NEWS FLASH
Air Serbia has said it looking to add two Airbus A321 aircraft to its fleet. The carrier’s CEO, Jiri Marek, noted, “We are currently looking to add two A321 aircraft, which could potentially join our fleet this summer”. The A321 aircraft has the capacity to seat up to 220 passengers and would become the largest single-aisle aircraft in Air Serbia's fleet, if it manages to find the jets for lease on the market. On ocassion, Air Serbia deploys its wide-body A330-200 aircraft on select short-haul services from Belgrade to Zurich, Moscow, Barcelona and Istanbul.
And so it begins...
ReplyDeleteOH MY GOD !!!
DeleteNo way!
And here I've been saying this for three years and they were calling me nuts, 'too much of an aircraft' etc.
Hello JATBEGMEL.
It seems like a divine intervention happened at Air Serbia's headquarters.
Well three years ago it was too much.
DeleteThat's called long term planning.
DeleteI've got the same reaction a month ago.
Three years ago it was Covid and they could have gotten them very cheap.
Delete2-3 years ago it was covid and no one knew what to expect and how long it would last.
Delete@12,53
DeleteIt says they are looking into it. Lets wait and see. It would be nice to see the A321's in the JU livery in the JU fleet, I just think that at this moment that it's too much capacity and that they could so with some more A320's first. Nothing wrong with having a different opinion.
Also, alot has changed in the last year let alone 3.
Another one here who was saying A321 needed in JU and being criticized about it 😃
Delete+1
DeleteBravo mr. Pozdrav!
DeleteThis will probably be wet-lease. After September JU does not need a321 untill June 2024. Plane which is best for JU is a320 (174 to 180 seats) in combination with a319 ( 144 seats) and ATR 72-600 (with 72 seats), and they will proceed with severall aditional plans of this type within next 12 months. Sometimes for more frequent routes - is will be better to have more flights per day insted one flight with big plane. And passenger numbers and LF will be better with smaller planes.
DeleteI think the A321 starts to make sense from April until the end of September. That's when there is enough demand for it. People have more disposable income, Belgrade is becoming increasingly popular as a tourist destination and soon congress tourism should start developing even more. All this will stimulate demand for air travel.
Delete@ xxx
DeleteI agree. Better to go with extra frequencies rather than extra capacity. Other than the peak summer travel period, I also don't see the need for A321's just as yet.
Real question is can the A321 make so much money in season (May-October) to justify smaller profits and revenue the rest of the year.
DeleteAt this point the A321 can make sense around Christmas when there is increased demand.
I guess JU sees a point in introducing it so commercial logic must be there.
+1
DeleteA321 can fly almost year-round on Zurich, Istanbul and Moscow.
DeletePlus the LCA flight on Sundays that leaves BEG at 10.20.
DeleteFlight back always does well.
And MAD, CDG, LED…
DeleteObsession with LCA.
DeleteWhy not TLV?
This is logical. I always said the A321 in summer makes so much sense. The A319 served its purpose but it has become useless under current market dynamics.
ReplyDeleteI would also add LIS as a potential A321 destination. They can't add more frequencies while flights on the A320 recorded phenomenal advance bookings.
One thing that worries me is that Marek is looking for two A321s so late. This reminds me of their stupid idea to terminate the lease for YU-APG which is currently flying for Israir.
That with YU-APG was so stupid.
DeleteYes, it was beyond stupid, I agree. Especially since a few months after that they went into turbo expansion mode. It only goes to show that they lack long-term planning.
DeleteI totally agree, like the idea.. But maybe a bit too late as summer is around the corner. Hope I'm wrong. Good luck!
DeleteWhat makes you believe they wanted to terminate the contract? I mean, there are a million reasons why this contract had to be terminated that we do not know. I hate when amateurs who are not part of the company speculate about contract they never saw.
DeleteBecause I know for a fact that YU-APG was terminated just because they were not sure what the situation will be like with covid.
DeleteAnd by the way, you hate it when others supposedly speculate yet you don't seem to mind when you are doing it.
Well, good luck finding one (not to mention two) A321 on the market now....
