Air Serbia will finally take delivery of its fourth Airbus A330-200 aircraft (pictured) in the coming days following a number of delays. The jet, which has been undergoing maintenance in Dusseldorf since August 2024 in preparation for its handover by the lessor to the Serbian carrier was initially to arrive in November of last year, which was then pushed back to December, then January and is now poised to arrive next week due to maintenance and supply chain issues. The aircraft in question is ten years old and formerly operated for Etihad Airways and Air Belgium. It was in storage between 2019 and 2022.
Just prior to exiting the Air Belgium fleet in preparation for its handover to Air Serbia by the lessor in June 2024, a ground vehicle at Paramaribo Airport in Suriname collided with the aircraft, which required it to undergo substantial maintenance. The A330-200, which will carry the registration YU-ARE, has received Air Serbia’s EXPO 2027 decals. Last week, the jet underwent two test flights in Dusseldorf and is now in the final stages of preparation before delivery. The 262-seat plane features the Etihad cabins, including 22 business class seats in a 1-2-1 layout, and the remaining 240 in economy in a 2-4-2 configuration.
Air Serbia has said it plans to use one of its four A330s this coming summer primarily as a back-up aircraft and for ad-hoc charters. “We will primarily use one as a spare and it will help cover for planned maintenance downtime on the other three aircraft. It will also be available for ad-hoc charter services, such as the one operated by Air Serbia in October 2024 between Tokyo and Belgrade, carrying a Japanese business delegation which attended the Serbia-Japan Business Forum. We have lots of requests for those charters, but we never have free capacity because of our long-haul operations”, Air Serbia’s CEO, Jiri Marek, previously said.
Air Serbia A330-200 deployment, January 2025
The airline has indicated it plans to retrofit cabins on its two older A330s to match those in its two newer additions. The jet registered YU-ARC, which features the most outdated hard product in the carrier’s long-haul fleet, is expected to be the first to undergo a cabin reconfiguration. “For an airline of our size to go from one widebody to four in basically two years is massive growth, which means that we also need some time for the pilots to be able to accumulate enough experience”, Mr Marek noted.
I think Air Serbia will be the first airline that has an identical special livery on two aircraft. Could they not have changed this second Expo livery to make a bit different from the first? Not to mention that the livery itself could have been much more creative.
ReplyDeleteAgree.
Delete+1,000,000
DeleteCouldn't they have one A330 with the regular airline livery?
^ that would be nice
DeleteAgree
DeleteI've almost choked myself from from laughing after reading your statement:
Delete"I think Air Serbia will be the first airline that has an identical special livery on two aircraft"
C'mon...here's just one example...
https://flyrosta.com/emirets-livery/
Me like it a lot:)
DeleteBravo JU!
Delete@10.57 but they all have different variations. The EK Expo liveries have different colours. The JU ones are exactly the same.
DeleteI have seen this aircraft in Dusseldorf many times. It was always parked outside on the apron at the exact same spot and it didn't look like it was undergoing any maintenance. The livery was applied in full in November already.
ReplyDeleteDid you read about the supply chain issues?
DeleteYou saw wrong.
DeleteWhy is it taking so long to get these aircraft into service?
ReplyDeleteBecause parts are missing on the market. And since some people on here thing is it some sort of a conspiracy thought up by Air Serbia have a look at some other news these days
Delete“Engine repairs used to take 90 to 100 days, but now they take 350 days due to a sudden surge in demand and a shortage of parts.", Wizz Air CEO - https://www.exyuaviation.com/2025/01/wizz-air-plans-20-growth-but-ex-yu.html
^^^
DeleteA330s do not have these engines
It is not about engines it is about the fact that everything is taking significantly longer to acquire. If you are unaware of that than you are either not in the aviation industry or know very little about the state it is in at the moment.
DeleteIt takes less time to fully assemble new A330 than for so-called German efficiency and engineering to perform heavy maintenance on A330. Supply chain issues are not affecting brand new factory builds as much as maintenance.
DeleteYes, aircraft deliveries are significantly delayed due to supply chain problems, airlines are revising their schedules, complaining about production issues but anon 9.14 knows better.
DeleteLook at the times it takes for other A330s heavy maintenance.
DeleteThe aircraft was hit by a ground vehicle. It had to fly from Suriname, which is in South America, to Europe with retracted landing gear and a low altitude. So you perhaps you can appreciate that the damage was obviously substantial.
DeleteNew aircraft deliveries are going so well that if you order a new plane today you can expect to get it delivered in 10 years.
DeleteNot if you order E2. Those are backlog issues and lack of production capacity.
DeleteThey should have gone for another A330.
DeleteIt flew to Bangor, Maine first. But look at the shorter time it took YU-ARD in Lisbon last year. That one didn't collide with ground vehicle.
DeleteEver heard for supply chain issues? Obviously not.
DeleteAir Serbia should start looking for additional A330s if they want to get them operating in 2026.
DeleteAir Serbia should get first enough short haul aircraft so as to not have to wet lease year round capacity from the Bulgarians and Lithuanians.
DeleteNot if it's cheaper and easier to wet lease than other options.
DeleteThe delays are frustrating.
ReplyDeleteBetter late than never.
DeleteAccident in Suriname did not help.
DeleteActually, no rush at this time. New long haul routes will not be announced until new plane arrives. And if it does within February, it’s good time to announce new route for June. Just in time
DeleteI wonder if JU is serious about MIA and if this was delaying the introduction. If they aim for winter (Florida tourist season) they should likely announce it in the next month or two.
