W W W W

Jan M. Berge

ISBN 978-86-917071-0-1

Chapters
Introduction
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

The 1940s; the birth of JAT as a brand

The 1950s; a strong regional airline
The 1960s; the Jet age

The 1970s; continuing growth and troubles

The 1980s; a global airline serving millions

Conclusion
Glossary

Chronology

Sources and Bibliography

Already in the first years of its

development, JAT declared itself as a
citizen of the world-an ambassador
of the independent and peace-loving
politics of the country it represented. It
was and is the bridge between east and
west in whose metropolises it has been
present in for more than 40 years
-Miljenko Zrelec, former CEO of JAT, writing in 1989

Introduction
Ever wanted to show off your knowledge about a topic which safe to say nobody of
your friends knows about? Or are you, as is more likely, curious about the history of a
unique global airline? In any case, this brief book is the right one for you.
JAT was indisputably one of the greater airlines that existed during the last century,
and this mini-book will in short take you through 40 of both the best and worst years
of JATs history from 1947 to 1987. Through these years so many events happened that
one could hardly make these up; we are talking about everything from plain bad luck
to results of political will to the state the world was in. And aviation is, as you know, a
sector which depends on so many factors, which in turn make it impossible for even
the best analysts to predict what is going to happen. Learning the history of airlines is
in my opinion a perfect blend between history and business, and that is also one of the
main reasons why I think everybody ought to read an aviation history-related book.
About a year and a half ago, whilst chasing down a JAT Captain all over Belgrade
airport in a desperate attempt to ask him if I could ride on the jump seat to Stockholm,
as the flight was packed to the last seat (and I was so smart and bought a standby
ticket in the middle of the holiday season...) I entered a building which I never had
visited nor noticed before- it was the headquarter of the flight ops division, or simply
Letacka, as JAT employees call it. I was instantly amazed by the size of it. Many
briefing rooms- which were mostly empty- a nice restaurant which I am sure used
to be packed by crew enjoying a meal or drink before heading up in the air again,
and relaxation rooms with big sofas. The exactly same thought struck me when I
walked through what seemed as a miniature of a city within an Airport on my way
to the aeromedical institute on the East side of the airport about a year after that.
Classrooms, offices, waiting rooms; I was shocked by the vast, empty spaces standing
there as a remnant of a great past. These events triggered me to find out more about
this interesting airline.
This is-besides being the result of a rainy and cold Norwegian summer month-a result
of this interest, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people who
have helped me gain the information necessary to be able to write this down; from
the former and current employees of JAT to the members of various airline forums to
authors of publications related to JATs history- this would have been an impossible
task without your help and limitless amount of knowledge. Thank you so much.
I hope you will enjoy reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it, and now-lets
get on with the first chapter.

40s
the birth of JAT as a brand

40s
As early as in 1841, a Serbian artisan named Manojlo attempted to cross the Sava
River in Belgrade with the help of a self-made glider airplane-if we even could call it
that. He didnt succeed, but his attempt indeed marked the first time man had tried to
take flight within the territories of the now former Yugoslavia. And until the end of the
nineteenth century, several similar attempts followed but all were rather unsuccessful
due to the obvious fact that nobody in the world yet had managed to construct an
airplane that could fly, which made these constructions based on mere assumptions
about how an object heavier than air could take to the skies.
Nevertheless, at the beginning of the twentieth century, more and more research
and experiments concerning aerodynamics had been conducted and this led to an
increasing number of serious projects taking place all over the globe. As you know,
the Wright brothers became known for conducting the first powered flight in history in
1903, but no later than 6 years after this, on the 25th of November 1909, the very same
happened in Yugoslavia when a young Slovene named Edvard Rusjan entered history by
performing what was the first powered flight in Yugoslavia.
Following this significant event, several foreign aviators came to Belgrade to
demonstrate both their aircraft and flying skills. To mention some, we have Rudolf
Simon, a native Czech, Boris Maslennikov-a Russian-and Gianni Widmer, an Italian.
All of these mentioned above, performed flights to the joy of the people, and some of
them even flew members of the Serbian royal family.
And with this, civil aviation in Yugoslavia had officially begun. Only a couple of years
later Rusjan died in a crash just above the Kalemegdan fortress in Belgrade due to
severe winds, but several other people continued his legacy by building airplanes
following his tragic death. The aviation movement in the former Yugoslavia was
definitely blossoming. As these airplanes became increasingly sophisticated and more
trustworthy than they were to start with, many leading European powers included these
aircraft in the inventory of their military forces; the same happened in Yugoslavia, and
the country had 10 war birds in its fleet by 1915. Following the end of World War 1,
the first postal and passenger routes were established in 1919, and from then and
on Yugoslav aviation has been in constant development. It may seem strange, this,
but it is worth remembering that the country had successful aircraft manufacturers,
very skilled aviation engineers as well as pilots and other staff. If you mix all of these
ingredients into a soup-literally speaking- you instantly have the most necessary
components for making a strong aviation sector within a country.
Although JATs predecessor, Aeroput, was founded as early as in 1927, JAT as we
knew it was founded exactly 20 years later, in 1947, following Josip Broz Titos rise to
power and the establishment of a new communist state named the Democratic Federal
Yugoslavia. The newly founded state-owned airline started maintaining daily flights
from Belgrade to Zagreb, from Belgrade to Ljubljana, from Belgrade to Titograd and
from Belgrade to Tirana. Two days after its official founding, one of its airplanes landed
at Ljubljanas airport at 9:45 am and with this JAT had completed its first scheduled
flight. After a short turnaround of 45 minutes it flew back to Belgrade, where all

passengers stated that they had a very comfortable flight. This was however far from
the first scheduled flight from Belgrade to Ljubljana, as Aeroput flew on this route
prior to the founding of JAT, but it nonetheless marked the first flight of a new airline
founded with most importantly the intention of further developing aviation within the
country, and the simple need of establishing a airline with the legal status of a civil
airline with self-management.
Until the end of this year, JATs fleet was made up of three German Junkers JU-52
aircraft and eight Douglas DC-3s; all of these inherited from Aeroput. Besides the
routes mentioned above, JAT flew from Belgrade to Zadar, Belgrade to Sarajevo,
Belgrade to Bucharest, Belgrade to Warsaw and Prague via Zagreb and Ljubljana.
What is surprising is that JAT was not the only airline within Yugoslavia at this time. In
parallel with JAT, JUSTA-a Yugoslav-soviet airline, was founded with the right to take
over the most important international and domestic routes from JAT, as the agreement
between Yugoslavia and the USSR entitled it to do.
JUSTA also takes complete control over Yugoslav civilian airports, but it however
operates a much smaller amount of flights than the agreement originally entitled it
to during 1948. Why? The answer is not more complicated than this; as it had only
four passenger and two freight airplanes it didnt have enough airplanes its fleet to
make these flights happen. However, JUSTA pushes JAT down on 2nd place during this
year, something official data clearly shows. While JAT flew 26423 passengers and 89,
5 metric tons of cargo during 1947, JUSTA flew only 6294 passengers and 77 tons
of freight in the same year. Conversely, the situation changed completely in 1948;
JUSTA flew 14117 passengers whilst JAT flew only 13612-a decrease of almost 100%
from the previous year and one of the first examples how politics often went ahead of
business strategy in the former Yugoslavia.
Not surprisingly, after Yugoslav President Tito broke ties with Stalin and thereby
the Soviet Union, everything was turned upside down. As a concrete example of the
sanctions the USSR laid upon Yugoslavia following this event, the high-octane fuel the
countrys military and civil airplanes flew on, would no longer be sold to Yugoslavia
from the USSR.
All international routes to East European metropolises ceased immediately in 1949
following Yugoslavias break with the Soviet Union, while on the domestic front, JAT
steadily enough expands its network launching flights from Belgrade to Skopje and
later from Zagreb to Rijeka. Somewhat later, the growing amount of Yugoslavs working
in different parts of the country than they originally lived in further contributes to the
need for the establishment of new routes, boosting passenger numbers too.
With a new political landscape, both political and economic forms of cooperation are
thoroughly reexamined, and as mixed companies between Yugoslavia and the USSR
could obviously no longer exist, JUSTA is forced to formally cease operations on the
1st of April this year. JAT benefited greatly from this event, as it now could regain its
former position in the market and further expand as it got an influx of flight crews
and mechanics from JUSTA further strengthening operations. But it is also worth

remembering that all of JATs former international routes went to Eastern bloc countries
which Stalin controlled with his little finger-these could in other words simply not be
reestablished.
The next step in this shall we say reorganization process was the merger of
Aeroremont, a company specialized in repairing aircraft materials, with JAT. This
improved the airlines technical capabilities and did in fact mark the beginning of JAT
repairing its airplanes all by itself.
JAT by the way opens a new route from Belgrade to Zurich through Zagreb, clearly
demonstrating its newly established connection with the West, and another DC-3 joins
its fleet during the year as well.

50s
a strong regional airline

50s
Despite how beneficiary a complete transition from being a fully state-run company
to being a state-owned company with own management resulting in a more natural,
market-oriented and more effective model of business was, outstanding success, as in
most cases, could hardly be expected at once.
Besides turbulent events following its founding, JAT had great difficulties in
acquiring fuel and spare parts for its airplanes as it no longer could obtain these
crucial components from the Soviet Union and Eastern bloc countries. And as trade
agreements between Yugoslavia and the western world were not yet established, this
made trade with these countries impossible as well.
On its flights, JAT flew a total of 86550 passengers in 1950, which was an excellent
result compared to the previous year when it flew 27208 passengers exclusively
on domestic flights. It was also an outstanding result taking into account the crisis
Yugoslav economy was suffering at the time. With 14 DC-3s, JAT transported 669 tons
of cargo, a number which today might seem very low, but given the situation back then
it was rather a small sign of recovery.
After it had achieved success on its Belgrade-Zurich route the last and this year, JAT
goes forth with launching new international flights to important European airports such
as Frankfurt and Munich, further proving the end of JATs isolation towards the western
world-something which in turn led to the reestablishment of cooperation in every
possible aspect; trade, tourism, culture and others and at the same time echoed for
JATs future as a possibly important national carrier.
In spite of the recession Yugoslav economy was going through, JAT maintains all of its
previously initiated flights during 1950, strongly determined that the only way to get
out of the crisis is by doing what they were best at-flying as many people as possible
from one destination to another.
Believe it or not, a headline of the day for the Yugoslav press in 1951 was somewhat
unorthodox and it goes like this; JAT treats kids whooping cough. After a quick
30-minute flight on the altitude of 3500 meters, in the unpressurized cabins of a DC3, the thin air which was found at these high altitudes truly helped these children,
in some cases even treating them for this cough completely. Today, such a headline
would probably make us smile, but back then it marked the end of brutal socialism
from which the country was retreating from following its break with the USSR, and it
besides marked the beginning of the government having a sense of humanity towards
its citizens and caring more about their everyday concerns than it used to do before.
1951 was a year of numerous incidents following JATs incapability to both maintain
its fleet properly due to the lack of parts and to train its crew and mechanics in a
satisfactory way. During these years, immediately after 1948, JAT in short continues
operating due to a big amount of enthusiasm amongst people and more importantly
the tireless day and night efforts of its employees fueled by their laudable will to save