DeleteIf they can't find wet leases then they should just secure a long-term dry lease and get it over with. They will need it next summer anyway.
DeleteAre you sure they plan on wet leasing them, and not dry leasing them from the start?
DeleteGiven by what Marek is saying, I wouldn't be surprised if they themselves are not sure. They are probably looking for the best deal out there.
DeleteAir Moldova is about to go bankrupt, do they have some A321s?
DeleteThat's not how it goes.
DeleteIts not a pair of socks you just inhert because someone goes bankrupt.
When was it given to Israir?
DeleteWho said anything about inherenting? If it becomes available on the leasing market then JU could make an offer.
DeleteLeasing houses love when their planes experience a smooth transition from one operator to the next. Worst thing for them is when the plane is parked.
DeleteAnon 13.29
YU-APG joined JU's fleet in March 2014 and was withdrawn from service on 30.03.2020.
It has been flying for Israir from 24.12.2022.
A321 can be money machine for airline. Operating costs are about the same as A320 but can seat up to 40 more passengers. This aircraft is in very high demand also. Just 2 days ago Alaskan Airlines decided to put for sale entire 321 fleet.
DeleteAnd that's why Air Alaska sold since they were so good?
DeleteBecause Alaska never purchased Airbus aircraft. The ones they had they got when they purchased Virgin America. Since covid they retired all A320s and now A321s are on their way out.
DeleteI think they will replace them with B737 MAX 9.
Alaska airlines is trying to sell and get rid of their A320's and A321's, they're desperate to get rid of them for their own future development plans. so maybe get a good deal from them.
Deletebut personally for the unstable future of serbia I would still think have an entire embraer fleet for europe would be more of a secure approach, with 30 embraer jets less capacity but more efficient and can increase frequency.
@Nemjee " The A319 served its purpose but it has become useless under current market dynamics. "
DeleteNot under current market dynamics. For more than a decade airlines have been replacing A319 by A320 and A320 with A321. Just look at the A319NEO vs A320NEO orders over years. Dane was aware of it when they ordered A320NEO in Nov 2013 to replace those A319s. NEOs were supposed to arrive in late 2018 but the airline didn't grow fast enough and had other financial issues. Trend to grow A319->A320->A321 has been known for a very long time.
When I mentioned market dynamics I meant the ones regarding JU, not in general.
DeleteI do agree with what you wrote though.
Also Aegean is phasing and returning to the lessors their a321-200 ceo . And they are very well maintained !
DeleteWhy?
DeleteWhy wait so long!? They could've done this a month ago at least
ReplyDeleteThere was not so much demand a few months ago.
DeleteGreat news. About time.
ReplyDeleteInteresting, finding a A320 is an easier job but A321....and they will most likely be seeking for an all-economy plane if they are mentioning Barcelona and Zurich. Again, this will leave JU with a cocktail of different models: E195, ATR, A319, A320, A330 - some of them Romanian and A330 with different interiors. Some planes will have "business" class others will be all-economy. Might hurt their branding and it is too risky to have such a huge variation of models for a relatively small airline.
ReplyDeleteCan only think of Wizzair for a quick A321 lease or perhaps or Latvia's SmartLynx.
All narrow bodies are all economy. They just block the middle seat for business like an 99% of other European airlines.
DeleteDoes APO now have an all economy interior after maintenance in Istanbul?
DeleteNo.
DeleteActually, I might be wrong but I think Dan Air A319 doesn't offer business class. It can operate on routes with an all economy demand.
DeleteAlso I noticed that for some flights to BCN they don't offer the option of business class. It could be that one of the wet leases won't have that option either.
Absolutely no need for business on some destinations such as Barcelona, Málaga, Lisbon, etc. Airlines usually make more money on filling the entire plane regularly rather than having a 40% LF on business. A319 is no longer economically sustainable as an aircraft. JU will also need to compete with W6 when they station their next a/c in BEG this summer by using larger capacity planes on busier routes. Their A321 239-seaters allow them to do wonders.
