NEWS FLASH
The first Boeing 737-300 aircraft delivered to JAT Yugoslav Airlines in the summer of 1985, and the first jet of the type to be deployed on passenger services in Europe, has been destroyed at Belgrade Airport. Registered YU-AND, the aircraft operated its first commercial flight in August 1985 between Belgrade and Istanbul, continuing to Amman. JAT had introduced the Boeing 737-300 into commercial service ahead of major European carriers such as Lufthansa, KLM, British Airways and Air France.
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| YU-AND on the production line |
The aircraft later served Air Serbia through its dedicated leisure brand Aviolet, although it frequently operated on scheduled services for the Serbian carrier. After 35 years of continuous service, the jet was permanently retired in March 2020, coinciding with the onset of the global Covid-19 pandemic. Despite hopes the aircraft would be preserved and displayed at the nearby Aviation Museum, it was seen being dismantled at Belgrade Airport yesterday.
For more about YU-AND’s history and JAT’s iconic B737-300 fleet, click here.
MSN: 23329; LN: 1134; Roll Out: June 2, 1985; First Flight: July 12, 1985; Delivery: July 31, 1985 (to JAT)
Morons
ReplyDelete++++1
DeleteThey must be so proud of themselves for destroying this plane.
ReplyDeleteSo why do you want our airport to look like a cemetery? It's already full of abandoned planes.
DeleteYou must be new in town, if you don`t know what`s next to the airport.
DeleteOf course they are proud. Mafiosos from all over ex-yu, politicians tied with "businessmen" are forging history and trying to erase everything positive ex Yugoslavia had, civil aviation being amongst those positive things, much much much more developed within its time frame, compared to today. Let's just recall shameful lie of ex croatian president Kolinda who lied about one type of yogurt available in Yugoslavia, while we had 54 types on the market. It's all part of the wider plan which local traitors are executing on behalf of their foreign masters
DeleteBunch of idiots.
ReplyDeleteBravo Mr Marek! Another win for you!
ReplyDeleteThis is a very sad day for serbian and world aviation history. Mistakes that had been made with YU-AMB were repeated. If only a part of fuselage ends up at Aviationtag!
ReplyDeleteComplete and utter imbeciles, scrapping a museum-worthy airframe that could have been moved to the museum just next door. Zero vision and no care about our aviation history.
ReplyDeleteWhat exactly is museum worthy about this plane? It one of hundreds such produced, it's not the first one, just the first for European carriers, for aviation museum it doesn't make a big deal since museum is closed anyway. If AirSerbia would have own museum it would have place there, but in history of aviation it's just one of many.
DeleteEven if preserved it would have to be crept outside to rotten like many other planes around the museum looking like a scrapyard. So, yes, good this one goes into recycling.
True, but arguably this is the first of modern planes in Serbian aviation.
DeleteYes, modern and valuable planes at that time like SE210 siting by the museum. That would be a nice picture B733 along with Caravelle.
DeleteAnon 12.27
DeleteAre you from JU because only someone from there could justify this action. By that logic let's close all the museums, tear them down and build apartments or malls in their place. Why do we need old pots, spears or any of that junk when it can be recycled and monetized.
Right next to BEG there is an AVIATION MUSEUM and YU-AND was an integral part of both Serbian and European aviation history. This particular model belongs there.
What we witnessed is nothing short of a scandal and a clear disregard for our aviation legacy. Air Serbia's CEO must have approved this and this should be grounds enough to sack him.
Luckily Pista 011 got their hands on two ATRs before JU could sell them for pennies.
All in all, there are no words to describe my disgust with their primitive behavior.
@12:27 "What exactly is museum worthy about this plane? It one of hundreds such produced, it's not the first one"
DeleteFirst one is preserved in Seattle. Hundreds of not just first aircraft are preserved at museums around the world. YU-AND was relevant and had importance in Belgrade and should have been preserved at the local aviation museum.
"it doesn't make a big deal since museum is closed anyway"
National Museum in Belgrade was closed for many years during renovations, that was not an excuse for destruction of paintings and other museum artifacts.
"If AirSerbia would have own museum it would have place there"
Why didn't Air Serbia open own museum? Failing that, why Air Serbia never sponsored existing Museum by paying for Air Serbia wing to be created and aircraft preserved?
"Even if preserved it would have to be crept outside to rotten like many other planes"
Not if Air Serbia sponsored it, engaged Museum experts, volunteers and restoration teams. Crowfunding would have raised enough to pay for what was done with 737s that went to China - take wings off, transport fuselage to Museum and put them together again.
Air Serbia doesn't have to open their own museum, for starters they could offer free tours to passengers having a longer layover. It's literally 5 minutes from the arrivals hall.
Delete@Nemjee Chill, not everything old is museum-worthy. Y'all need to get a life, instead of hating all over this website.
DeleteI don't care for JU, but the aircraft was just collecting dust, of course it was gonna get scrapped. Maybe they can sell keychains, that'd be nice.
The philistine shows up to tell us what is museum worthy!