the airline.
Besides, JAT becomes a full IATA member airline and the first meeting of its Board
of Directors is held, marking another big step towards the self-management of the
company. The airline also opens a new route from Belgrade to Athens via Skopje and
Thessaloniki.
In general, according to research and experience, the number of passengers willing
to fly falls dramatically following constant accidents and incidents, even if these occur
in other countries and are totally unrelated to an individual. Well, this happened in
JATs case too, and this combined with a price increase on travel by air domestically
following the state reducing subsidies to JAT, 1952 will stand as a year when the total
passenger number fell by roughly a third compared to the previous year.
JAT however opens new routes to Paris from Belgrade via Munich and includes Graz as
a stop on its Belgrade to Frankfurt via Zagreb flight. Furthermore, JAT opens offices
in several European cities this year; the start its presence internationally and thereby
further improving sales on the European market.
The following two years-1953 and 1954-pass with a limited amount of development
within the airline; the factors which caused it were very clear, but nothing could be
done with them. First of all, in order to achieve safe and as frequent flights as the
market demands, generating as much profit as possible-which by the way can be
said to be the two pillars of any airline-the bare minimum required is a mix of wellequipped airports, qualified crew and a fleet suitable to the airlines planned purposes.
During these years, neither the majority of Yugoslav airports, nor JAT, are on a level
of standard which simply was demanded in order to stimulate further growth. There
was for instance by 1953 only one single airport in the whole country which had a
paved runway and other necessary facilities such as a modest terminal and navigation
systems which were extremely important for the safe guiding of airplanes in rough
weather and during the night. In case you are wondering which airport I am talking
about, those who think it is Belgrade airport are completely right.
Fleet-wise, JAT was not in a good position compared to other airlines either. And
especially airlines which had already turned their heads towards bigger, more costefficient and high-performance aircraft. JAT was forced to still continue using the by
then already uncomfortable DC-3 which was a big time fuel drinker and thereby had
very high operating costs as well. Such a fleet obviously decreased JATs market share
on the European market as its competitors in other countries could offer a much better
product in terms of comfort and most likely safety too, so JAT was in other words
forced to rather expand its domestic route network as they had an inadequate fleet for
expanding operations across Europe.
After a large amount of JATs pilots complained to the Yugoslav government due
to what they considered was an absence of so to say all components required for
conducting air traffic safely. Starting from the quality and level of equipment the
airports had to an aging fleet, the government immediately takes several measures.

It begins modernizing airports and especially the navigation systems on and around
them, and JATs mechanics are besides sent to Switzerland for UN-sponsored training.
Some passenger growth was albeit achieved by opening new seasonal routes to cities
such as Dubrovnik, Herceg Novi, Rijeka and Split-all of these starting from Belgrade.
Also, by this year all important Yugoslav cities, such as state capitals, were connected
by air. JAT furthermore opens a new route from Belgrade to Istanbul via Skopje.
The introduction of the Convair CV-340, which arrived in Belgrade in 1954, played
a big role in the development of JATs route network and especially internationally
speaking. This aircraft, which was built in the beginning of the fifties, had many
benefits in comparison to its predecessors such as for example the DC-3.
It primarily had a much larger capacity for carrying passengers with its 48 seats
compared to DC-3s 28, although it in terms of its size was not that much bigger
than the latter. It also had a strikingly better rate of performance, flying at 450 km/h
compared to the DC-3 which flew at a cruising speed of 250 km/h-almost a doubling,
in other words. The level of comfort the Convair offered was also higher than the
DC-3 did, and a new innovation was the pressurized cabin-which allowed passengers
and crew to fly at nearly normal atmospheric pressure levels. This was a great asset,
especially when flying over high mountain areas such as for example the Alps.
Furthermore, the improved version of this aircraft, the CV-440, which JAT receives
first a couple of years later, had state-of-the-art communicational and navigational
systems alongside with an autopilot system which greatly reduced the workload for
pilots and simultaneously increased safety. Flying without an autopilot-we can hardly
imagine it nowadays, but back then if a pilot flew from say Belgrade to Paris and back,
he had most surely done his daily exercise, because flying these planes wasnt exactly
based on a fly-by-wire system to put it that way.
These Convairs quickly became the new faces of JATs international services, and
were in the following years the main component which led to the strengthening and
expansion of JATs international network. Remember that JAT was now in a position in
which its airplanes could fly to London via Frankfurt, or to Beirut and Cairo via Athens,
by which it for the first time in its history commenced overseas flights and left its print
on the African and Asian continent.
This growth, however, declines for a brief period of time, following the crash of two
Convairs during the end of 1955 and in the lapse of 1956, which was caused by
insufficient training of the crew which were unable to fully master the new components
the airplane had. Nevertheless, JAT opens new flights from Belgrade to Beirut via
Istanbul, from Belgrade to London via Vienna and Frankfurt and opens a domestic
flight on the route Belgrade- Zabljak.
What is also important to note, is that during 1955 Yugoslavia and the USSR signed the
Belgrade declaration, which paved the way for resumed cooperation between JAT and
Eastern bloc airlines.

Seen from a perspective of 58 years-while this book is being written, we can safely say
that the tragic year of 1955 brought one positive thing with it because JAT conclusively
learned their most important lesson, and from that day to now, almost everything has
been allowed to happen in JAT; the cancellation of flights, delays and bad service. But
one thing has not been allowed under any circumstance since then and that is flying
with risks, without the adequate preparation of crew or without a complete check of
both the crew and airplane beforehand. So safety was, thankfully enough, pretty much
the only thing that did not come into question from that year and onwards.
From 1955 and on JAT also becomes a global company-not in terms of passenger
numbers, employees nor the amount of aircraft in its fleet, but rather due to the high
level of skills and knowledge JAT flight crews and mechanics possessed. And from this
year JAT also starts training all its employees thoroughly, from the Captain to the last
elementary-school educated ground worker as long as he or she had something to
do with an airplane and flying. There is even a JAT saying which says that all directors
may be replaced-and believe me, this happened frequently-all the pilots and airplanes
may be replaced too, but never again will they fly without being completely sure about
safety.
Following the 1955 Belgrade declaration mentioned above, JAT signs agreements on
cooperation with both TAROM and CSA in 1956. JAT also opens a new route from
Ohrid to Dubrovnik via Skopje.
After a yearlong pause, JAT continues its rapid development in 1957 with the
acquisition of six new Il-14 airplanes produced by the Soviet manufacturer Ilyshin.
Some new, especially seasonal, routes are opened, while the amount of flights on
already existing domestic routes is heavily increased. During 1957 JAT also opens its
first cargo route from Belgrade to Titograd via Sarajevo with a DC-3 and receives its
first and second airplanes of the more modern 440-version of the Convair.
These events above lead to JAT finishing 1958 with very good results, having flown
more than 81000 passengers on its domestic lines, which in fact was the amount
of passengers JAT until then flew in total on both its domestic and international
flights. But time would show that much bigger growth was to come, when JAT in 1959
flew a total of 124000 passengers on its domestic flights-a number to which the
modernization of Zagrebs Pleso airport indisputably contributed to.
By the end of August of 1959, JAT had-12 years after its founding-flown its millionth
passenger. Nowadays this is a modest number, as JAT flies more or less a million
passengers yearly, but back then we are talking about a number which entitled respect
and wasnt left unnoticed internationally either. In the following years, which ultimately
lead to the beginning of the jet age for JAT, its passenger numbers increase heavily;
JAT went from flying 112000 passengers in 1957 to flying 130000 in the following
year, to flying 166000 in 1959, 210000 in 1960 and 270000 in 1961. In 1961 JAT
also purchases another three Convairs.
Furthermore, JAT determines its long-term plans as well during these years. Already in
1961 they make an ambitious five year-plan which most importantly revolved around

the gradual introduction of jet airliners into its fleet, and the aim of maintaining
an annual rate of passenger growth at around 20-25%. One of the most crucial
components for achieving such an offensive plan was without doubt the creation of
more modern infrastructure on the ground-in other words, the modernization of
several airports had to commence immediately if these ambitious plans were to be
achieved at all. With good help from the federal government and local authorities,
either newly built or modernized airports were from the coming years and onwards to
be found in cities such as Ljubljana, Pristina, Skopje, Split, Dubrovnik, Pula, Sarajevo,
Zadar, Rijeka and Ohrid.
The end of the fifties were also the years when the rest of Europe found out about
Yugoslavias magic coastline and when tourism becomes a more and more growing
sector within the Yugoslav economy. This was primarily caused by both the rapid
increase of people who could afford traveling across borders and the increased
competition in the tourism market which ultimately contributed to pushing prices
down. For JAT, accommodating these tourists was not a challenge at all, and it flew
tens of thousands of tourists to destinations along the Adriatic Sea. This new boom in
tourism led JAT to target its product more and more towards tourists, as they quickly
realized they could become a crucial component for the further development of the
airline.

60s
the Jet age

60s
1960 was yet one of those years when JAT wished to accomplish more than it in fact
was able to. Its fleet, firstly, was then made up of mostly old airplanes with quite high
operating costs. We are talking about airplanes such as the DC-3, which it had 13 of,
the Il-14, which it had 6 of, a single DC-6B, and it further had a total of 3 Convairs.
Although JAT, as written a few paragraphs ago, achieved a record year in terms of
passengers, flying 210000 passengers in total-an increase of roughly a third from the
year before, more and more employees of the airline realize that the jet age had begun
for good and that JAT needs to get its hands on these airplanes as soon as possible.
This, should we say reality check, forced the government, who at the time influenced
safe to say every aspect of the economy-including JAT-to speed up the decision on the
introduction of jet airplanes in JATs fleet.
Thanks to the rapid building of new hotels along the coastline of the Adriatic Sea as
well as the increasing numbers of tourists which were to be found there following the
touristic boom, many new routes from the deep core of the country to the coast are
introduced whilst the existing ones are strengthened considerably. Just to illustrate;
as many as 28 weekly flights went from Belgrade to Dubrovnik during the summer
months, as many as 26 from Belgrade to Titograd and, due to the shorter distance,
14 from Zagreb to Dubrovnik as well as 16 from Belgrade to Split. In 1960 JAT also
commences flights from Belgrade to Berlin following the signing of an agreement with
the DDR.
JATs fleet increases in numbers with the arrival of three brand new Convairs in 1961,
which contribute to the continuing expansion of the airline, connecting even more
of Yugoslavia with the rest of Europe and the Mediterranean. What is new from this
year and on is also the fact that the Convair was utilized on domestic flights as well,
due to the need for increased capacity, but it is worth mentioning that only Zagreb
and Belgrade had modern runways. In spite of that, the amount of passengers flown
in 1961 grew by 20% compared to the year before. But the number of passengers
flying internationally stagnated during the year, and by flying 50000 passengers on
its international flights, JAT is not able to connect Yugoslavia to Europe as much as it
would like to.

Before I list the events which occurred during the following year, 1962, it may be
worth mentioning that the government had already developed a clear vision for the
development of Yugoslav aviation as well as introduced concrete demands for this
development. And exactly because of these plans, the development of JAT-which
until the sixties had been mostly spontaneous, full of economic opportunities within
the country alongside with strict fare control from the government, the reduction of
subsidies and other factors-incredibly enough continues at a high rate. Luckily for
the sake of Yugoslav civil aviation, these dilemmas never led to the government nor
JAT thinking of ripping JAT into an international and domestic division, which was the
model many airlines of neighboring countries had implemented. As a matter of fact,
JAT had already in its early days understood that their key contribution to society was
the equally important development of both domestic and international routes.

