Air Serbia has retired its third Airbus A319 aircraft, registered YU-APB. The 22-year-old aircraft left Belgrade yesterday for Teesside, with its last revenue service operated on September 8 from Tivat to Nikola Tesla Airport. Air Serbia initiated a gradual, phased retirement of its A319 fleet last year with the withdrawal of its first aircraft of the type, registered YU-APK. It was followed by the second this June, YU-APD. The flag carrier plans to completely phase out the A319s over a three to five-year period, replacing them with larger A320s and more Embraer E195 jets. All three A319s that have now left the fleet were either 21 or 22 years old. So far this year, the airline has taken delivery of three A320s and one E195. The carrier’s CEO, Jiri Marek, noted that in addition to the incoming aircraft, it is seeking further capacity for the 2027 summer season. With the planned arrival of two aircraft, Air Serbia’s in-house Embraer fleet will grow to five, supplemented by four Bulgaria Air E190s wet-leased until the end of the 2027 summer season. Meanwhile, its A320 fleet will increase to seven aircraft. Commenting on its Embraer fleet earlier this year, Mr Marek previously noted, “There will be a significant number of [E195]-E1 aircraft available on the market. At present, several carriers, including Azul and JetBlue, are phasing out E1 aircraft, while LOT Polish Airlines is set to transition to the A220, creating favourable market availability. For us, this represents an ideal opportunity. This type allows us not only to further increase frequencies, but also to sustain routes year-round. Given the strong seasonality in our network, such aircraft enable us to maintain most destinations during the winter season as well”. On the A320s, the CEO added, “Introducing more A320s into service is part of Air Serbia’s continuous fleet renewal process. We are gradually replacing older A319 models with these aircraft, increasing the number of available seats and improving operational efficiency. Our goal is to develop the fleet in a long-term and planned manner, adapting its structure to market needs and the company’s future growth. We will continue to rely on Airbus aircraft, most likely the A320ceo, as we expect a number of these units to return to the market over the next few years at favourable prices”. EX-YU Aviation News
Sep 17, 2026 · byEX-YU Aviation News
