Belgrade to Rio de Janeiro Air Serbia Flights

  About Air Serbia

Air Serbia, formerly known as Jat Airways, is the official flag carrier of Serbia. The company has its headquarters in Belgrade, Serbia with its main hub at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport. Air Serbia was originally called Jat Airways and was founded in 1927 by Aeroput, the first Serbian company that invested in civil air transport. It was also the year when the national capital Belgrade became the hub of aviation operations and simultaneously the international airport was also inaugurated. Although Air Serbia was part of Aeroput, the then national airline of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, a majority of the operations with respect to domestic routes and international routes were conducted by the parent company. During its glory years, Aeroput managed to connect with a series of international routes such as Hungary, Bulgaria, Austria, Turkey, Italy, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Greece and more. Acquiring these new routes benefitted the airline as it managed to gain a strong position as a regional airliner. Following World War II, the airline rebranded itself from Aeroput to JAT Jugoslovenski Aerotransport, in 1948. The airline replaced Aeroput to become the new flag carrier of SFR Yugoslavia.

JAT Jugoslovenski Aerotransport's fleet predominantly comprised of Western-built aircraft ranging from McDonnell Douglas DC-9, Boeing 707, McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and Boeing 727. In 1985, JAT Jugoslovenski Aerotransport became the first European airline to operate the Boeing 737-300. They also introduced aircraft such as ATR 42 and ATR 72 to cater to its regional and domestic routes. The airline's successful stint continued for some time. However, there was a major setback that it faced following the dissolution of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s. JAT Jugoslovenski Aerotransport became a public entity and continued its role as the national airline. By the 2000s, the country was renamed from Yugoslavia to Serbia and Montenegro. The same year, JAT Jugoslovenski Aerotransport was also rebranded as Jat Airways. In 2006, as Montenegro announced its independence from Serbia, Jat Airways was taken over by Serbia, for which it became the flag carrier. The airline started witnessing some financial and operational concerns due to its ageing fleet and lack of external investors. The Serbian government had to intervene and figure out investors for Jat Airways.

After many years of unprofitability, Jat Airways finally received some support from the United Arab Emirates-based airline, Etihad Airways. The two enterprises entered into a strategic partnership agreement. Terms of the agreement stated that Etihad Airways would acquire 49 per cent of the interest rates in Jat Airways along with management rights of the Serbian airline for five years. Meanwhile, the Republic of Serbia was to retain the remaining and controlling 51 per cent of interest in the airline. Further, the agreement also stated that the government would hold five out of nine monitoring committee seats in the enterprise. Following the confirmation of the deal, Jat Airways was rebranded as Air Serbia in 2013 with its inaugural flight taking off from Belgrade to Abu Dhabi. In 2016 Air Serbia started expanding its horizons once again by commencing international routes of non-stop flights from Belgrade to New York. An Airbus A330-200 was leased for this operation from Etihad's partner, Jet Airways. Since then, Air Serbia has been aiming for the stars as its finances and fleet has improved tremendously. The airline's efficiency in terms of the flights and management also witnessed a tremendous alternation, for the better.

Air Serbia currently has three subsidiaries under its brand. These include a charter brand named Aviolet, Air Serbia Ground Services and Air Serbia Catering. Aviolet uses a Boeing 737-300s for operations and sees a demand during the peak holiday season which spans from June to September. Air Serbia Ground Services is basically a ground handling service provider in the Republic of Serbia. It has been certified by Serbia's Civil Aviation Directorate and takes care of all ground operations ranging from baggage, passengers, cargo, aircraft and more. Air Serbia Catering is the official partner of the airline's in-flight meal service. It was recently acquired wholly by Air Serbia.