With regard to the target of acquiring jet airliners, it was almost forced onto JAT by not
only its employees but more so the government because of Yugoslavia opening itself
up to the world and vice versa and thereby the so to say required ability to compete
with the rest of the world, also in aviation, which in turn made JAT order its first
Caravelle this year.
The expansion of the domestic network continues during 1962 as well, and the total
number of routes amounted to 47 during the year-compared to 39 in 1958. The
key reason behind this was mostly the wish of local authorities around Yugoslavia to
connect their city to major cities in the country, and then especially with Belgrade, even
though the market did not demand such a route at all.
The result of this is a growing number of routes, but interestingly not a number of
passengers proportional to the amount of new routes which were introduced. The load
factor was very low, mostly around fifty percent, but as the government still subsidized
JAT on these domestic routes they had no other option than saying yes in despite of
the unwanted economic effects such a policy entitled.
Besides, after four years of construction and some 14 million US dollars, a brand new
airport opened in Belgrade in 1962. It offered an unprecedented level of comfort to
passengers flying through it, and as it could handle as many as 45 airplanes per hour,
capacity was greatly increased as well. Modern navigational equipment also guaranteed
for the safety of both passengers and crew.
1963 was, due to many reasons, said to be a very important year for JAT-first of all
due to the arrival of its first Caravelle, which was considered a milestone as it for
sure marked JATs entrance into the elite of European airlines. The acquisition of the
Caravelle besides marked the beginning of the jet age in Yugoslavia. During the year,
another 2 Caravelles join the fleet simultaneously as six rather uneconomical Il-14
airplanes are taken out of service without much complaining from either passengers
or the management. To put things in a context, and truly understand what the
introduction of the Caravelle meant for JAT, it is worth mentioning that the aircraft
flew at twice the speed of the Convair, which until then was the most modern aircraft
in JATs fleet. In addition to an extended range, it could handle twice the amount of
passengers the Convair could and four times what the DC-3 could. In other words, we
might conclude that a single Caravelle replaced four Convairs and as many as 8 DC3s.
As written above, after the introduction of the Caravelle JAT truly became an important
European airline, launching flights to cities such as Paris, Munich, London, Frankfurt,
Athens and others as well as shorter intercontinental flights to cities such as for
instance Beirut and Cairo. The Convair temporarily continued operating flights to
Rome, Zurich and Vienna while the DC-3 was only used on the Belgrade-Tirana route.
Seen from a statistical point of view, the 3 Caravelles led to a capacity increase of 59%
on domestic flights and 75% on international flights. JAT had, we might conclude,
never before had such a good possibility to increase its share in the aviation market.

And the results of the acquisition of the Caravelles were even seen as quickly as after
their first year in service. On domestic flights, the number of passengers increased
by roughly 25% (from 205000 to 254000), due to the fact that the Convair- which
was pretty much out of the picture regarding European flights except for a fewtook over the domestic routes from the then already aging DC-3s, thus heavily
increasing capacity on these. On international flights, the passenger increase was
no less than a whopping 100%. The very same year, a new state-of-the-art airport
opened in Ljubljana, the now Slovenian capital, and JAT opened two new routes from
Belgrade as well; to Amsterdam and Berlin. The year of 1963 was also a year of crisis,
as a catastrophic earthquake occurred in Skopje. JAT made great efforts in helping
Macedonians, which made President Tito so satisfied that he decided to thank the
national carrier by presenting them with a high medal for brotherhood and unity.
During 1964, JATs airplanes connect Yugoslavia with 25 European and Middle-Eastern
cities, making an income of 5, 5 million US dollars on these flights. JAT flew 311000
passengers on domestic flights, 131000 on international flights and 18000 on charter
flights, so in other words 460000 passengers in total. This was, by the way, the last
year during which a large passenger increase on domestic flights occurred.
And that was mostly caused by the fact that the Republic introduced massive reforms
on state-owned companies in 1965, which for JAT meant a stop for the subsidies on
domestic flights which they had been receiving. This forced JAT to reexamine their
current business model and figure out how to further improve growth due to what they
were almost certain would lead to a decrease in passengers flying domestically. By the
end of this year, Pristina got a modern airport too.
1965 was actually, as written above, the last year in which JAT flew more passengers
on their domestic rather than international routes for a long time to come. It was also
the year during which the state only covered 10% of their budget, and the coming year
the state refused to cover for more than 3% of it. Quite the opposite from what we
have been seeing from the mid- 2000s, eh? Anyway, 1965 was also the first year in
JATs history that the airline carried more than half a million passengers in total. On
domestic flights, they flew 330000 passengers while they flew 175000 passengers on
international flights, which was an increase of as much as 33% compared to the year
before. JAT had an income of 7, 5 million US dollars on international routes this yearremember that only two years before, in 1963, JATs income was at 2, 2 million US
dollars.
A modernized airport in Skopje was also reopened in 1965, continuing the trend of
modernizing airports in the region in order to facilitate for a booming industry. What
is also interesting to mention is that a seasonal DC-3 operated flight from Belgrade
to Vrnjacka Banja was launched that year-a distance which by road is no more than
230 kilometers long. That year, a fourth Caravelle also entered JATs fleet. And as
mentioned a couple of pages ago, at the beginning of the 60s JAT flew passengers to
cities such as for example Paris, Munich, London, Frankfurt, Athens, Beirut and Cairo.
Four years later-in 1969-JATs fleet consisted of five DC-3s, eight Convairs, seven
Caravelles and one DC-9, and they were in addition to the cities above flying to cities
such as Moscow via Warsaw, Stockholm and more importantly to cities such as Tunis,
Tripoli and Algiers; in total, JAT flew to 81 international and 35 domestic cities. Such
an extensive route network required modern communicational systems in order to be
able to function properly, so from September and onwards JATSs Central reservation

center had a direct SITA-channel from Belgrade to the rest of the world via Vienna.
During 1965 JAT built a new and modern hangar at Belgrade airport, which by then
was the airlines main hub. And it had all an airline ever could dream of; a schooling
center, an aeromedical institute, several hangars and so on. The decision to perform
all technical operations in this hangar ultimately led to an increase in quality and
efficiency, and JAT was as a result of this proclaimed as one of the carriers with the
lowest maintenance costs by IATA.
In 1966, JAT was still in possession of 11 DC-3 aircraft and from this year and
onwards, one DC-3 was yearly either sold or dismissed from its fleet. By implementing
this policy, JAT was expecting to have only two DC-3s left by 1970 alongside with
six Convairs and four Caravelles. By this year, the propeller-driven DC-3 was only
operating on very short domestic routes.
Now let us go back to the reforms I mentioned some paragraphs ago. They were
basically centered on a bigger respect for commerce laws and competition as well as
the aim of self-management, which in turn led to a minimal annual contribution from
the state at 3% of JATs total budget. From that moment, and for the next few yearsuntil the government again took the role of price negotiator on domestic flights-a
completely new financial and business policy is drafted by JAT with the main aim
to invest some of the income generated on international routes into their domestic
routes, ensuring their continuing existence.
This policy, obviously, caused a decrease in the number of passengers traveling on
domestic routes which in 1966 amounted to 220000 compared to 330000 during the
year prior to that as prices increased dramatically. The number of passengers flying on
international routes, on the other hand, continued to grow, and amounted to 238000
passengers this year, compared to 175000 passengers a year before.
Not ready for the sudden stop of state subsidies, many people in JAT, and not only
within the company, considered the quick transition to a company standing completely
on its own feet to be a disaster. Seen with a bit of hindsight however, we can today
surely say that this critical point caused JAT to think ahead of its time, and think in
a new, market-oriented way. And taking into account the fierce competition in the
European air market, which already by 1966 was fully covered with routes from so to
say every possible city to another where the market demanded it, a JAT on its own, not
only manages to survive but also manages to maintain a rate of growth which could
not be seen in any other part of the Yugoslav economy. This would become even more
clear in the years which were to follow, and this hypothesis is especially convincing if
you compare JATs development with the development of the Yugoslav railways which
to put it mildly were not impressive at all at the time.
Other significant events during this year were the openings of yet two modern airports
in Pula and Split respectively.

JATs fleet got its fifth Caravelle during 1967, but in financial terms barely manages
to make ends meet. On one side, they are in a situation which requires them to shut
down unprofitable domestic routes, while on the other side, they are in a situation
which suggests that they take the risk of further expanding their international network
in order to try to compensate for the losses made on domestic lines. Commercially
speaking, JATs management was well aware that without a marketing expansion of a
European scale, there were no conditions for the further survival of the airline.
Simplified, the problem which JAT was facing could be described as follows: From the
founding of the airline, it was first in 1967 in a position where it had more capacity
than traveling passengers and cargo-in other words the supply exceeded the demand.
On the domestic routes, the airline didnt have to wait for passengers to realize the
expensiveness of traveling by air now as it no longer was subsidized by the state.
Especially as the railways-in strong contrast to JAT-didnt manage to raise the price
for traveling by train to the price level where it in fact should be in order to be able to
compensate for the expenses (but beyond all economic logic continued to transport
passengers at far too low prices). So, again, on one side, JAT still experiences
public pressure and criticism for letting go of unprofitable domestic routes, despite
keeping all the key routes-between capitals and major cities for instance-although
some of them operate with big losses. They did this in order to avoid a public outcry,
and with that politicians which often, as often as citizens so to speak, are in favor of
less expenses for the state but are unwilling to accept the unfortunate consequences
savings on these areas bring with them.
Conversely, the losses made on the domestic lines, were to a larger and larger extent
being covered for by the profits made on the booming international lines-which JAT
during these years focuses a lot on and expands. 1967 was also the year in which
JAT collects no less than 12 million US dollars of income-compared to 7, 5 million
in 1965-on their international routes. The benefits of this strategy were very clear:
Yugoslavia was extremely well connected to the rest of Europe, and this brought huge
benefits to the country in terms of trade and investments as well as stronger bonds
with many nations. The latter also contributed to a large respect and fondness of
Yugoslavia as a nation by other nations, which there safe to say hasnt been seen much
of since the beginning of the 90s.
In 1967, JAT flew 277000 passengers on its international routes while it flew 239000
on its domestic ones. The fact that the Suez war was going on in 1967 caused
profitable routes such as Cairo and Beirut to be paused for a certain period of time,
also contributed to the financial difficulties the airline was still experiencing.
Besides its Caravelles, JAT had 9 DC-3s and six Convairs in its fleet in 1967. Already
then, the airline started to discuss whether they only should keep the Caravelle as a
part of their fleet in the future. Nevertheless, it is worth remembering that new and
more superior aircraft such as the DC-9 and Boeing 727 were already being introduced
at that time and were becoming increasingly popular on medium- and longer-range
flights. So in JAT, slowly but surely, they realized that the revolutionary Caravelle would
someday soon have to be replaced.
In the spring of 1968, JAT for the first time raises public questions on the aviation
industry in Yugoslavia and its future. They seek answers to why there is not a revised
strategy for the development of the industry in Yugoslavia, why the government

