference at Belgrade Airport’s VIP lounge this morning at 10.00 CET to mark the launch of the new route. Further details on the attendees can be found in the article below.



Air Serbia will today inaugurate flights between Belgrade and Tianjin, its first destination in China and its second long haul service. Due to Covid-related restrictions in China, the flights will initially run once per week, each Friday from Belgrade, and each Sunday from Tianjin. The airline will host a press conference this morning to mark the launch of the route. Attending will be Air Serbia’s CEO, Jiri Marek, the Prime Minister of Serbia Ana Brnabić, the Minister for Construction Transport and Infrastructure Goran Vesić and the Chinese Ambassador to Serbia Chen Bo. Tianjin becomes the second destination in China to be served from Belgrade, following the launch of nonstop flights from Beijing by Hainan Airlines earlier this year.

Air Serbia previously noted that Tianjin is being introduced as a temporary measure, until pandemic-related restrictions in China are eased, which would enable the carrier to commence flights to both Beijing and Shanghai. It noted that Tianjin, China’s fourth largest city, would continue to operate alongside the two others, if there is sufficient demand. Tianjin is linked with a high-speed train service to Beijing, taking approximately half an hour. “We are planning at least two weekly flights to Beijing and two to Shanghai with the possibility of increasing the frequency to three weekly and also serving Tianjin depending on the results”, the company previously said.

Air Serbia will have several advantages on its flights to China compared to its European competitors. It is one of the few European airlines which can fly through Russian airspace, reducing flight time and costs. Furthermore, Chinese citizens do not require a visa to enter Serbia, allowing for greater transfer opportunities. Once travel to China reopens for leisure purposes, Serbian citizens do not require a visa to enter the country, a rarity for a European nation. In addition, cargo is expected to play a key role in boosting the new route’s profitability.

In preparation for the launch of the new service, Air Serbia has begun hiring Chinese-speaking Cabin Crew Brand Ambassadors whose main role will be to perform simultaneous translation for the needs of cabin crew and cabin crew leaders in communication with passengers in-flight and with visitors at the carrier’s Premium Lounge in Belgrade. Among other tasks, the Brand Ambassador will “help in solving problems of passengers/cabin crew members/cabin crew leaders in a satisfactory manner”. Furthermore, they will “assists the crew in communicating with ground services in China in order to maintain a smooth flight process and procedures on the ground”.

Covid restrictions are expected to initially have an impact on the new route. Due to quarantine requirements and frequency limitations, the Air Serbia crew operating the service from Belgrade will also be in charge of the immediate return flight. In order to enable minimum resting requirements for the crew members, Air Serbia’s aircraft will have to be parked in Tianjin for just over 24 hours. The airline said, “The ground time that Air Serbia’s aircraft will be spending in Tianjin is not optimal and comes as the results of a combination of various Covid-19 restrictions still in place. We will continue to work to improve that in the future, whenever such an option becomes available".

China has begun rolling back its strict zero-Covid strategy following unprecedented protests across the country last month. People with Covid can now isolate at home rather than in state facilities if they have mild or no symptoms. They also no longer need to show tests for most venues and can travel more freely inside the country. Until now, China had forced people with Covid and anyone who was a close contact to go to quarantine camps. Furthermore, lateral flow tests will replace PCR tests in most scenarios where a result is needed. However, most restrictions related to international travel will continue, although there has been some respite. China has scrapped a system that penalises airlines for bringing virus cases into the country. Furthermore, the amount of time people coming to China must spend in mandatory quarantine has been reduced to seven days of home isolation.

The Serbian carrier is launching its first service to China in the lead-up to the Lunar New Year in late January, which generates significant demand for travel to the country. The Global Distribution System indicates the carrier has sold out all its flights from Belgrade to Tianjin until January 13. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, China was one of Belgrade’s largest international markets, with Shanghai and Beijing the two busiest unserved routes from the Serbian capital.


