It has not been confirmed yet by Air Serbia itself, but reports have emerged that the airline is in the process of receiving its second wide-body aircraft: an Airbus A330-200 formerly belonging to Aeroflot. The aircraft, VP-BLY, arrived into Shannon earlier today. It will reportedly be painted in Air Serbia’s livery there and then transferred to Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport, from where it could operate flights to Toronto or Shanghai, or both, registered as YU-ARB.
A second Airbus A330 for Air Serbia?
Following three years of announcements coming from the governments of both Serbia and Canada that flights between Belgrade and Toronto would be launching in the near future, and following the signing of an Air Service Agreement between the two countries in 2018, reports have emerged of Air Serbia acquiring its second wide-body aircraft, likely for this purpose.
An Airbus A330 aircraft that formerly operated flights for Russia’s Aeroflot under the registration VP-BLV arrived earlier today in Shannon, Ireland, from Hong Kong. The aircraft had been stored in Hong Kong since August 2020, when Aeroflot last used it for its own commercial flights. VP-BLV’s last scheduled flight before today’s positioning flight into Shannon was on 16th August 2020, as flight SU2147, from Antalya (AYT) to Moscow Sheremetyevo (SVO). The next day, on 17th August 2020, it was transferred to Hong Kong, where it had been stored up until today.
Air Serbia currently has one wide-body aircraft in its fleet, also an Airbus A330-200, registered as YU-ARA. This aircraft operates year-round flights from Belgrade to New York JFK. They have proven to be particularly popular: Air Serbia put on additional frequencies in October 2020 to cater for the demand on the route. The aircraft has also been used for numerous cargo flights to China, Bahrain, and for passenger charter services.
At present, with a single wide-body aircraft, Air Serbia does not have the capacity to launch new long-haul routes. Several decades ago, when it was still known as JAT Yugoslav Airlines, Air Serbia used to fly to a variety of North American destinations like Toronto and Montreal, but also other destinations in Asia, and even to Australia.
Flights from Belgrade to Toronto are within touching distance
The news that Aeroflot’s VP-BLV aircraft arrived in Shannon to receive Air Serbia’s livery before heading to Belgrade, reported by Boarding Pass, coincides with several factors that suggest that it may well be true. Last week, Serbia’s President and the Canadian Ambassador to the country announced that flights between Toronto and Belgrade would come “in the near future”.
As Simple Flying reported in October, the launch of flights between Belgrade and Toronto was an increasingly likely possibility. If these reports about Air Serbia receiving its second A330 are true, then the Belgrade-Toronto flights are now within touching distance. The aircraft would arrive in time for crew training to take place and new routes to launch during the height of the summer 2021 flight timetable.
Do you think Air Serbia will be launching flights to Toronto any time soon? Let us know what you think of the story in the comments below.
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