doesnt have a clear plan regarding their newly introduced strategy and JAT as well
raises a question on why and on which basis the government demands to shall we say
follow the politics of the FRY in terms of domestic and especially foreign policy. We are
of course talking about the establishment of new international routes although they
had nothing but a political significance, let alone commercial reasons lying behind it,
and JAT did not receive any compensation from the government for these unprofitable
political routes either. As mentioned earlier, at that time JAT did not receive any
form for subsidies from the state but was instead trying to further formulate and
use its own strategy for growth and development. JAT didnt demand subsidies from
the government or for it to cover its losses, but they were at least hoping for the
government to give them tax breaks and better credit terms for instance, as they were
a company which was serving their nation immensely much. The Yugoslav railways for
example-which I just love to use as a counterweight-operated with huge losses each
year, but the government wrote those losses off at the end of each fiscal year.
In terms of the fleet situation, the number of DC-3s was already down to seven, and
JAT had another seven Convairs and six Caravelles.
The already seen passenger trend continues in 1968 as well-the number of passengers
on domestic routes was down to a low 216000 while the international routes flew
350000 passengers-in comparison 30% more than the domestic routes did. This year,
and virtually over the next years, JAT makes 80% of their total income on this steadily
growing amount of international routes. The strategy of focusing on its international
rather than domestic network turns out to be very successful and lucrative for JAT; by
leaning on these routes, it manages to escape from the crisis which was threatening it
if actions were not taken, and what is more important manages to survive as an airline.
It is worth writing that during this year and the following years many European and
global airlines struggled a lot to stay afloat due to an ongoing crisis in the aviation
market.
The amount of routes in JATs international network by this year, amounting to 85, and
in their domestic network, amounting to 35, obviously support what is written in the
paragraph above regarding where JATs focus lied.
JATs fleet was during 1969 made up of seven Caravelles, eight Convairs and five DC3s. Furthermore, JAT chose to lease a DC-9 aircraft for a shorter period of time as a
result of the Caravelle being insufficient in terms of range and capacity for some of
the routes. This aircraft was seen as superior to the Caravelle and would turn out to be
acquired in large numbers by JAT during the years to come.
This was also the year in which JAT managed to sustain the decline in the amount of
passengers flying on their domestic flights. In comparison to 216000 passengers the
year before, 377000 passengers were flown on domestic routes in 1969. The growth
on their international routes continued, and that year they flew as many as 440000
passengers besides flying 48000 passengers on charter flights. The total number of
passengers was 880000 and was yet another proof of a successful new strategy from
JATs management which further strengthened the airlines increasingly significant
position in the European air market.

Besides JAT persistently started to increase the frequency on already existing

international routes rather than opening new ones, as many of their routes were flown
to not more than two or three times weekly. They were also planning to commence
flights without stops to their most profitable cities, in other words-direct routes. For
example, that year the flight to Paris no longer went via Zurich, and direct routes were
established to London, Rome and Beirut. The airline was more importantly preparing
to establish daily flights to their most profitable cities; Paris, London and Frankfurt,
increasing capacity on these routes significantly following a growing demand.
Modernized airports were opened in Sarajevo and Zadar in 1969, and JAT welcomed
its 5000000th passenger during this year which was their 22nd year of operations. JAT
also received a certificate from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), granting
them the right to fly to the United States.

70s
continuing growth
and troubles

70s
1970 was the first year during which JAT passed the magic million, carrying more
than a million passengers during one year-1200000 passengers in total. 550000 of
these were flown on domestic routes and 552000 on international routes in addition
to more or less 100000 passengers on their charter flights. With this large amount
of passengers, JAT not surprisingly enough ranked as number 51 out of 122 IATA
member airlines all over the world in terms of passenger numbers and came into the
category of medium developed airlines.
The other big news that year were-similar to in 1963, when the Caravelle entered into
service-considered to be a milestone, as another five modern medium-range DC-9
airplanes entered JATs fleet. As a result of this, JAT was-with a few years of delay-in
terms of fleet age closing in on leading west-European competing carriers.
1970 was also the year during which Yugoslavia abolishes its visa policy and opens
its borders to citizens of every country provided they are in possession of a a valid
passport, and thereby becomes the first communist country in the world to do so. At
the same time this was also a year when a record number of Yugoslav workers left
Yugoslavia for temporary work abroad-something which usually meant that they would
return to Yugoslavia at least twice a year, generating even more passengers for JAT.
The growing number of Yugoslavs working abroad was simply caused by the shortage
of workers for manual jobs in the west following deindustrialization in that part of
Europe. This left western governments forced to take in people from all around the
world in order to alleviate these shortages. Anyway, both the fact that guest workers
in Germany were allowed to bring dependents with them after working for a year and
the fact that many of these eventually stayed, contributed to increasing JATs clientele.
Besides, intercontinental traffic in general from Europe towards the US, Canada and
Australia was increased, and this also affected Yugoslavia. Following this trend, JAT
founds its charter sub-airline Air Yugoslavia and leases a four-engine long-haul
Boeing 707 aircraft for this new airline, and with that to some extent implies the
beginning of scheduled intercontinental traffic. By mid-May this 707 had landed in
Belgrade and flew its first charter flight to Sydney already in June
New seasonal routes to major European cities were also launched from cities other
than Belgrade this year, and new airports in Rijeka and Ohrid further strengthened the
network of airports in Yugoslavia.

JAT had no less than seven DC-9s by 1971, which then were the benchmark of
progress in the industry when it came to the class of medium-range aircraft. The
airline also had seven Convairs and six Caravelles which both were closer and closer
to their retirement. It is furthermore worth mentioning that JAT in 1971 also had two
Boeing 707s in traffic due to a new and offensive intercontinental strategy taken on by
Air Yugoslavia.

More than 1, 6 million passengers were flown this year-an increase of 25% compared
to the previous year. JAT had in other words managed to double its amount of
passengers from 1969-which then amounted to 880000. This was without doubt a
unique and unprecedented result in Yugoslav industry, but it was strangely enough not
analyzed too much and learned from. However, because of exceeding their expected
amount of passengers and successful operations, JAT was proclaimed as an exemplary
company by the Serbian chamber of commerce.
1972 will stand as one of the hardest and most demanding years in the history
of Yugoslav civil aviation. Firstly because of a bomb explosion onboard a DC-9
international JAT flight above Czechoslovakia, where 27 passengers and crew members
tragically lost their lives as a result of it. Miraculously enough only flight attendant
Vesna Vulovic survived the fall from 10000 meters. The same year the appearance of
pox in the Kosovo province caused major concerns both inside Yugoslavia and abroad
as well. The government also banned Yugoslav citizens to buy foreign currency when
traveling abroad, which caused major troubles as the dollar was falling in value and the
until then strong dinar began to devaluate as well.
All of these events mentioned above contributed to a passenger number which was
somewhat below what the airline had predicted, albeit it still was an increase, and it
amounted to 1, 8 million compared to 1, 6 the year before. JAT connected 16 domestic
cities and 27 European and Middle-eastern cities on a scheduled basis operating 61
domestic and 78 international flights.
During this year, JAT made major changes in terms of the organization of the
airline; 11 different sub-companies were clearly established with their own laws and
management, and a general assembly, the Skupstina, was also established within JAT.
Fully prepared, JAT launches a very offensive long-haul campaign towards the United
States, Canada and Australia in 1973. As mentioned before, they founded a sub-airline
for this purpose, Air Yugoslavia, whose primary tasks were to fill up available seats
on regular flights by cooperating with travel agencies, do preparations before the
launch of new regular routes and most importantly develop charter traffic within the
airline. Air Yugoslavia focused specially on the transport of tourists and Yugoslav guest
workers living abroad, and in total, more than 300000 passengers were flown on
charter flights during this year and approximately 180 of these flights carried 40000
passengers to various intercontinental destinations in the US, Canada and Australia.
JAT not surprisingly flew many passengers which were in Diaspora on these flights,
and the amount of passengers coming from this channel would increase heavily in the
coming years.
JAT flew 2, 3 million passengers this year, and this was in fact the first year that it flew
a total of more than 2 million passengers. 1, 1 million of these were flown on domestic
flights, 870000 on euro-Mediterranean flights, and 300000 on charter flights.
Besides, with an income of 84 million US dollars and over 2 million passengers JAT
again confirms its status as a leading airline.
JATs fleet was by 1973 made up of 13 DC-9s, five Caravelles, two Convairs and only

two DC-3s, which by then were mostly used for transporting cargo. Time would show
that the thirteen DC-9s would continue to fly on JATs European routes for the twelve
coming years, before the 737 joined JATs fleet in 1985. Four Boeing 707s were also a
part of the fleet.
Amongst other significant events in 1973 you have the founding of an air taxi service,
JAT Air Taxi, and the founding of an independent travel agency, Air Lift. JAT Air Taxi
was used for both the training of flight crew and for transporting passengers, and had
a fleet of three Cessna 402-Bs. Air Lift was founded with the purpose to form a socalled air bridge to large tourist destinations, selling package tours, and managed to
serve 15,000 passengers in 1973. From 1973, a pilot school was also in operation,
and the student pilots received basic training in Vrsac, before moving to Belgrade and
completing their type rating and initial route flying there. This model opened up a
lot of new spots for pilots-which until then were so-to-say reserved for experienced
military and private pilots-filled by young people trained in this well-respected school
which many other airlines, especially in the third world, sent its future pilots to for
training as well.
Besides, in August of 1973 the American aircraft manufacturer McDonnell-Douglas
visited Belgrade and organized a demonstrational flight of their new flagship, the DC10, which would turn out to become part of JATs fleet in a few years time. A contract
was also signed between the airline and the manufacturer on the purchase of six new
DC-9 aircraft. The last remaining Convair was taken out of service this year.
The high increase in oil prices, which hit the whole world in 1974 due to the fact that
Arab members of the OPEC proclaimed an oil embargo which subsequently made fuel
account for more than a quarter of the total operating costs in aviation-just to put
things in perspective, this number had in 1973 been at only one-sixth. As a direct
result of that, expenses naturally rise, and especially on international, longer routes.
IATA increased the index price of air travel no less than five times that year alone. The
increase in oil prices also affected the individual to a large extent; increasing living
expenses dramatically and thus reducing the amount they were willing to, or rather
able to, pay for air travel-which for many people still was considered a luxury. This
obviously affected all airlines and caused the booming aviation industrys growth to
slow down for a while, and JAT was no exception.
The biggest problems for JATs part were, believe it or not, popping up on their
domestic routes rather than on the international ones which indisputably required
far more fuel. The government didnt allow JAT to increase prices on domestic air
travel because they wanted to keep prices of air travel within the country under
control, with the aim of protecting the standard of traveling. As a consequence of this
policy, the airline lost massive amounts of money on their domestic services while
the international routes-which usually were the moneymakers-didnt achieve the
profit they usually did and thus became unable to compensate for the losses made on
domestic routes.
Bad luck continued with constant conflicts in the Middle East, disputes between Turkey
and Greece and the inflation in general which alongside with the world recession more
or less led to the abolition of many of the jobs Yugoslavs held temporarily abroad.