Services between Belgrade and China commenced 50 years ago, in August 1972, when the predecessor to Air China, CAAC, introduced flights between Beijing and Bucharest via Karachi and Belgrade with its Ilyushin 62 aircraft. In 1978 the airline upgauged its equipment to a Boeing 707 and operated a one weekly service to Belgrade via Karachi and another weekly service via Urumqi. The flights would then continue to Paris Orly and Zurich respectively.


On April 2, 1979, JAT Yugoslav Airlines launched regular charters between the Yugoslav capital and Beijing via Karachi using a Boeing 707 aircraft under its Air Yugoslavia brand. A year later, scheduled flights were introduced as JU610, while the stopover was shifted to Dubai in 1980, Several years later additional flights were introduced operated via Calcutta. On the other hand, CAAC shifted its stopover destination enroute to Belgrade from Karachi to Tehran and in 1989 would replace its B707 on the service with the B767.

JAT DC10 in Beijing, 1999

Upon the collapse of the former Yugoslavia and the introduction of UN sanctions, operations to China were discontinued. They were restored on December 18, 1997, by JAT. Due to fuel shortages in Belgrade, the outbound service often operated via ether Kyiv or Moscow during 1998 and early 1999. Flights were suspended during the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia in the spring and early summer of 1999 but resumed on July 17. They were maintained nonstop until October the following year. In September 2017, Hainan Airlines launched operations between Beijing and Belgrade via Prague with its A330 aircraft. The service was discontinued in November 2018. The carrier commenced nonstop flights between the two capitals in July 2022 with its A330-300 jet.

JAT sales office at the Kun Lun hotel in Beijing, 1999


Comments

  1. Anonymous08:38

    Great article. Good luck Air Serbia!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous08:48

      +1

      Delete
    2. So nice to see two wide-body aircraft in JU colours next to each other. Let's hope even more join in the near future. Good luck JU!!!

      Delete
  2. Anonymous08:41

    Congratulations

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous08:41

    Interesting. I thought they would only use ARC to China. Good to see they use both.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:05

      Lucky pax to Zurich tomorrow :D

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:09

      Certainly an upgrade for them. Not so much for business class passengers to New York on Sunday.

      Delete
  4. Charlie08:42

    Bon voyage.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous14:33

      Agreed, best of luck.

      Delete
  5. Anonymous08:49

    Love the history

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous08:56

    New era for ex-YU aviation starts today. Beat of luck to JU.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:15

      Indeed, beat of luck to Air Serbia.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:07

      Beat of luck!!

      Delete
  7. Anonymous09:03

    Hope to see them in Beijing and Shanghai next.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:05

      That's next up :)

      Delete
  8. Anonymous09:06

    The live updates are appreciated

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous09:07

    Surprised Vucic isn't there. I mean he came when Hainan launched flights a few months ago.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:32

      Consider it a blessing.

      Delete
    2. Im suprised as well..If someone in respinsible for this new route, its him.. Like it or not, and i for fact love it.

      Delete
    3. But he has his hands full obviously...im hoping Pink or some other tv station goes live from BEG soon.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous12:48

      *YU-ARA he is busy with his other criminal business that he scheduled for today. It’s a blessing that we didn’t have to see him on this occasion since he jumps from every corner every day…

      Delete
    5. Anonymous13:26

      Ne botuj!

      Delete
    6. Can we drop the politics, at least here. It's a aviation forum.

      Delete
    7. I agree , thats why I told the hater to knock it off by politely tellim them not to "poop" here....and then a expected reply about bot
      ..🤣

      Delete
  10. Anonymous09:07

    BEG turning into a true hub with JU.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:14

      Is it?

      Delete
    2. 100 % it is and we can say it looks impressive already as we have to remember Serbia and their aviation industry was destroyed by NATO and sanctions not that long ago.

      Delete
  11. Anonymous09:08

    A really big development. Can't wait for Chicago next year.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous09:20

    YU-ARB sleće iz JFK-a oko 11h,nadam se da će biti prilike da se oba A330 nađu u jednom kadru. Srećno JU.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous09:22

    So there is no insurance issue for overfly Russian airspace for ARB? Just if destination is in Russia?