Fleet size of Air Serbia

As of 2019, Air Serbia's fleet size has 21 aircraft which comprises of planes from the Airbus, Boeing and ATR family. The airline actually has a mixed fleet which follows aircraft such as nine Airbus A319-100s, two Airbus A320-200s, one Airbus A330-200, three ATR 72-300s, three ATR 72-500s and three Boeing 737-300s. Further, the airline also has four aircraft orders that need to be delivered by the respective aircraft manufacturers. Air Serbia is expecting two Airbus A319-100s and two ATR 72-500s. Air Serbia released its new livery, following the rebranding of the airline in 2013. Design for the new livery was created by graphic designer Tamara Maksimovi?. The new livery comprises of the national colours of Serbia, red, white and blue and has graphic elements with details that go back to Serbian art of the Middle Ages. The logo is featured on the aircraft tail which is basically a stylised double-headed eagle that has been inspired by the coat-of-arms of the Republic of Serbia. Air Serbia, along with the logo, has been painted on the fuselage as well as the belly of every aircraft from the airline's fleet. Following the rebranding, Air Serbia launched a 'Living Legends' initiative to pay tribute to some of the famous Serbian citizens who have contributed positively to the society and the world. Some of the individuals who were recognised by the airline include inventor Nikola Tesla, former NBA player Vlade Divac, actor Miki Manojlovi?, tennis superstar Novak Djokovi? and more.

Baggage Allowance

Air Serbia follows a standard baggage allowance policy. The economy class passengers are allowed to carry a maximum weight of 23 kg in their checked baggage. The total dimension of the bag should not exceed a total of 158 cm. This includes the length, width and depth of the bag. As for passengers travelling in business class, the maximum weight they can carry is 32 kg. The airline has allocated the business class passengers to carry two pieces of checked baggage. Dimensions of the bag need to be the same for all cabin class passengers. In terms of hand luggage, the airline allows 8 kg for both business class and economy class passengers. However, while the economy class passenger is allowed one piece of baggage, the business class passengers can carry a maximum of two hand baggage. The total dimension of the bag should not exceed 40 cm × 23 cm × 55 cm.

In-flight services

Air Serbia has been part of the industry for quite a long time. Despite the changes in management and ownership, the airline is always ahead of the game when it comes to offering the best services. This also includes the in-flight services that they provide onboard. Passengers can enjoy plush seats with recline, they can order in-flight meals along with a beverage of their choice, relish the fun entertainment content provided for personal viewing and more.

Popular routes and top cities for Air Serbia

Currently, Air Serbia celebrates excellent domestic route and international route connectivity with over 60 destinations spread across 32 countries. In terms of its international route connectivity, the airline is operating from international cities such as Salzburg, Vienna, Brussels, Sarajevo, Dubrovnik, Zagreb, Larnaca, Prague, Copenhagen, Cairo, Helsinki, Nice, Paris, Berlin, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Athens, Tel Aviv, Milan, Rome, Venice, Amsterdam, Bucharest, Moscow, Krasnodar, Saint Petersburg, Belgrade, Barcelona, Gothenburg, Stockholm, Geneva, Zurich, Istanbul, Kyiv, London and New York City. The airline currently holds codeshare agreements with airlines namely Aegean Airlines, Air France, Bulgaria Air, KLM, Aeroflot, Air Seychelles, El Al, LOT Polish Airlines, Air China, airBaltic, Etihad Airways, Montenegro Airlines, Air Europa, Alitalia, Finnair and TAROM.

Why travel by Air Serbia?

Air Serbia has been part of the aviation industry for quite a long time. Over the years, the airline has even undergone several changes in terms of being rebranded following political scenarios. However, throughout its phase as an airline, it has only enhanced its facilities and in-flight services to make sure that passengers receive the comfort and convenience that they paid for. The airline does offer some ancillary services that can be availed on its website. These include seat reservations done in advance, provision of excess baggage at a reasonable tariff, priority services, premium lounge access and more.

While these facilities teamed with excellent cabin crew is related to Air Serbia, what puts them ahead of the game is to have incorporated the best upgrades. The airline has upgraded its website to accommodate web check-in facilities, flight status details and Air Serbia's flight schedules. Further, the traveller can peruse through the airline's official page to learn more about baggage allowance, in-flight services, airport lounge facilities and more. Travellers are also given the option to book an Air Serbia flight on the website. The interface is quite user-friendly with no complicated details that need to be filled.

Further, Air Serbia's relentless pursuit of becoming numero uno in the aviation industry of Europe propels it to continually serve the best hospitality and flight experience to the passengers.