In terms of domestic passengers-who benefited greatly from the strictly regulated

ticket prices-JAT flew 1, 3 million of them. On its international routes JAT flew only
30000 passengers more than they did the year before-900000 in total. That was a
rate of growth at a humble 4%, compared to a rate of around 20% so to say every year
before 1974.
Obviously the increase of oil prices and thereby fuel prices contributed to the
stagnation of the growth, but it may also be said that as JAT for several years had
been a medium-sized global airline which meant that an annual growth of 20-25%
could very unlikely continue year after year. From this year and onwards JAT never
again achieved such a massive rate of growth and rather focused on opening new sales
offices all around the world, improving the product they were offering and started with
much more strategic marketing campaigns than they have had before in order to try to
win every single passenger they could. The 20% annual growth stands to this date as a
very strong characteristic of one decade when Yugoslavia opened its doors to the world
and JAT luckily enough managed to take advantage of this to a large extent.
By the end of 1974, JAT had four Boeing 707s, thirteen DC-9s, five Caravelles, one
Convair and only one good old DC-3 in its fleet. A new addition to JATs aircraft family
this year, were three brand new state-of-the-arts Boeing 727s. The first class of
graduates finished JATs pilot school this year as well, which by the way acquired 13
single-engine piston Cessna 172 airplanes and two Zlin acrobatic aircraft.
A new concrete-runway airport opened in Pristina and JAT also flew its first aroundthe-world flight this year. From the 10th to the 29th of November a Boeing 707 flew
on the route Belgrade-Beirut-Bombay-Singapore-Tokyo-Honolulu-Los Angeles-New
York-London-Belgrade. Out of 121 member airlines, the IATA ranked JAT as 31st with
regard to passenger numbers, 49th in terms of air kilometers flown and 43rd in the
number of employees.
After five years of preparations with charter flights, JAT finally launched its first
scheduled long-haul route to Australia in 1975. The routing Belgrade-KarachiSingapore-Sydney was utilized and it was not less than 17000 kilometers long. And
with this route established, a scheduled service connecting tens of thousands of
Yugoslavs in Diaspora with their families alongside with other travelers was for the first
time in operation, 28 years after the airline was founded. Amongst European airlines,
JAT was actually the one which now could offer the quickest and most convenient
routing to Australia.
Offering good connections to passengers from every corner of the world, the kiddo
saying that what doesnt kill you only makes you stronger turns out to be true for JAT
in every sense. Something which they effectively demonstrated by extensive planning,
the braking of the massive growth as well as numerous daily cost-cutting measures
put into effect without compromising assets at all.
1975 was furthermore the first year in which JAT flew more than a million passengers
on both their domestic and international routes; 1,6 million passengers were flown
on domestic routes, while just over one million were flown on international routes

while 330000 were flown on charter flights. In other words, JAT flew almost 3 million
passengers in total during this year and it was also the year in which JAT questioned its
profitability, as supply continued to exceed demand greatly. When another two Boeing
727s joined the fleet, the average load factor amounted to a lean 48%, which-to turn it
around-meant that JAT flew with 52% of its seats empty on average. And the fleet most
certainly was not too small with approximately 3500 seats in total divided over five
Caravelles, thirteen DC-9s, five Boeing 727s, four Boeing 707s and a single Convair
and DC-3 respectively.
In May of this year, all JAT employees decided to donate 20% of their salaries for five
months in order to cover up last years losses. And with 5146 employees in total it
is safe to say that this was not just a symbolic donation, but rather a clear will of
the employees to help their employer to a certain extent in times of trouble. Worth
mentioning is also the fact that JAT employees during these years had benefits and a
working environment very few Yugoslav companies could match.
A new route from Pristina to Tivat was besides initiated and operated by the Croatian
airline PAN Adria, and this marked the beginning of JATs cooperation with them on
domestic routes.
Many airlines found themselves in serious financial difficulties during 1976 as well,
and some were even forced to declare bankruptcy. The reason was, as you might have
guessed, the ongoing increase in oil prices and a rate of inflation which grew as a
direct consequence of that in almost all countries. Dealing with this crisis on both their
domestic and international routes, JAT decides that escaping the crisis by letting go of
employees and downsizing the organization is not the way to go, and instead focuses
on two key areas in an attempt to get out of the crisis.

Firstly, the frequency of flights on routes which were considered to be unprofitable

was heavily reduced and aircraft originally scheduled on these were redirected to
Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern destinations in which Yugoslav building contractors
were conducting projects of large scales. We are talking about countries such as Iraq,
Syria, Kuwait, Alger, Tunis, Libya and others. A growing number of both passengers
and cargo flew on these routes, so JAT wisely enough put more and more members
of its fleet on the task of flying to these new destinations. The exactly same goes for
countries such as for instance Czechoslovakia, Poland and the USSR where Yugoslav
contractors were awarded big projects too, and JAT opens, reopens or intensifies
routes to these markets as well.
Secondly, JAT realized that no serious global airline could get out of this crisis if it
didnt claim its stake in the long-haul market, which back then still was unexplored
territory for most airlines although demand clearly was there. So, in short, the decision
to order long-haul airplanes was based on one key conclusion: the European air
market is mostly served and there is little room for expansion, whilst the global air
market was just opened thanks to new and modern aircraft which easily could put
long distances behind them. JAT joins this intercontinental market assuming that an
extensive amount of travelers will travel to Europe from overseas and vice versa in the
coming years, and that the vast amount of Yugoslavs living in Diaspora will show a

greater interest in visiting their home country than before. Besides, JATs reputation,
which at that time was very good, attracted an increasing number of foreign
passengers onboard JATs airplanes.
In 1976 JAT also opens its second scheduled long-haul route, and it goes to New
York from Belgrade via Zagreb. This route instantly turned out to be such a success
alongside with the already established route to Australia, that JAT decides to start new
routes to emerging markets such as Malta, Baghdad, Damascus and Kuwait this year as
well.
The transport of cargo by air becomes increasingly popular, so JAT increases its
capacity by adding a big Boeing 707 into its cargo fleet in addition to the old DC-3
which already was a part of it. The last of the Caravelles, JATs first jet aircraft, flew its
last flight from Belgrade to Skopje and back on the 31st of December, and subsequently
left JATs fleet. A new airport in Maribor opens, and JATs airplanes flying to Australia
start making a stop in Kuwait City rather than in Karachi after market research showed
that this would further increase the profitability of the route.
JAT flew a grand total of 2931000 passengers this year-a number 60000 passengers
smaller than the year before, which simply was a result of the decrease in passengers
flying domestically.
A bad load factor during the previous years made JAT plan 1977s traffic with a
smaller amount of total flying hours and less frequent flights to some destinations.
This decision ultimately brought good results with it. During that year alone, JAT flew
3112130 passengers in total, and for the first time in its 30 yearlong history carried
more than 3 million passengers. The increase of 180000 passengers compared to the
year before was mostly caused by more passengers on flying on European routes.
By the end of this fiscal year, JAT achieved a solid profit-in other words, the
development of the airline continues, although at a less rigid pace than originally
planned.
In July, after a period of thorough market research and profitability, comparing
different airplanes, JAT decides to order its first McDonnell-Douglas DC-10, which
back then was one of the frontiers in the class of long-range airplanes. Rumors
actually say JAT chose the DC-10 over the 747 due to an overnight political decision.
Nevertheless, the signing of this contract in Long Beach, CA, on the 14th of July marked
a new milestone for JAT-the expansion of scheduled intercontinental traffic.
A modernized airport opened in Titograd this year too. Besides, a new route from
Belgrade to Madrid through Zagreb and Lyon began operating this year.

At the start of 1978, on the 2nd of February to be exact, JAT and a group of American
commercial banks signed a contract on the acquisition of a second DC-10. Shortly
after this contract was signed, McDonnell-Douglas employees went on a strike,
delaying the arrival of JATs first DC-10, which in turn forced JAT to make certain
changes in their flight schedule for a few months time.
On the 11th of December the official handover of a brand new DC-10 was conducted
in Long Beach, and the following day the aircraft finally arrived in Belgrade. With the
arrival of this 280-seater with the ability to carry 40 metric tons of cargo, JAT had
the fundament for intensifying its long-haul services while offering passengers an
adequate level of comfort and speed. It is interesting to mention that 40 tons was half
the amount of cargo JAT carried annually when it was formed in 1947. Anyway, this
aircraft soon flew its first scheduled flight from Belgrade to New York via Zagreb and
Ljubljana.
A new route to Beijing was introduced in April, albeit it was formally a charter route,
and it flew thousands of passengers on package tours with the name Prolece u Kini,
which simply translates into Spring in China. There was great demand for these
package tours both at home in Yugoslavia and abroad, and many non-Yugoslavs flew
on these flights as well as very few routes from Europe to China existed at the time.
This charter route to Beijing was after all Air Yugoslavia serving one of the purposes
it was founded for in the first place-doing preparations before the launch of new
scheduled routes, which in this case were planned to commence in 1979.
In February JAT introduces JATARS, an automatic reservation system, which had been
invented only a few years earlier. As a result of this, the sales and reservation process
was simplified and confusions were avoided.
In January, February and July, respectively, the last Caravelles which stood stored on
the ground in Belgrade leave JATs fleet for good. These Beauties of the sky, as they
often were referred to, were sold to the French airline Aerotour. One Caravelle was
besides given as a gift to the museum of Yugoslav Aviation in Belgrade (and it still
stands there, outside, falling apart part by part to this date...). Nonetheless, JAT flew a
grand total of 3, 5 million passengers and 28000 tons of freight, entering a new era of
existence.
With the price of oil still increasing due to the Iranian Revolution which overthrew Shah
Pahlavi, fuel saw its price increase an unreal 280% during 1979 and the first half of the
following year. That-alongside with other factors-was the first warning to a worsening
of the global economic situation, which would turn out to leave deep scars on JATs
operations. With the exception of this year, JAT would end the following years with a
negative result; in other words, the airline would operate with losses.
So a few years after the first oil crisis, a new oil crisis became a given, an event which
seriously shook the world economy and so to say immediately led to a recession. The
consequences were already too well known to JAT-a steep increase in the fuel price,
increased prices of handling, increased air traffic control fees etc. and all of these
together contribute to increasing expenses greatly, something which in turn makes

financial losses inevitable.

The liberalization of the price regulation on domestic air travel covers up the losses
due to the increase in expenses, but only to a limited extent. Even a legal intervention
from IATA member airlines in order to increase prices of air travel yet again, did not
help JAT significantly either.
Another two events also contribute to causing the airline troubles during 1979. A
strong earthquake occurs in Montenegro, making many European tourists-which JAT
was supposed to fly-cancel their vacations in the country. Subsequently, the FAA
grounds all DC-10s for an uncertain period of time following the crash of American
Airlines flight 191 in a suburb of Chicago, which at the time was nothing but a big
mystery. This decision directly affected JAT, and both of its DC-10s, which were the
flagships of its long-haul operations, were grounded. The Boeing 707s jump in to help
and the flights are incredibly enough maintained, but the 707s however had both less
capacity and greater operating costs which led to these routes becoming less profitable
rather than being the moneymakers they usually were. This whole affair lasted for a
few months, before the DC-10 could fly again.
JAT not only puts the DC-10 back into service on scheduled flights to the US and
Australia but also begins using the aircraft on its Baghdad-route, where-as written
previously-Yugoslav contractors worked on big projects.
1979 was also interesting because the public began to raise questions on how much
assets JAT had in fact had in its reserves. Because even though all events pointed
against growth, JAT managed to fly a total of 3921 000 million passengers and 2,1
million of them on domestic routes. As mentioned, the losses previously made on
the domestic routes were partially decreased because of the liberalization on pricing,
and Belgrade Airport was also somewhat modernized during this year, when a new
international terminal was opened.