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous09:26

    How long does the flight to TSN take?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:39

      https://www.exyuaviation.com/p/air-serbia-belgrade-tianjin.html

      Delete
  15. Anonymous09:33

    I think it was the right decision to start China early and profit from the relatively small supply of flights.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:35

      Air Serbia has a huge potential here

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:39

      Especially as they have lower landing fees and they are allowed to fly through Russian air space.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:00

      There are transfers from Vienna and Bucharest on today's flight.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:04

      Nice!

      Delete
    5. Anonymous12:06

      On the way there they didn’t use then Russian airspace.

      Delete
  16. Anonymous09:34

    Exciting times

    ReplyDelete
  17. Anonymous09:39

    They need to find a codeshare partner in China to offer flights beyond Tianjin.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:48

      I doubt they will do this before they start Beijing/Shanghai

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:00

      It's interesting that Air Serbia has no codeshare on the Hainan Airlines route between Beijing and Belgrade.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:04

      Hopefully they have a good partner there who can help them cover domestic market as well as regional destinations.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:33

      Well now we know. In the update it says codeshare with Air China is in the works.

      Delete
  18. Anonymous09:49

    So many restrictions in place. But I hope they can make it successfully

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous09:49

    Good to hear flights are selling out fast.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Anonymous09:49

    Seems the choice of destination is driven by cargo as well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:53

      Cargo will probably bring in more money than the sale of tickets.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:55

      Probably in the beginning

      Delete
  21. Anonymous09:50

    Wow, any live steam?

    ReplyDelete
  22. Anonymous10:05

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCLkUWX_jxw&ab_channel=TanjugNewsAgencyofficial

    Evo linka uživo.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Anonymous10:05

    Great, but also would be nice to have some tour around YU-ARC not only for journalists or promotional flight. Maybe to see how JAT was doing that when DC-10 arrived

    ReplyDelete
  24. Anonymous10:34

    Srecan pocetak letova za sada na tri kontinenta.
    Bice ih jos...

    ReplyDelete
  25. Anonymous10:38

    Third A330 will be needed soon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:46

      When China reopens.

      Delete
  26. Anonymous10:39

    Agree. Plus Air China can put codeshare on many JU routes.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Anonymous10:45

    Those Hainan flights to BEG came out of nowhere and are performing really well. Hope Air Serbia will replicate this on this route.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Anonymous10:48

    Does LOT still fly to Tianjin?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:07

      No. Only Air Serbia and Neos to MXP 1pw.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:37

      Thank you. very interesting. That could be an advantage to JU. As someone said there are already transfers on the first flight.

      Delete
  29. Anonymous10:52

    Bravo Air Serbia 🇷🇸🇷🇸🇷🇸

    ReplyDelete
  30. Anonymous11:09

    ARB and ARC photo 😍

    ReplyDelete
  31. BRAVO za sve izvestaje!!! I bravo za sliku oba A330 u istom kadru.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Anonymous11:29

    Браво Г. Поповићу на извештају и на лепим сликама! Свака Част!!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:29

      I bravo za pitanje za codeshare!

      Delete
  33. Anonymous11:40

    Wow this flight is packed!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:11

      I don't think it can be packed because there is some sort of restriction on # of passengers allowed on the flight. But indeed the allowance is fully utilized.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:29

      I think that restriction has been lifted.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous12:33

      Yes, I believe there are no more capacity limits on flights to China.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous13:43

      No they haven't scrapped them. It's still in force. Air Serbia can carry 187 passengers per flight and there are that many passengers onboard today (to be exact a few more because of infants)

      Delete
  34. Anonymous12:34

    Nice job Air Serbia. And kudos to this site.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Anonymous12:35

    Interesting that they were working on this route for 2 years! So they wanted to start it as far back as 2020.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:36

      That's when the first news started that they plan to fly to China.