DeleteIs Expo 2027 paying for the advertising on Air Serbia Aircraft?
ReplyDeleteYes, they are paying the same money as Mr Pupin and Mr Tesla
DeleteWe will see when the airline publishes its financial report, as we saw that it indeed got paid for the "Serbia Creates" livery.
DeleteIt is a nice way of giving a subvention.
DeleteThey are about to post a profit of over 50 million euros on the back of 700 million euro revenue. If you think a livery payment of a 100,000 EUR is going to make or break their business than you thought wrong.
DeleteThey need to find something to complain about.
DeleteTry to understand them please, after all it is not easy to see Air Serbia being profitable.
Looking forward to finally seeing YU-ARE in service soon.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteTelevisa presenta
ReplyDeleteNice news for sure!!
ReplyDeletePs. This new comment design on is a bit weird personally..but that's just one opinion 😀
I think it looks great. More organized and you can collapse a whole thread and not read a bunch of nonsense from experts.
DeleteI agree. Just since most of us are not registered on Blogger, the profile pics could be removed as they clutter the space.
DeleteYep, gray profile pictures would be much better
DeleteFour long-haul planes, but still no flights to Canada? Toronto should be next!
ReplyDeleteWeaker Canadian dollar makes it even more financially attractive for Air Serbia
DeleteYYZ is a summer destination for which they are probably late, so I doubt it will happen in 2025. However, MIA in winter would make sense and makes me wonder if they are still keen introducing it.
DeleteJFK ticket sales were launched in February for a late June launch. It's still not entirely late to load flights into the system but I definitely don't see it happening this year. I guess both Chinese routes will first have a boost in frequencies before YYZ is launched.
DeleteNice growth, but when will Air Serbia start considering brand new aircraft instead of second hand A330s?
ReplyDeleteNo money no honey.
Delete^ maybe they want to be profitable and as a small airline don't want to take on the risk of paying a billion euros for new aircraft which would involve loans and substantial financial risk.
DeleteThe airline is not getting second hand E-jets and you want new long haul aircraft?
DeleteWhat would it cost if lets say air serbia would want to order 4 a330? Just curious
DeleteAzul reported that the list price for the A330neo is 250 million US$ per aircraft so roughly 1 billion USD would be needed for a fleet of 4 ac.
DeleteFor comparison, Embraer E195-E2 list price is roughly 60 million USD. An entire fleet of 15 brand new ERJ E2's would cost less.
Right. US$1 billion, and the record 2024 brought in US$50 million in profit (on $700 million in revenue).
DeleteNot even a full year of gross revenue would be enough for more than two new A-330.
I just hope they will make some agreements with tour operators and deploy them to some exotic charter destinations .
ReplyDeleteThat'll be nice.
DeleteThey need more A320s not A330s.
ReplyDeleteWhen YU-ARC goes for cabin refurbish, will it get Expo livery as well?
ReplyDeleteNo it won't get expo livery.
DeleteThank you, so Pupin is settled then.
DeleteYes. Last month when YU-ARB was on a big maintenance check they retouched the livery by repainting the tail.
DeleteYes, it was published here with pictures. Verb settle has other meanings but that's fine.
DeleteIdemo dalje.
ReplyDeleteHave you seen the utilization of the first 3? How many block hours? If this would be the case in future,
ReplyDeletemaybe they should consider returning it to lessor before it arrives
Yes, the should! And they should also appoint you as the new CEO.
DeleteBlock times above is shown for a slower travel season. Frequencies to JFK go daily a month earlier compared to last season, Chinese frequencies have gone from 1 to 4 pw with the possibility for further frequencies being hinted, plus ORD 3 pw. Utilisation is fairly decent and allows extra room in case of AOG.
Delete4+ 3+ 7= 14...on 4 aircrafts, and you call that fairly decent, in peak season..In winter schedule is 7...I con't know if I count well, or you don't count well, but on 4 aircrafts max utilization is 24,
DeleteThe fact that you use the word "aircrafts" repetitively speaks alot.
DeleteHave you tried putting the schedules on a piece of paper or table and seeing how many aircraft are needed for current schedules? Hint, it's not possible with 3.
Also, 3 out of 4 routes need more than 24 hours per rotation. You will get more than 24 rotations in 2 days flying them to Tivat and back so rotations doesn't mean alot. Most important aspect is that the overall long haul operations are profitable and that JU is posting positive financial results.
How do you know long haul operations are profitable? Hint, current schedule is not possible with 3, but with 2 planes...
DeleteSummer schedule: max extended count: 7x30+3x35+4x40 = 475h..Normal, doable rotation ( with also added additional few hours): 7x23 + 3x27 + 4x30= 362..
Total number of hours 3 faircrafts): 504
4: 672..
At the moment, winter schedule, how many hours these 3 planes have? I'm even embarrassed to write, but 2x23+1x27+2x30+2x52= 237, with 24h crew break in Shanghai included, which is not necessary at all, if having 2 crew, but ok..Total nuber of hours for 2 planes is: 362
sorry, for 2 planes is - 336
Delete1. Take delivery of 4 x A330
ReplyDelete2. Think what to do with them
1. They didn't take delivery of 4 x A330
Delete2. They already outlined what will they do with them, published on this site as well
3. Why bother making a comment when you have no clue?
Well done JU. Refreshing news. If things settle down in Serbia over the next few weeks then we can expect increased demand as a destination. It is very possible that this will expand their destinations significantly.
ReplyDelete