80s
a global airline serving
millions

80s
1980 was yet another year of troubles in the aviation industry caused by the continuing
increase in oil prices. Besides, JAT becomes part of bigger and bigger problems
within the Yugoslav economy, which during this year falls into a deep crisis due to the
devaluation of the dinar, inflation, reduced production as well as other factors. The
direct consequence of that was that JAT ended this fiscal year with losses which were
covered up by own assets, a move which obviously reduced both the chances and
options for investing into projects further developing the airline.
Nevertheless, another two Boeing 727s arrived in Belgrade that year, but by the end of
the year JAT had less flight hours, passengers and cargo than the year before, and in
numbers it flew 3387000 passengers this year, just a bit over half a million less than
the year before, clearly underlining the negative effect the crisis brought with it.
Other significant events this year include the opening of a new airport in Osijek and
the launch of a new route to Chicago- a city in which many Yugoslavs by decent still
live today.
1981, as well as the next year, are remembered as years during which the foreign
currency reserves of Yugoslavia decreased drastically. This caused JAT major troubles
in especially getting fuel abroad. Truth is, this was a difficult year for many other
airlines as well, even companies way wealthier than JAT, which had to reduce the
amount of flights and even had no other options than ceasing prestigious services to
traditional destinations. For example, British Airways and Kuwait Airways cease flights
to several cities, amongst them cities in Yugoslavia, and the British carrier decided to
let go of 3000 employees all around the world in an attempt to minimize expenses.

The profit margin in the aviation industry was at only 1.6% during the 1980s as a
whole, and just to illustrate the severity of this crisis individually, the total losses in the
global aviation market this year were calculated to be at as much as approximately 1
billion US dollars.

In September another unfortunate event shapes Yugoslav civil aviation; a JAT 727 en
route from Dubrovnik to Belgrade via Titograd is hijacked and the hijackers force the
pilots to fly the airplane to Israel, but as Israeli authorities refused to let the airplane
land in Tel Aviv, it flies to Larnaca instead. Luckily the 108 passengers and crew
managed to overcome the hijackers by setting off a false fire alarm.
Despite the troubling conditions for airlines at the time, JAT decided that the only way

to get out of this crisis was by playing its cards aggressively and radically, as they had
done a few years before during the 2nd oil crisis. JAT focuses on primarily intensifying
and expanding its long-haul network as new routes were opened to the US and
Australia. An example of this is that the newly established Chicago route would first
fly via Cleveland, Ohio, simply in order to be able to carry more passengers and thus
increase revenue. The route to New York became more frequent as well, as JAT added
another two weekly flights to the Big Apple during this period. JAT also freed up the
DC-10 so that it could fly to Baghdad three times a week on a route that was becoming
increasingly lucrative. JAT furthermore reintroduced nonstop flights from Belgrade
to cities such as London, Zurich and Frankfurt, and this move made JATs flights to
these key cities more attractive to travelers who werent keen to have an hour-long
stop in Zagreb and Ljubljana on their way to their final destination. With the aim of
transporting more Yugoslav guest workers abroad, Air Yugoslavia reestablishes the
route to Hannover and opens a twice a week flight from Sarajevo to Frankfurt via Split.
All of these examples above are examples of JATs increased commitment to
risky alternatives which many claim saved the airline although it was a somewhat
unpredictable strategy.
In the end of December, the last two Boeing 727s ordered join JATs fleet, something
which meant that JAT had 28 airplanes in total at the time- ll of them state of the
art. To sum it up, it had two DC-10s, thirteen DC-9s, nine 727s and four 707s. JAT
flew a total of 3555174 passengers this year which was an increase of five percent
compared to the year before. Besides, a new domestic terminal was opened at Belgrade
Airport.
Another year full of trials and challenges for JAT was what, in short, 1982 would turn
out to be. The amount of passengers flying with the airline decreased by 5% in total,
which was exactly the same percentage by which it had risen by during the previous
year. JAT flew a total of 3387495 passengers this year, and was by doing so closer to
3 million passengers rather than the magical 4 million which they hadnt achieved yet.
The only good news in terms of passenger numbers this year can be said to be the fact
that JAT flew 390000 passengers on its charter flights, a 100000 more than the year
before.

The foreign currency reserves were still very low, so JATs airplanes fill their tanks up
at airports abroad rather than at home, because an insufficient amount of fuel was
available within Yugoslavia. The solving of this foreign currency problem, which was
becoming a headache, did not affect JAT alone, as the lack of foreign currency affected
companies all over Yugoslavia.
And 1982 was in fact so challenging that it is said to be the toughest year for JAT
during its pre 1990s era, and people who claim this of course do this referring to the
bigger and bigger losses JAT was making. Extensive research of unprofitable routes
was conducted, the number of domestic flights was reduced and many domestic flights
were connected with one another in order to save money. Truth is, these measures did
save money, but the routes continued operating with losses. JAT still considered their
international routes as their savior in these times of trouble, so they went forth with

expanding, renewing and most importantly improving the product they were offering
on these. As a result of this strategy, Air Yugoslavia launches charter flights to Toronto
and Montreal in mid-June and it also establishes a 7th weekly flight to Dusseldorf,
making it a daily charter, as well as a 2nd weekly flight to Hamburg-both catering to the
growing number of Yugoslav guest workers in these areas.
JAT also ceases its flight to Beijing on the 1st of November, seeing it as the only option,
as the route was operating with big losses.
In an attempt to improve the quality of service on flights to the US and Canada, by the
end of 1982 JAT introduced a somewhat interesting new concept; flight attendants
greeted the passengers with a welcome drink made up of different traditional Yugoslav
drinks alongside with a piece of bread and salt upon entering the airplane whilst
wearing national costumes from their respective regions. The airline also introduces a
new flight to Amman via Istanbul and resumes its flights to Baghdad following the end
of the war between Iraq and Iran.
The passenger decrease continues in 1983 too while JATs management works
desperately in an attempt to find a solution to these problems and assesses that there
still is an excess amount of airplanes in the airlines fleet. The supply exceed the
demand greatly, so JAT wet-leased two of its Boeing 727s to Abidjan-based Air Africa.
Big efforts are made in order to cut costs and reorganize the company yet again. The
discussion around the low load factor gets heated up again as well.
The numbers for this year are rather sad-JAT conducted the least number of flights
during the last 10 years in 1983. The same goes for the amount of nautical miles
flown and thereby the amount of flight hours and all of this led to a low number of
passengers as well-100000 less than the previous year.
However, JAT opens new routes to Alger and Thessaloniki, and resumes flights to
Beirut while starting non-stop flights from Belgrade to Kuwait and Warsaw. In line with
the plan on the development of infrastructure within the airline, it is completed with
the expansion of the JATARS network, with the installation of automatic reservation
systems in JATs offices in 12 European and North-American cities.
By the end of 1983 JAT also introduces a new class of service-the Adriatic class-with
the today logical, but then smart purpose of cashing in more money from businesstravelers and other folks with money to spend. The passengers traveling on this class
had separate check-in desks, lounge access, a bigger and better assortment of food as
well as free drinks while being up in the air. The first flight with the new Adriatic class
was flown to Frankfurt on the 15th of December.
The runway in Vrsac, where JATs pilot school was located, was paved on the 13th of
August, making this school an even more popular choice for aspiring pilots all across
the world.

The efforts of JATs employees finally seem to pay off in 1984, as they efficiently
managed to stop the declining number of passengers and decreasing income.
Although the passenger growth this year was at a humble 3%, it was obviously better
than having it decline again. This, if nothing else, gave hopes for a brighter future and
a continuing expansion in all aspects.
Further efforts are made trying to modernize the business model of the airline in
addition to increasing the level of comfort onboard. Besides the introduction of the
Adriatic class by the end of the previous year, JAT also introduces a new cargo system
in August named Adriatic cargo service. The cargo sent with this service had priority
over all other cargo, was traced during the duration of the whole journey from point A
to point B and had the exclusive option of separating the cargo across several flights.
JAT also introduces a new JAT Express service, which basically was nothing but a
courier service carrying mail from door to door.
Another intercontinental route was added to JATs route network by the end of this
year, as JAT started scheduled flights to Toronto. This happened 15 years after JAT had
begun flying charter flights to Canada, and it was granted all commercial rights to the
country by the Canadian Government.
JAT also becomes the official carrier of the 1984 Olympic Games in Sarajevo, and
besides the construction of a brand new, gigantic maintenance hangar began in
Belgrade. It was-and is still today-so big that it could house two Boeing 747s or
three DC-10s. This hangar was constructed with the intention to maintain the largest
airplanes in the world, and also aircraft coming from other companies than JAT and
thereby earning extra money, as JAT Tehnika was a subsidiary of the airline.
Interestingly enough, one of JATs DC-10 transported four Yugo cars this year, which
was the first shipment of cars the airline conducted. It could impossibly have paid off
to the producers, knowing what airlines today charge if transporting a heavy car, let
alone then-especially as the car alone was sold at a starting price of 3990 US dollars.
A contract on the acquisition of two new Boeing 737-300 aircraft was also signed on
the 23rd of September this year, marking a new era of medium-range aircraft in JATs
fleet.
1985 was the year when JAT came out of the crisis for good. A third DC-10 leased
from Air Africa-which, if you remember, JAT had leased some of its 727s to-arrived in
Belgrade and with that JATs intercontinental fleet was complemented with yet another
DC-10 which at the time still was the most economical and modern aircraft on the
market whilst offering a unprecedented level of comfort.
In February of 1985 JAT decides to order another two Boeing 737-300s, so four new
737s, which were the most sold medium-range jets during the last two years, joined
JATs fleet by the end of the year. Other flag carriers such as for example Lufthansa
and KLM ordered this aircraft after JAT and the 737 was back then the most modern
member of JATs fleet. It used 20% less fuel in average than other aircraft in its class,

had very advanced avionics and was much cheaper and relatively easy to maintain.
Furthermore, it offered a high level of comfort and was the quietest airplane built to
that date. What is also interesting is how JAT paid for these airplanes; 50% of the total
price they paid with the export of Yugoslav goods.
The choice of the 737 as the next medium-range member of the airlines fleet was the
fifth change of its principal medium-range aircraft. If we dive into history for a second,
the first aircraft was the DC-3, then came the Convair, followed by the Caravelle, the
DC-9 and ultimately the 737. The slow, planned exit of the remaining DC-9s from
JATs fleet was not a signal of distrust towards the aircraft, but rather a wish to have a
fleet as modern as possible and thereby be more competitive.
So after almost six decades following the founding of JATs predecessor, Aeroput,
the airlines fleet truly consisted of the most modern airplanes which were available
at the time, and by that the technological barrier between developed West-European
countries and Yugoslavia in aviation was finally torn down.
As a result of all the efforts put in in order to improve results, JAT flew a total of 3,5
million passengers this year, by which growth continued and the gap to the until-then
record year of 1979 related to passenger numbers was becoming smaller and smaller.
The amount of passengers was growing on both intercontinental, European and charter
flights whilst it was solely declining on domestic flights. If only the then 8 yearlong
decline of passengers flying domestically hadnt continued, JAT most likely would have
passed 4 million passengers flown this year.
It is also today, a too well-known given that JAT flights often are late. It is not even an
exaggeration to say that they are more often late than on time. As delays surpassed
any limit of what was acceptable in 1985, JAT internally launched a war against
during that and the following years. The war can be said to have been successful, as
80% of the flights either departed or arrived on time in 1986 and close to 90% of all
flights did the same in 1987 according to data. And by the overcoming of this, should
we say bad habit, JAT reconfirmed its position as Europes 10th largest airline in terms
of passenger numbers and one of the most modern and well respected airlines in the
world. Judging from the time of JATs arrivals and departures at Belgrade Airport in
2013 it unfortunately seems as if this war has stopped
New routes to Geneva and more interestingly Kuala Lumpur were opened, a new airport
in Banja Luka became operational, and on the 25th of November JAT ordered three
more Boeing 737s.
1986 will stand as one of the most successful years in JATs history to date. According
to official data from the year, JAT flew a total of 3862373 passengers, an increase of
almost 400000 from the previous year. This number could have been a few tens of
thousands passengers larger hadnt it been for a heavy fog in the end of December
which covered Yugoslavia and caused major disruptions to JATs traffic.
The construction of a new building-or should we rather say fabric, for food production