      Delete
  36. Anonymous12:37

    This will be very beneficial and will help fill these flights even more when they are allowed to start more frequencies.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Anonymous12:38

    I wonder if these nonstop flights to China will have an impact on some other airlines and their flights to BEG like Lufthansa, KLM or Qatar.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous13:10

      It would impact SU.

      Delete
  38. Anonymous12:39

    It's not so surprising that they are working on getting the codeshare with Air China. As far as I remember they used to have one with them before covid. From Vienna to Beijing I believe.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Anonymous12:39

    They did but the codeshare was completely pointless because it required a very long transfer both ways. Plus the price was astronomical.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Anonymous13:44

    How many chinese people live and work in Serbia ? Because as I can see from the photos 90% are chinese passengers .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous13:47

      Well, almost no one else can enter China except for Chinese citizens.

      Not sure on the numbers. I think it has grown significantly in the last couple of years.

      Delete
  41. Anonymous14:22

    It took six years from restoring first long haul service to opening a second one. Looking for more long haul routes in 2023 after Chicago introduction.

    Congratulations Air Serbia and godspeed!

    ReplyDelete
  42. Anonymous14:23

    Vedro ti nebo JU702!

    ReplyDelete
  43. Anonymous14:28

    Just took off. Congrats Air Serbia.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Anonymous14:35

    JU702 is currently in the top10 by flightradar24! 💪🏻
    Bravo Ersrbija, samo napred!!

    ReplyDelete
  45. Anonymous14:36

    Looks like it is not taking corridor over Russia on the route to China.
    Smell of sanctions?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous14:39

      No, it's avoiding Ukranian airspace and entering Russian airspace throgh Baltics. It will enter Russian airspace later on.

      Delete
    2. It might be because it ARB flying. When ARC flies, they will use Russian airspace and cut on time.. ARC is being used for Zurich tmoro and JFK asundat.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous14:50

      It's over Bulgaria now.I have seen YU-ARB after takeoff.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous21:11

      How much is the time difference?

      Delete
  46. Anonymous14:37

    Avoiding Russia.Good luck JU702.❤

    ReplyDelete
  47. Anonymous14:55

    Actually, Air Serbia is the 'only' European airline that can overfly Russia, besides Belavia.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous15:13

      Yes it is. The problem here is that YU-ARB is en route today. YU-ARC has right to overfly Russian airspace, while YU-ARB does not.

      Delete
  48. Anonymous15:01

    It really seems that YU-ARB is not allowed to fly over Russia.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous15:02

      Because of insurer. YU-ARC will. It is actually scheduled on some Moscow flights too.

      Delete
    2. Сачекајте, па ћете видети да ли сме или не сме да прелети ваздушни простор Русије.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous16:35

      Očigledno ne sme jer ne leti uopšte preko Rusije...

      Delete
    4. Anonymous17:46

      Izgleda da neće preko Rusije, trenutno je iznad Kazahstana i ide prema Mongoliji odakle će se verovatno spustiti u Kinu.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous23:11

      Preko rusije je krace samo 20 minuta. Nema potrebe.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous02:10

      Correct. The flight path is here:
      https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/yu-arb#2e7b792c

      Delete
  49. Anonymous15:24

    Are there going to be more photos from YU-ARC cabin?

    ReplyDelete
  50. Anonymous16:36

    I am surprised that Aur Serbia they are not reintroducing Belgrade Beirut route?especially the new Chicago flights will start in the summer .It will be ideal for Lebanese travellers.

    ReplyDelete
  51. JU520 BEGLAX00:03

    What a great day for our region. Bravo Hrvatska advances to the semifinal in worldcup (for the 3rd time in the last 7 worldcups) and our JU is flying the first time in many years to China again.
    Thank you Admin for the great live coverage. Tonight I will sleep with a smile 😊

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, watched both happen.
      It was a nice day.

      Delete
    2. JU520 BEGLAX02:00

      A fantastic day and now we will see more B777 flying to ZAG and on Tuesday a dream semifinal with Croatia-Argentina 🥰😍

      Delete

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