DeleteAlmost every flight to BCN has business class passengers. Its a destination that attracts all sorts of travelers. My guess is that demand is larger than supply which is why they have to do it. There is a reason why W6 feels comfortable enough to upgrade it to daily.
DeleteThey don't offer a business class on any wet leased planes, it's been like that for years. I have been downgraded numerous times, without any proactive information or anything. I would be fine with just keeping the seat, but in such instances they just reseat you wherever. Never received any feedback on claims, not even through Etihad Guest as status member. Unfortunately, Airhelp, etc. don't do downgrade cases. Anyway, the EU regulation on downgrades isn't that great from a customer point of view.
DeleteI find it incredibly poor customer service to just downgrade you without contacting you in advance. As a business class passenger you pay a premium and expect at least decent service if not excellent service.
DeleteI remember years ago when Dane was CEO, quite often it happened that one of the A319s with a dedicated business class product would be replaced by an ancient B733 with a worn out cabin. Business class passengers were given a note with an apology and a voucher.
DeleteDane had many flaws but he did pay attention to details. When he left all of that stopped and JU onboard experience went downhill.
Under Marek's leadership things are not heading in the right direction especially when it comes to JU's commercial strategy. More often than not we read his statements but very little comes out of them.
They should bring back Dane and offer him the job of chief commercial officer.
I can't forgive Dane for his stupid 'boutique' approach. Almost ruined Air Serbia.
DeleteIt was an idiotic concept but that is not what almost killed Air Serbia.
DeleteWhat almost killed them was the fact that the entire airline was run from Abu Dhabi. People who had no clue about market dynamics were in charge of pretty much everything, from pricing to the network. Only department which was free to act on its own was the alliance department.
On top of that, A6-SAA and A6-SAB were a nightmare from an operational point of view and were causing massive delays on a daily basis.
Air Serbia's management back then had its hands tied. That is why JU started growing once all these things were moved to Belgrade.
p.s. pricing department was especially idiotic. I still remember their Happy Friday sale to Budapest for €169.
Too little, too late.
ReplyDeleteWhy too little?
DeleteHe probably means that the airline needs many more aircraft to fly its schedule.
DeleteAnd consider about all the aircraft not flying due to maintenance.
Alaskan Airlines is selling all of A321 fleet. Just came in two days ago. Mostly around 5 yrs. Old aircraft’s.
DeleteAnd all NEOs, I don't think that's a fit. Anyway, too much demand for these aircraft.
DeleteJU should grab one or two of those Alaskan babies.
DeleteTo lease, yes.
DeleteMore preferable NEO than Normal Version…
ReplyDeleteThis goes to show that they have a chronical planning disorder!
ReplyDeleteHahahah is that offically a new aviation disease??? :)
DeleteShould I call you mister?
DeleteIf you like.
DeleteI think "doc" is more suitable
DeleteA number of carriers are going bankrupt. This is an opportunity to get some planes at a good price!
ReplyDeleteAir Moldova has A321.
DeleteSeriously?
Delete23 years old...
DeleteThey should have offered all of their crew and pilots to move to Belgrade and fly for JU. These 23 year old A321s are fine and could be used to boost capacity over the summer.
DeleteAre they not flying for Air Moldova currently? Or are they affected because of the nearby war?
DeleteAir Moldova has been grounded. Their local aviation directorate has forbidden them to sell tickets because it is working in the interests of another local airline.
DeleteWow.
DeleteDo you have a link to read more about this?
I remember when they announced flights to Moscow and St. Petersburg the government immediately tried to ban then from flying there. They were planning on offering connections between Russia and the rest of their network.
DeleteMoscow was planned as double daily with A321 and I can't remember now about LED.
Don't know if they ended up launching these flights in the end.
Will they be able to find at least one A321 before charter season peak in July and August?
ReplyDeleteDo they plan to take A321 it wet lease or dry lease?
ReplyDeleteWet.
DeleteSo 2 more wet lease, that makes it 11. Well that will make them money.
DeleteThe article doesn't specifically mention dry or wet lease, but my impression is that they plan on dry leasing it.
DeletePilots can easily switch within 320 family since they already have single type rating. Only brief introduction is needed with few flights. Mosltly take offs and landings.