DeleteAnon 22.55
DeleteYou are right, not everything old is museum worthy but this is not the case with YU-AND. The reasons are listed in the article... as they would say паметном довољно.
What an embarassment for serbian aviation...again
ReplyDeleteThis is true across all Balkans, no sense of preserving or honouring history.
DeletePeople responsible for this crime against serbian aviation and its heritage should be prosecuted
ReplyDeletecovered by which law exactly?
DeleteWell I am sure there is a law that prevents people from destroying valuable pieces of history.
Delete@Nemjee There is such law, but only for the protected objects and areas. Unless this aircraft was officially protected by the state, Air Serbia was entitled to scrap its own old property if they wished to do so.
DeleteBravo Srbija
ReplyDeleteShame on you Marek!
ReplyDeleteThey can get peantus for scrapped plane but they destroyed valuable museum exhibit.
ReplyDeleteWell done!
Been on that very plane , Zagreb - Athens, 1995.
ReplyDeleteYou mean 1985?
DeleteShame!
ReplyDeleteGreat job…. could have made more money off it by selling pieces as collectables
ReplyDeleteHeinous, barbaric act by Air Serbia. Why not destroy Caravelle while at it?
ReplyDeleteShould have been painted in original colors and exhibited in the museum. People from all YU would have visited it. Also the other planes they have, repaint and exhibit it
ReplyDeleteLook at Budapest Aeropark or other places
Not just speaking of BEG. Also the DC6 of JP in LJU should be repainted. It is very regretable that they dont care about our aviation history heritage 😥
One of the many steps into a direction of erasing Serbian nation and heritage. Thanks to a traitors
ReplyDeleteJAT Yugoslav Airlines was not only Serbian but Yugoslav, as its name says. Yes, it includes Serbia, yes, headquarters were in Serbia, but it's much much more.
DeleteYou can not expect Air Serbia to run museum and invest in preserving the plane. It’s up to collectors and museums.
ReplyDeleteNumber of other airlines have their own museums. Some other airlines support or sponsor activities of other aviation museums. Air Serbia does neither, and what's even worse, it has a track record of destroying aircraft of historical value. Earnings from destruction of YU-AND are miniscule compared to overall Air Serbia earnings. That's like destroying Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa to profit from the sale of the picture frame. Savages!
DeleteAir Serbia and the aviation museum have the same owner - The Serbian Government. There is no excuse for what they did to YU-AND. Air Serbia had a chance/duty to improve the museum's offer and they chose not to do so. I wonder who signed this off?
DeleteThe airline that's financed with my taxes sure as hell has a duty towards preserving my nation's historical heritage. Anyone defending, justifying or rationalizing this move either daft or just a contrarian for the sake of it. There's no excuse for such a massive disregard for the role 737 had in Serbia's aviation history and as symbol for 4 decades now
DeleteBtw LH just repainted a super constellation and will place it in their visitor center at FRA Airport, together with a Ju-52. Yugoslavia had had an over average succesful history in aviation, so we could expect that they preserve this heritage. Like ex YU does it. There are not many blogs, who so often remind readers about their own aviation history with lots of information and foto documentation, like Luka does it. And not just that. In a tiny little way thanks to this blog, YU remains alive and he unites us, wherever we are, even as far as Australia or the US. We can not thank him enough for all his tremendous work, he does for you.
DeleteA mi smo se poandali da nakon one price o 737 Er Srbija ce biti ponsona sto poseduje takav avion.
ReplyDeleteDa, najveća je bizarnost i ono što posebno boli, da se ovo desi posle onog... epskog teksta o Jatovim 737-cama.
DeletePacovi prokleti.
И наравно 2027. ти исти људи ће се појавити и причаће нам како им је част што воде фирму која ја напунила сто година. У суштини баш их брига за фирму и за све шта она представља.
DeleteNamjee, Absolutely correct! All they know is "kititi se tudjim perjem" ... I made a decision that next 10 flights I will not fly JU no matter what, just as act of vengeance for this barbaric act orchestrated by JU management.
DeleteThis is SOOOO sad to see!
ReplyDeleteHow expensive it would be to move it to the museum, polish its exterior and repaint it to the original Jat 1985 livery? It is as if the people who run the airline today hate its history its heritage and their job.
Typical act of people who do not care for their roots, history and for legacy. Bravo Marek for being so proactive in destroying something that many generations before you have built. You should be ashamed for allowing this to happen! СРАМ ТЕ БИЛО!
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteWhy ?? Should be used in a Museum for kids
ReplyDeleteOne of the most reliable and comfortable passenger planes ever built. It would have been nice to restore it and display it at the upcoming Expo.
ReplyDeleteI don't have words for this criminal due to this plane. Stupid idiots.
ReplyDeleteLooks like the front section of the plane has been spared and moved out of the airport. Any info where it's headed?
ReplyDeleteThe feeling of sadness is stronger for me because I am emotionally attached to this very airplane, since my father was among the first two JAT captains who flew in YU-AND.
ReplyDelete