Air Serbia’s third Embraer E195 aircraft (pictured) is preparing for delivery, with the jet recently painted in the carrier’s corporate livery in San Jose in Costa Rica. As previously reported by EX-YU Aviation News, both the incoming third and fourth E195 jets are units formerly operated by Brazil’s Azul Air, similar to its last two ATR72-600s delivered last year. The ten-year-old jet, formerly registered as PR-AUJ with Azul, was delivered new to the Brazilian airline before being transferred to leasing company Azzora, where it has been re-registered as N688DR. Once in Serbia, the aircraft is expected to enter service under the registration YU-ATA.
Speaking to EX-YU Aviation News earlier this summer, Air Serbia’s CEO, Jiri Marek, said, the two E195s are due for delivery in “November or December. Timeline is still subject to change. As you know, even with commitments from lessors, there are dependencies on MRO slots, and delays are quite common. That said, we’ve structured our winter schedule so that we’re not reliant on those aircraft during that period. Whenever they do arrive, they’ll be more than welcome additions to the fleet”. This coming winter, Air Serbia is also due to take delivery of three Airbus A320s. At the same time, three A319s are to be retired. The first of those is expected to operate its final flight for the airline next week, marking the beginning of Air Serbia’s strategy to gradually phase out the A319 fleet.
Air Serbia is aiming to deploy more Embraer aircraft on thinner routes this winter in an effort to reduce seasonality. The carrier has scheduled the deployment of its Embraer fleet on the Belgrade - Tbilisi service this winter, replacing the A319 used during the summer months. According to its existing schedule, the airline will deploy the E195s on occasion to destinations such as Lisbon and Valencia next February, which is considered the slowest month in the aviation industry. Apart from the E195s, Air Serbia will also maintain operations with four wet-leased E190 jets from Bulgaria Air this winter.
Photo courtesy of Aviador Costa Rica
I love the blue winglets on the E195s
ReplyDeleteThey have it on the sharklets on the A320 too.
DeleteThey still have to paint the second E195 which has been operating all white this summer.
DeleteWhen it next go into maintenance.
DeleteThey urgently needed that plane in summer so it had to enter service ASAP. That's why it flew all white.
DeleteGreat to see Air Serbia finally using the Embraers to tackle seasonality. These jets are perfect for thinner routes in winter. Cost effective and flexible.
ReplyDeleteAir Serbia is doing what LOT and Austrian did years ago with Embraers. Right sized jets for the market. It’s a proven formula.
DeleteInteresting that they're keeping all the Bulgaria Air wet leases too.
ReplyDeleteStill surprised that they’re keeping four wet-leased E190s from Bulgaria Air while adding their own Embraers.
Delete^ "we’ve structured our winter schedule so that we’re not reliant on those aircraft during that period. "
DeleteLooks good
ReplyDeleteIs it just me or is there something missing under the wing?
ReplyDeleteThe flap track fairings, i.e. the covers for the flap mechanism.
DeleteHow many Embraers does JU plan to have?
ReplyDeleteAbout 15
DeleteThat's a lot. So they will completely replace A319 with E195s. Plus some more
DeleteThats optimum. About 15 E195 and about 10 A320. They already wet lease 4 E190 from Bulgaria and 4 A320 from GetJet...
DeleteSmart move. A mix of E195s and A320s gives them a lot of room to manoeuvre depending on demand.
DeleteCorrect me if I'm wrong JAT had around 15 give or take DC9s in th 80s, so it seems like JU will be finally catching up with it's old days in terms of flexibility with 100 seaters that were proven fit for the market
DeleteTrue
DeleteThe Embraer fleet is really proving to be a smart choice.
ReplyDeleteEveryone knew that. Good job to the JU fleet department for finally introducing the E95. Without them this wouldn't be possible.
DeleteI wonder if they will consider E2s down the line.
DeleteProbably second hand ones when they are 10 years old.
Delete^ Marek said this summer that an order for new aircraft is possible in 2027. And I don't see an issue with it. Putting extreme pressure on your finances to order new aircraft while you are still growing and establishing yourself on the market is not the smartest. As we have seen nearby.
DeleteThey will get the A220 when LO and LX start retiring them. LOL!
DeleteNo, JU will wait PW engines to become reliable. And that’s a long shot. OU is expecting first engine problems no later than next year.
Delete30% of the A220 fleet worldwide is currently grounded. Some are already being cannibalized for spare parts. ITA Airways for example has major issues with the grounding of A220s this summer. But good thing anon @9.51 has no issue and is cracking jokes at others expense.
DeleteJU ordering new narrow-body aircraft in 2027 means that first deliveries will occur in the 2030s.
DeleteThe backlog is huge and production by both Airbus and Boeing is well bellow the target.
They will likely order E2s.
DeleteSo still no A320neos? Why?
