Air Serbia is replacing its lone 13 year old long haul Airbus A330 aircraft with a new one – a twelve year old ex-Aeroflot A330-200 in new livery featuring Nikola Tesla on the tail.

The airline uses this aircraft to fly to New York JFK, and plans to increase its frequency from 2 to 3 times weekly and then 5 times a week over the summer. There are also “rumors of Air Serbia adding a flight between Belgrade and Toronto.” Air Serbia is an Air Canada Aeroplan partner.

Should anyone need clarification they did paint the rest of the aircraft too! Ex Aeroflot VP-BLY soon to be YU-ARB. pic.twitter.com/daFOpW2YY1

— Oisín Tierney (@TierneyOisin) March 12, 2021

In the process Air Serbia is introducing a new long haul business class seat.

The airline will no longer offer herringbone seats in its premium cabin, but will instead have staggered lie-flat seating, with two middle seats, and, for the most part, direct aisle access for all seats.

Despite the aircraft being previously operated by Aeroflot, it will not feature the Russian airline’s hard product. The new cabins will be installed over the next two weeks.

Credit: Air Serbia

Etihad-style Sky Au Pairs nanny service is said to continue, with no changes to the inflight product planned.

Air Serbia has gotten a fresh injection of capital from the Serbian government, diluting Abu Dhabi-based Etihad’s ownership stake from 49% down to 18% in the process. In advance of this Etihad dropped its Belgrade flights.

Current A330 Business Class Herringbone Seats, Credit: Air Serbia

The thirteen year old Airbus A330 that is being returned had come from Etihad, and Jet Airways before that, and whose lease is up in May. It has ex-Jet Airways herringbone business class seats.