which was done by JAT Catering began, and it was going to produce food which was
going to be served both onboard JATs flights but also on the flights of other airlines
flying to and from Belgrade.
The three 737s which were ordered late in 1985 also arrived in Belgrade in September
and November. In November JAT bought the Hotel Slavija located at the Slavija
square, which is considered to be the exact center of Belgrade and a very attractive
location. Besides, as a result of Yugoslavia and India signing an agreement on air traffic
between the two countries, JAT begins scheduled flights to Bombay and Calcutta. A
new airport is opened in Nis, and preparations for the re-launch of flights to Beijing
are being completed.
And interestingly enough all of these successes occurred during a year which wasnt
predicted to bring too many of them. The escalation of conflicts in the Middle East,
the dramatic increase of terror actions at European airports as well as the nuclear
explosion in Chernobyl all could have made for a much worse year for many airlines,
JAT included.
1987 was without any doubt the most successful year in JATs history to this date,
and when writing this date I mean 2013. JAT flew a total of as many as 4531000
passengers and by that the 4 million mark was finally passed. This was a result of
a thought-through strategy by the employees of the airline, increasing frequencies
to already existing profitable routes, an offensive long-haul strategy as well as the
constant opening of new routes where the market indicated a need for it.
With a constantly growing demand on its long-haul flights, JAT welcomed its fourth
DC-10 in Belgrade, and this was an aircraft leased from Finnair for 18 months. JAT
even introduced the DC-10 on the Belgrade to London route as of December due to
the flight being so heavily booked.
Besides, JAT decided to sell its last remaining Boeing 707, and this aircraft flew its last
scheduled flight on the 31st of October. This was the airplane JAT started its long-haul
flights with through Air Yugoslavia and JAT owes much of its long-haul success to
this aircraft which started flying to Australia, later flew to all of JATs destinations and
even helped rescue the summer season of 1979. JAT furthermore ordered three ATR
72 aircraft with the intention of using them on regional flights, and the airline also
decided on buying another DC-10 in December this year, which would become its fifth
airplane of that type. That aircraft arrived in Belgrade on the 8th of May the following
year.
JAT was also the official carrier of the Universiade games which took place in Zagreb
this year and achieved a record income of 205 million US dollars in 1987.

Conclusion
I choose to end this brief book here-both because 1987 still stands as JATs most
successful year ever and because what follows are a few years of continued success
before economic sanctions are implemented towards Yugoslavia and thereby JAT. We
are way too often playing the blame game, but to be completely honest, I think it is
safe to assume JAT would have been a completely different airline today hadnt it been
for the conflicts which erupted in Yugoslavia as well as the political instability which
shaped the region in the years following the new millennium.
The Balkan carriers of today uniting is obviously out of the question, although such
an airline could have very good potential to become a leading European carrier due to
the fact that the demand clearly is here as millions live in the area. Nevertheless, the
biggest problem of Balkan airlines today is that they all are way too small in order to
benefit of economies of scale. And as we see the profit margin in aviation decreasing
and decreasing, one can predict that only big airlines that can milk money from their
profitable long-haul routes or airlines associated with alliances, in other words a big
security net, will be able to survive in such a competitive world as we live in today.
And the saying that history repeats itself, is completely true if we compare some
events; during the 1970s airlines were forced to reduce overall costs heavily, due
to the extreme increase in oil prices and thereby high operating costs, while they
at the same time had to lower the ticket prices if they wanted people to fly with
them as competition was becoming more and more fierce. We are seeing the same
today-the most rapidly growing airlines are the no-frills airlines such as say Ryanair,
Easyjet, Norwegian etc. Why? Simply because they offer very low ticket prices on short
routes, and they are able to offer these due to the fact that they cut costs everywhere
where they can as long as they do so within the legal boundaries of their country of
registration. Another moment is the importance of long-haul traffic. As you know, JAT
survived the tough 1970s and 1980s because of their international and subsequently
more important intercontinental routes which covered up for the losses made
domestically. Comparably, airlines such as for example Lufthansa would be making
big losses today if it wasnt for their very profitable long-haul routes, as the intraEuropean routes are not so cost-efficient and only act as feeders.
Enough philosophizing from me-If you are interested in the details and exact dates of
events, the following pages contain a quite detailed list of events from 1947 to 1987.
I hope you enjoyed this mini-book, and if not, at least learned something new about a
truly unique airline whose name now is part of history.
And who knows, as we are seeing JAT apply for slots in Beirut, Abu Dhabi, Budapest,
Bucharest, Cairo and other cities from this winter season and onwards as well as a
minority stake from Etihad, maybe the airline can reclaim the position it previously
held in aviation. A guy can always dream. Blue skies!

Glossary and Abbreviations

BOAL/ Basic organization of Associated Labor, basically an organization
representing workers in the former Yugoslavia
CSA/ Czechoslovakian national carrier

Dry lease/ the lease of an aircraft without crew and mechanics included
FPRY/ Federal Peoples Republic of Yugoslavia

FAA/ Federal Aviation Administration, the US aviation authorities

IATA/ International Air Transport Association, a group made up of many

well-respected airlines in the world
Load factor/ percentage of seats occupied in average during a given
period of time
LOT/ Polish national carrier
NWA/ Northwest Airlines

OPEC/ Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries

PIA/ Pakistan International Airlines

Turnaround/ time spent by aircraft on the ground before flying again

Wet lease/ the leasing of an aircraft with crew and mechanics included

Chronology
1947.

- January, the Department of Civil Aviation was separated from the Air Force Command and attached to
the Ministry of Transport with the task to establish a State Airline Company

- February 1st, as a result of an agreement with the USSR, the joint Yugoslav-Soviet civilian air transport
company - JUSTA was founded.
- March 17th, by Decree No. 106 issued by the Department of Civil Aviation of FPRY, 28 first and second
pilots, navigators, radio operators and flight engineers were demobilized from the 1st Transport
Regiment and were transferred to the newly established Yugoslav Airlines.
- March 29th, by Decree No. 1395 issued by the Department of Civil Aviation of FPRY 12 airplane
mechanics and electricians are transferred from the 1st Transport Regiment to form the JAT technical
department.
- April 1st, JAT planes took off on their first regular flights. This date is considered the founding date
of JAT. At the time JAT had three JU-52 airplanes and three DC-3s. The first official route network was
modeled on the 1946 flights of its predecessor, Aeroput.
- May 4th, the first JAT timetable was published alongside with the Yugoslav Railroads Schedule by the
Transport Publications Department of the Ministry of Transport of FPRY.
- May 27th, a Yugoslav delegation visited Prague to discuss the new agreement on air traffic between
Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia. According to the Agreement signed, JAT was granted the right to two
new routes: Belgrade-Prague-Warsaw and Zadar-Zagreb-Bratislava-Prague.
- July 1st, a contract on transport of mail and parcels was signed by the Ministry of Post and the
Department of Civil Aviation.
- Between August 6th and October 10th, JATs PT-17 aircraft, owned by its agricultural sub-division, took
part in a dusting operation to eradicate malaria in Macedonia.
- JAT had three PT-17 planes that were the initial core of its agricultural fleet.
- By the end of the year, JAT had the following passenger lines as a part of their network: BelgradeZagreb-Ljubljana, Belgrade-Titograd, Zagreb-Sarajevo, Belgrade-Prague and Belgrade-Titograd-Tirana.
Since JUSTA did not have sufficient types of airplanes, JAT also covered its routes, which amongst others
were: Belgrade-Zadar-Zagreb, Belgrade-Sarajevo and Belgrade-Bucharest.
- In 1947 JAT had a fleet consisting of;
- Three JU-52 (YU-CCA; YU-CAB; YU-CAC),
- Five DC-3 (YU-ABA; YU-ABB; YU-ABC; YU-ABD; YU-ABE) and
- One C-47 (YU-ACA).
- During its first year of operations, JAT carried 26.423 passengers and 89 512 kilograms of mail and
cargo. JUSTA had 6294 passengers and 77 tons of cargo.

1948.

- January 5th, JAT opens a new route to Warsaw.

- JAT commences a scheduled Zagreb-Rijeka-Ljubljana-Rijeka-Zagreb flight during this year as well.

- April 20th, JAT prints a special timetable, the cover page text and directions being in Russian.
- April 27th, by Decree of the Government of the FPRY IV No. 3062 the establishment of JAT was made

legal. In May of that very same year, Yugoslav Airlines was registered by the Ministry of Finances of the
FPRY and included in the Register of highly important state companies.
- On October 4th-8th, JAT took part in the Conference of Airlines of Peoples Democratic Countries
organized in Prague by the CSA. (The other participants were LOT, JUSTA, BBC and Aeroflot, which was
participating as an observer).
- During this year, another four DC-3 airplanes were added to JATs fleet, making them have seven in
total.

1949.

- April 1st, by Decree of the Government of the FPRY IV No. 1379 the civil aviation company JAT and the
Aeroremont state-owned company for material repairs were merged into a single company.
- JUSTA was furthermore liquidated upon a request by the Yugoslav Government.
- JAT staff potentials were improved by the arrival of former JUSTA pilots and technicians.
- Yugoslavia faced an extremely difficult international position, and JAT abolished all international
flights to Eastern bloc countries.
- August 24th, JAT introduced a regular Belgrade-Zagreb-Zurich flight.
- During the year, another DC-3 joined the fleet.

1950.

- March 24th, a new JAT international flight flying the route Belgrade-Zagreb-Munich-Frankfurt became
operational.
- JAT organized healing DC-3 flights for children suffering from whooping cough.
- Three more DC-3 are added to the fleet, making JAT have 11 of these in total.

1951.

- JAT became a full IATA member airline.

- March 15th, the first JAT Workers Council was formed.

- March 17th, the first meeting of JATs board of directors was held, marking another step towards the
introduction of self-management within the airline.
- April 24th, JAT opens a new international route which flies from Belgrade to Athens via Skopje and
Thessaloniki.

1952.

- March 17th, JAT flies its first flight on the new Belgrade-Munich- Paris route.

- August, JATs first helicopter bearing the registration YU-HAA arrives in Belgrade in pieces. After
being put together by local technicians, it completes its first test flights prior to it being used in JATS
agricultural services.
- October 1 st, the
Belgrade-Zagreb-Graz-Frankfurt route opened.
- During the year, the Workers Council adopted the decision to send representatives and open branch
offices in Frankfurt, Munich, Athens, Paris and Zurich, which indeed marked the beginning of JATs
appearance on the European market.

1953.

- April 21st, as of this date JAT extends its Belgrade-Zagreb-Graz route to include Frankfurt.
- May 20th, the Belgrade-Skopje-Istanbul flight was begun.
- Due to its already aging fleet, JAT focused on developing its domestic route network. New lines are
introduced: Belgrade-Skopje-Ohrid and Belgrade-Sarajevo-Dubrovnik-Herceg Novi.
- JAT begins using flight codes on its flights. For example the Belgrade-Zagreb-Ljubljana was coded
YU720, and the return trip YU721.
- During the year, JAT technical staff undergoes UN-sponsored training in Switzerland; the technical
department was reorganized and this marked the beginning of company training and the coming
modernization of equipment.
- The last two DC-3 planes are added to the fleet (YU-ABK and YU-ABM). 13 of these airplanes in total
are a member of JATs fleet by now.