Delete^ I'm just guessing. Stop taking everything people write anonymously as an official statement and making wrong conclusions from it.
DeleteAnonymous 10:04 apparently works for the fleet planning department and knows what they are going to order!
DeleteIt is great that we have so many people in the know in this blog commenting.
@10:09 why would they order E2s when they are in the process of introducing so many E1s for which apparently there is enough availability currently? 🤔
DeleteAs I have written, I said I am guessing as they have openly said they are interested in the plane and even had a demo last year. You can calm down now.
DeleteSo many? They are in the process of introducing two. They are likely on a lease contract for a few years. If they do order E2 in 2027, I don't seen an issue with them replacing the E1s in 2030.
DeleteSome people here think that when you order 10 aircraft for example they all arrive on the same day.
Delete"We’re also actively exploring long-term fleet development. However, this is a complex process, not only due to limited availability in current order books, but also because many of the aircraft types we would logically consider still face ongoing engine reliability issues. We’re determined not to repeat mistakes made elsewhere in the industry.
DeleteAt the same time, the secondary market is becoming more active, which aligns with our current fleet strategy. While we’re certainly examining future fleet renewal, I wouldn’t expect any firm decisions before 2027. And even then, deliveries will depend on availability.
We’re not in a rush. New aircraft only make financial sense when they’re flying regularly. Any prolonged ground time, anything over two weeks, can undermine the entire business case due to the high ownership costs".
https://www.exyuaviation.com/2025/06/air-serbia-to-add-more-aircraft-looks.html
They need A321! Maybe 4 are optimal for routes like Zurich or Istanbul and the Middle East - also good for charters.
DeleteAnd LATAM today placed an order for 74 E2s
Delete@12:47
DeleteThey don't need A321's. ZRH is mostly on a mix between Embraer and A319. JU and LX are competing more on frequency rather than capacity per rotation. A321's would just make JU uncompetitive.
IST loads don't justify A320's let alone A321's. Other heavier routes in the JU network such as BCN and CDG need more frequencies not larger aircraft.
15:01 That's amazing! Finally the E2 has a huge order at once!
DeleteGuys chill out. JU will not be ordering any brand new planes. They are still too small for that and the government can't assist them financially right now.
DeleteThey will focus on second hand planes as they should.
Nice to see the third E195 almost ready.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteLet's hope it won't take months to get into service like the other two E195s.
ReplyDeleteInitial change of the aircraft typeand implementation into the service is totally different them adding the airport to the existing operation .
DeleteI hope Air Serbia eventually standardises on one regional jet family. Right now it’s E190, E195 and wet-leased frames.
ReplyDeleteAnd 10 ATR-72, which work pretty well for them.
DeleteFleet commonality seems to be a low priority.
DeleteE190 and E195 are the same aircraft, so it`been highly standardized. How come people know so little and still comment on an aviation blog?
Delete4 different aircraft families for an airline with about 30 aircraft does seen too much.
DeleteWhat is the first A319 that will be retired?
ReplyDeleteYU-APK
DeleteShould be YU-APK
DeleteAPK is the worst aircraft in JU fleet so that's good news.
DeleteGood riddance.
DeleteYU-KILAVI
DeleteAzorra also owns YU-ATC.
ReplyDeleteFormer PR-AUP seems to be fourth E195 for Air Serbia, most likely to become YU-ATD. It’s few months younger than YU-ATA and it’s in the same MRO in Costa Rica, recently retired from Azul
ReplyDeleteThere will be a lot of Azul E195s on the market. Azul is retiring 30% of its fleet as part of bankruptcy restructuring so I assume cheap E195s will become available. Hopefully JU uses that opportunity.
ReplyDeleteThis could mean they secure E195s faster than originally planned.
DeleteLet's see if Azzora buys some up.
DeleteThere will be even more available E1 jets on a market when LO starts to replace them with A220.
DeleteKudos to the JU fleet planning managers for doing a fantastic job. Their vision and perseverance is finally paying off.
ReplyDeleteGreat plane, flew multiple times on it and E190 via LOT. Great comfort, noise levels and space. Nice tech spec analysis on djaftekurafte airline blog.
ReplyDeleteIt will also be interesting to see where the 3 A320s are coming from.
ReplyDeleteThis is what was reported here, said by Marek
Delete"Several aircraft are returning from Wizz Air - previously under extended leases - and it seems that the engine issues affecting NEOs may now be easing. A few units from Volaris are also coming onto the market. We haven’t seen this level of aircraft availability since the Covid period. At this stage, we’re definitely planning to add two more A320s for next summer”
https://www.exyuaviation.com/2025/06/air-serbia-to-add-more-aircraft-looks.html
^ That's for the second two A320s. For the first one he said in the same link
Delete"It’s relatively young, with a manufacturer serial number starting with a six."
Thanks
DeleteSo perhaps Wizz and Volaris.