DeleteThanks for explaining.
DeleteWet lease first, then dry lease, wait for livery etc. Plan dry lease now in order to have aircrafts done in October. What is the cost of A321 dry lease, this depends on frequencies, old vs newish aircrafts, 4 million USD a year?
DeleteWhich planes are wet leased right now?
DeleteToday:
DeleteA319 Dan Air
ATR Air Connect
B738 ETF
When another ATR Air Connect arrives?
DeleteThere are montenegro aircrafts multiple , air conect two, dan air, trade air multiple. Of course not all of them are flying every day, but during 3 or 4 days every single plane is flying. This is only during the mart and April.... Imagine july and august....
DeleteAir Montenegro has not been flying for days, and so far only one Air Connect plane has been.
Delete@ anon 15:22
DeleteIn July and August JU has no scheduled technical checks for their planes.
No need to imagine anything.
If you think that current fleet can sustain this summer with only 4 wet lease... You than imagine a lot of things... What if i told you by fact that there is going to be 9 aircrafts wet leased at least this summer. Google a little bit what happened to airlines that expand this quickly and this wast 98% went bankrupt. I really hope it doesn't happen i really do because of people still willing to work there despite the low salaries.
Delete@anon 15:22 you think this 15 years old aircrafts won't have issues? I really love that company but they will bring it to collapse with this policy
DeleteAir Serbia will be fine because most routes they launched were primary or secondary destinations anyway. It's not like they launched 20 tertiary destinations such as Tabriz, Van, Kutaisi, Pescara, Debrecen...
DeleteThey are growing this fast because they have a lot of catching up to do. Their fleet management is wisely being undertaken and I would say that they are building a decent network instead of growing left and right like Kingfisher or Etihad did about ten years ago.
Anonymous17:18
Delete“Google a little bit what happened to airlines that expand this quickly and this wast 98% went bankrupt.”
It is just the opposite, if companies do not expand they go bankrupt.
First slowly and then suddenly!!
I can't think of a more desirable model for wet leasing in the peak season, so "seeking" for it this late sounds more like a whishful thinking than something a serious company would waste their resources on. Dry lease makes much more sense to me
Delete+1
DeleteThis might the JU's long term plan. The whole A319 fleet will be retired and instead keep A320+A321
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely.
DeleteShould off long time ago.
Wonder what took them so long.
It's called demand.
Deletedemand has to be planned.
DeleteYou mean, you have to plan for demand, try to anticipate it. Doesn't always work out.
DeleteWell done, AS!
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteWizzier than Wizz.
ReplyDeleteWhat does this have to do with anything from this article today? Try to concentrate on the article on hand.
Delete@13:30
DeleteYes. The wish came true.
anon 13:06
DeleteAir Serbia A319ceo CASK is not competitive against Wizz A321 let alone Wizz A321NEO. Air Serbia needs A321 not just due to increased demand but to lower and wizzify the costs on routes where it directly competes such as BEG-BCN or LIS.
A321 is needed to get Wizzier than Wizz.
A321 only makes sense if you can fill it and JU can do it on a limited number of routes. Wizz Air does really well in Belgrade because they have a decent commercial strategy as we saw in the second short news piece today.
DeleteAir Serbia on the other hand lacks a real commercial strategy and we haven't seen much since they appointed Bosko Rupic to this key position. They still don't have a frequent flyer program, no real corporate program, no real and strategic advertisement etc. This is where JU needs the most work.
Their network has been growing but the commercial department is lagging behind. Some routes like Malta, Nice etc. need a lot of support from the marketing department to work out in the end.
+1
DeleteWizzair could wet lease 2 A321s for AirSerbia :D
ReplyDeleteWhy would they effectively help their competitors?
DeleteThey will have huge trouble crewing their flight come high season, let alone someone else's.
DeleteGood news is that YU-APO just took off from SAW and is heading back to BEG.
ReplyDeleteI guess from tomorrow JU should have 2 A320s in service.
Where is APH it has been gone for a long time?