DeleteYes
DeleteBetter some A321 from Wizz, if they opt to retire any
DeleteNo way, Wizz Air loves their A321 and they need them because of CASM.
DeletePerfect aircraft for those mid-range routes that don’t need an A320.
ReplyDeleteDeploying the Embraers to places like Tbilisi in winter makes a lot of sense. Smaller aircraft, lower costs, still keeping connectivity alive.
DeleteAnother leased aircraft from South America. I wonder if Air Serbia will ever commit to ordering brand new planes instead of relying on second hand units.
ReplyDeleteAzul keeps its fleet in good condition, so JU should be getting solid airframes.
DeleteExpanding too fast, too many types, too many leases.
DeleteThey are only 10 years old. JU should take as much as possible. There are at least 10 good years of usage for a fair price
DeleteThe expansion of the Embraer fleet is great news.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteSo they don't expect the plane to arrive until November and the other until December. At least that sounds realistic. JU always seems to get deliveries later than planned.
ReplyDeleteMany airlines are getting planes later than planned because of MRO issues. Spare parts are missing on the market. The Lufthansa appointed ITA CEO gave a good interview over the weekend and he highlighted that spare parts shortage has caused them big fleet issues this summer. I have only seen people in the comments here questioning and doubting supply chain issues as a major difficulty in the industry at the moment.
DeleteLH is sending the new A320s it gets from Airbus to Athens to get their cabin fitted by Aegean's MRO because it took too long to do it in Germany.
DeleteMaybe if they bothered to hire more technicians and pay them accordingly they would have much, much fewer fleet issues.
Air Serbia does not do its own maintenance for startes so it shows you have 0 clue of what you are talking about.
Delete^ No, JU does minimal maintenance on its own.
DeleteThat's why it sends its aircraft to NAP to be maintained by a local MRO provider. You really do not know what you are on about...
Oops sory, I completely misread your post.
Delete@13:27
DeleteI am clearly talking about LH MRO in response to Anon 11:54
@ anon 11:52
Delete"So they don't expect the plane to arrive until November and the other until December."
Which starts in only 6 weeks (November).
Hope the wet-leased E190s from Bulgaria Air aren’t sticking around for too long. Flew one last month and it was an uncomfortable ride especially when the cabin was full.
ReplyDeleteWhat does it mean "unconfortable ride" in the context of cabin being full?
DeleteFlew on it as well. Bulgarians have two types of seats in their planes. The business class ones are the standard on JU E95 while in economy, Bulgaria has these really hard and uncomfortable ones.
DeleteSpeaking of fleet, A330 YU-ARC looks like will be returned to the lessor.
ReplyDeleteYou could have just read the news 3 days ago
DeleteA key consideration for the airline is its widebody fleet. One of its A330 aircraft, registered YU-ARC, is scheduled to be returned to the lessor in November 2026. Extending the lease would require immediate investment in cabin upgrades, while at the same time, other A330s are beginning to appear on the market. Until any deals for additional aircraft are finalised, the carrier faces limitations in committing to the launch of a new long-haul route with full certainty that the necessary capacity will be available.
https://www.exyuaviation.com/2025/09/air-serbia-prepares-for-2026-expansion.html
Air Serbia taked about immediate investing in cabin refresh couple of months ago. With YU-ARD in maintenance and Air Serbia schedule relying on 3 A330s, it is very unlikely ARC will get cabin upgrade any time soon. It does not make sense to do it with just over a year left. ARC will likely be returned.
DeleteExpecting to hear more from Air Serbia once lease and required contracts for work, paint etc for the replacement aircraft are finalised.
Anon 13:25: ...carrier faces limitations in committing to the launch of a new long-haul route? Yesss, that could only mean Miami, as summer seasonal Toronto route would not have any limitations regardless of YU-APC staying or being replaced. Thank you, only MIA for 2026!
DeleteWhat will be last flight od YU-APK? Which day?
ReplyDeleteIt was written in one of the articles here on 30 September.
DeleteThank you, i would love to go and see his last landing with passengers
DeleteWill be interesting to see what will be its final flight :)
DeleteWonder what will happen with these birds. Will they be retired or someone else will take them up.
DeleteMy guess is that YU-APK might be scrapped for spare parts. The plane is 22 years old.
DeleteUnfortunately the A319 is no longer a popular plane so the second hand market is bad for them. Also the aviation market is cooling down and many airlines are starting to downsize.
Idemo dalje...
ReplyDeleteLove it
ReplyDeleteNext week is another milestone for JU. We are finally getting more flights to Paris! Looking at the prices for the first flight it seems like it will leave Belgrade with a decent LF... one way fare is €210.
ReplyDeleteI know it can't fly directly to Belgrade.
ReplyDeleteHow many hops will it have to make to reach Serbia?
EG
NYC, UK, Belgrade?