DeleteHopefully the entire fleet will be operational soon
YU-APH has been in IST since March 9th, no idea when it will come back. YU-APA has been stuck at Jat Tehnika since December waiting to be fixed.
DeleteMeanwhile, Jat Tehnika keeps on working on other planes without a problem. Sun Express, Air Peace and so on keep on arriving and departing without a problem.
Meanwhile it took them seven months to fix YU-APB.
And YU-ALY?
DeleteThat one is in Sofia for regular maintenance. Hopefully it comes back sooner rather than later.
DeleteIt's a D check?
DeleteAnd APN?
DeleteAPN is in Naples.
DeleteYU-APD did not fly today either. Does anyone know why?
DeleteIs this a joke or JU has only one single operational A320 at the moment?
Delete^ You are talking as if they have a 100 member A320 fleet and now they have 1 lol.
DeleteBetter that one too. Until yesterday, they didn't even have that one.
DeleteWell, from 3 to 1 there's certainly a big difference.
DeleteYU-APO arrived from SAW and is flying to CDG this afternoon. Very good news.
DeleteIs airserbia planning to dry lease the a321 or wet lease the a321?
ReplyDeleteWet.
DeleteWhen is another new ATR coming? YU-ASB?
ReplyDeleteIn May
DeleteWhen in May?
DeleteThey didn't give a date and time. They said one will come in May and another in August. It was published here recently.
DeleteIt seems that Air Serbia currently doesn't know what seek
ReplyDeleteNordwind Airlines from Russia has quite a few A321s and as they are banned from flying to Europe they have a lot of them stored even some in LJU if they didn't take them back. So could this be opportunity for Air Serbia for maybe a bit cheaper A321?
ReplyDeleteYes. What great marketing for Air Serbia that would be.
DeleteWho cares about previous operators?
DeleteA plane that has been stored for over a year certainly can't enter into service quickly.
DeleteSo basically, for the airline to be fully operational and meet all its targets it must have the entire fleet, staff and preparations ready by the first week of June at latest especially with the seasonal new (old) routes: OHD, VAR, RHO, CFU, etc. Giving them a time of 1 month and a couple of weeks.
ReplyDeleteWhat is worrying is that JU152 to BUD has been cancelled various times including today's flight. Unsure if it is due to lack of demand or aircraft. I really hope it goes well for them on this route but Hungarian aviation seems to be quite stagnated at the time being compared to many EU countries and especially in March according to Eurostat:
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=615742697261393&set=a.298718162297183
Hungary is quite down the list....
Does anyone know the operational cost differential between 320ceo and 321ceo versions? Or put it the other way, would the cost of flying 321ceo which is 3/4 full be dramatically different than flying a full 320ceo. I understand that there is a lease rate differential, but that would hopefully be fully covered by higher aircraft utilization in the summer months. Then, the only difference that will need to be covered is the operational cost per hour of flight and maintenance.
ReplyDeleteA321 consumes more fuel and requires an extra crew member. However none of these represent such a large difference compared to the A320.
DeleteWhat matters is if there are routes and markets where JU can fill the A321. At this point it seems to make commercial sense for JU and I agree with them.
As they keep on putting greater focus on leisure routes, capacity increases will become a must. These past few Saturdays they had 3 flights to Hurgada in the afternoon. That's 432 one way seats. These three A319s could be easily replaced by 2 A321s.
Three A319s require a minimum of 15 crew members while two A321s require one less. It's also less of a hassle from an operational point of view. It's much easier to dispatch and service two planes at BEG than three.
Well said.
DeleteNemjee, just one small remark - A319 is staffed with 3 cabin attendants (50 pax - 1 FA). A320 is staffed with 4 of them (162 APO - 174 APH - 180 APS).
DeleteZurich, Barcelona.
ReplyDeletePMI in summer, currently the three weekly on the A320 are more or less sold out. PMI is not a destination where frequencies are king. Here tour operators like certain days so priority should be given to capacity rather than frequency.
DeleteLIS as well but mostly because of slot restrictions.
Tel Aviv.
DeleteIntroduce Ibiza.
ReplyDeleteParty city
Delete