1954.

- In April JATs first Convair CV-340-58 (YU-ADA) lands in Belgrade. An American instructor commenced
pilot training on the 16th of April.

- Two more Convairs (YU-ADB and YU-ADC) were ordered purchased during the year.

1955.

- January 8th-10th, on his visit to Burma, during one of his first peace and friendship flights, President
Tito had a flight from Rangoon to Heho, Mandalay and back one of JATs Convairs (YU-ADA).
- April 18th, scheduled flights from Belgrade to Vienna commence.

- April 19th, JAT starts its first international overseas flight on the route: Belgrade-Athens-Cairo.
- April 21st, a new international flight from Belgrade to Beirut via Istanbul became operational.
- June 17th, the Belgrade-Vienna-Frankfurt-London route commences.
- After the signing of the Belgrade Declaration between Yugoslavia and the USSR, Negotiations
between JAT and eastern bloc airlines begin. JAT signed its first agreement with Aeroflot.
- December 12th, an agreement on cooperation between JAT and LOT was signed.
- At the end of the year, JAT opens a domestic Belgrade-Zabljak flight.

1956.

- January 28th, signing of an agreement of cooperation between JAT and CSA.

- February 9th, an agreement between JAT and TAROM on cooperation was reached.
- June, a new hangar was built at the Belgrade Airport.
- June 15th, JATs Belgrade-Rome flight is inaugurated. JAT briefly flew flights to Milan as well.
- October 13th, the Belgrade-Sofia route commences.
- The Ohrid-Skopje-Dubrovnik route became operational and flights to the Croatian coastal town of
Zadar were reestablished.

1957.

- January 16th, reopening of the Belgrade-Tirana route.

- January 28th, the first of six IL-14 planes that were added to the JAT fleet landed in Belgrade. The IL14s had the following registrations: YU-ADE, YU-ADF, YU-ADG, YU-ADH, YU-ADI and YU-ADJ.
- February 15th - April 9th, JAT crews undergo IL-14 training in the USSR.
- February 22nd, JAT received its first Convair. It bore the registration YU-ADD.
- April, the first JAT cargo line opens. It flew from Belgrade to Titograd via Sarajevo.
- September 16th, JAT received its second Convair, registered as YU-ADK.

1958.

- April 3rd, the Belgrade to Prague route reopens.

- May 29th - October 3rd, JAT crews undergo DC-6B training with KLM in Amsterdam.
- October 26th-29th, a DC-6B registered as YU-AFA flew a ferry flight from Santa Monica via New York
and Gender to Belgrade. The newly trained JAT crew performed the flight.

1959.

- January 14th-19th, on his voyage of peace and friendship, to India, President Tito has a Madras-DelhiHyderabad-Madras flight with a JAT DC-6B (YU-AFA). The flight was performed by a combination of JAT
and Yugoslav Air Force crew.
- March, JAT welcomes yet another DC-6B (YU-AFB) into its fleet to cover international and charter
flights.
- April, the first issue of Yugoslav Airlines Bulletin was published.
- August, according to official data, JAT carries its 1.000.000th passenger at the end of the month.

1960.

- Between January 25th and February 6th, formal negotiations between delegations of the German
Democratic Republic and the FPR of Yugoslavia in order to establish regular flights between the two
countries were held, and an agreement was subsequently signed.
- March 31st, JAT opened its brand new international line from Belgrade to Berlin.

1961.

- JAT purchases three Convair 440-Metropolitans from Alitalia which were registered as YU-ADL, YUADM and YU-ADN.
- The first five-year plan picturing the purchase of jet aircraft was adopted.
- July 21st, the domestic route from Belgrade to Ivangrad line was opened.

1962.

- March 8th, the contract for the purchase of its first jet liner,
the Caravelle, is signed by JAT General Manager Milan Simovic.
- March 15th JAT supplements its domestic network with another new route
from Belgrade to Mostar.

- April 28th, President Josip Broz Tito opens the new Belgrade Airport near Surcin in the outskirts of the
Yugoslav capital. This obviously marked the closure of the previous airport near Bezanijska Kosa as well.
- June 10th, ceremonial opening of a new Dubrovnik Airport in Cilipi.

1963.

- January 21st, the first Caravelle (YU-AHA) landed at Belgrade airport. During the year, two more
models of this aircraft arrived (YU-AHB and YU-AHD).
- June 16th, flights to Warsaw were re-opened. The route was extended to Copenhagen as well.

- December 28th, by Decree No. 23 of the President of the FPRY - Josip Broz Tito, JAT was awarded the
Medal of Brotherhood and Unity with a Golden Wreath for special merits in organizing and providing aid
to the victims of the tragic Skopje earthquake.
- During that same year, a Duty Free Service was established and the sale of customs-free goods on the
planes started.

1964.

- May 2nd, the new route to Amsterdam from Belgrade was opened.

- The Company Tourist Service was founded.

1965.

- June 10th, a fourth Caravelle bearing the registration YU-AHE was delivered to JAT.

- The Operative Department for Traffic Monitoring was founded in the summer, representing the
nucleus of the Operations Center formed later.
- The new Belgrade to Pristina route opened during the summer.
- July 4th, the new Belgrade-Vrnjacka Banja route was opened.
- August 5th, a new international line from Belgrade to Moscow via Warsaw.
- September 28th, a direct telex channel between Belgrade and Vienna opened for a link with the SITA
headquarters which allowed for communication with the rest of the world to happen.
- Official statistics at the end of the year show that JAT reached 500.000 passengers for the first time in
its history.
- JAT built and equipped a modern hangar with all the necessary workshops at Belgrade Airport
which became the main hub of the company. The concentration of technical facilities enhanced work
quality and productivity, and according to IATA criteria, JAT was one of the airlines with lowest aircraft
maintenance costs. In the new hangar JATs first block-check was performed on a Caravelle jet liner.

1966.

- April, JAT decided to install weather radars on its Convair CV-340/440 planes in order to be able to
detect potentially life-threatening cumulonimbus clouds in flight.

- The Technical Department mastered the general overhaul procedure for the Caravelle and complete or
partial overhauls of numerous ancillary components, with major savings in hard currency expenditures.
- JATs agricultural sub-division purchased 2 new Antonov AN-2M planes.
- July 1st, the SITA center in Belgrade became operational, linking JAT departments to all airports and
branch-offices in the country and directly to the world through Vienna.

1967.

- April 1st, the route to Budapest re-opened.

- May 28th, welcome ceremony for the fifth of JATs Caravelles (YU-AHF).
- June, the catering department serving JAT planes and other airlines was founded. The first airline other
than JAT to use its services was Air France. This ended the cooperation with the prestigious Metropol
Hotel that used to supply the meals.
- World Tourism Year. Yugoslavia abolished visas for all tourists visiting the country that year.
- November, the JAT Training Center moved into a new building at the Belgrade Airport.
- Flights to Sofia and Graz were reintroduced.

1968.

- January 11th, the sixth Caravelle registered as YU-AHG was delivered. JAT technicians made immediate
modifications in the cabin increasing the number of passenger seats from 86 to 91 in order to meet a
higher demand to some extent.
- April 1st. JAT re-opens its flight to Bucharest.

- April 5th, JAT purchased another Convair CV-440 (YU-ADO) from Lufthansa.
- April 6th, JAT opens a new flight to Stockholm, the Swedish capital.
- April 24th, JATs agricultural subdivision purchased five Grumman G 164-A planes, adding a new type
of aircraft to their specialized fleet.

1969.

- March 17th, JAT purchases two more Convair 440s from Lufthansa (YU-ADP and YU-ADR).

- April 4th, a new route to Brussels from Belgrade was opened.

- April 11th, JATs first DC-9 landed at Belgrade Airport to join the airlines fleet. This aircraft (I-DIKY)
was under a leasing agreement lasting for a year.
- May 15th. JAT carried its 5.000.000th passenger.
- May 22nd, JAT opens a new international flight from Belgrade to Tunis. Soon afterwards a flight to
Tripoli was added to JATs international network as well.
- June 7th, the seventh Caravelle (YU-AHK) lands at Belgrade Airport.
- July 31st, Air Yugoslavia, YUGAIR, was formed as an independent unit of JAT with independent
financing and management. Alongside with organizing charter flights in Europe, Air Yugoslavia
organized the airlines first charters to the United States and Canada.
- December 10th, the JAT Technical Direction was granted a certificate from the Federal Aviation
Administration confirming its sound technical competence. This document gave JAT the right to

maintain and overhaul all aircraft manufactured in US, which greatly broadened the range of technical
services offered by JAT.

1970.

- January 16th, the purchase agreement for five DC-9 planes already under construction was signed by
JAT General Manager Vidomir Krunic.
- March 6th, the Cargo Booking Department started operating as part of the reservations service.

- May 11th, JATs first own DC-9 (YU-AHL) lands in Belgrade. During May and June four other identical
airplanes arrived (YU-AHN, YU-AHM, YU-AHO and YU-AHP).
- May 19th, the first Boeing 707 (YU-AGA) landed at Belgrade Airport. JAT leased it from PAN-AM and it
stayed in the fleet until July 25, 1974.
- June 1st, a 707 was used to initiate charter flights to Australia. In the first year of the BelgradeKarachi-Singapore-Australia route there were three weekly flights: two to Sidney and one to Melbourne.
- June 19th, Air Yugoslavia flies its first Belgrade-Toronto charter flight. During the year, JAT initiates
charter traffic to the US.
- November 10th, for the first time in its history, JAT reaches the figure of million passengers transported
in one year.
- During the year, JAT had 1.106.000 passengers on scheduled flights and was rated 51st among 122
IATA member airlines in terms of passenger numbers.

1971.

-January 10th, for the first time JAT employees received their wages processed by the Company
Electronic Computing Center.
- February 2nd, a new DC-9 was ordered (YU-AHT).
- May 7th and 14th, two new DC-9 aircraft landed at Belgrade Airport (YU-AHU and YU-AHV).
- May, two other 707s are leased from PAN-AM. They were in Air Yugoslavias fleet for less than a year.
- September 25th, the new Tivat Airport becomes operational and was given an international rating.
- November, during his visit to the US, President Tito visited the McDonnell Douglas aircraft factory in
Long Beach and was shown the production line and the latest aircraft the manufacturer had designed,
the DC-10.
- November 29th, the Serbian Chamber of Economy Award for JAT as one of 16 most successful
companies in Serbia.
- December 11th, the first 707-flight to China is organized by Air Yugoslavia.

1972.

- January 26th, a bomb exploded on one of JATs DC-9s flying over Czechoslovakia. 27 passengers and
crew members died, while flight attendant Vesna Vulovic miraculously survived after a fall from an
altitude of nearly 10 kilometers and was entered in the Guinness Book of World Records.
- May 22nd, a DC-9 flight simulator became operational at the JAT Training Center.

- Two 707 airplanes were leased from PIA to cover intercontinental traffic. Both planes (YU-AGE and YUAGG) were subsequently purchased in 1975.

- June 15th, the first Workers Councils in JATs BOALs were elected thus completing the first phase in the
implementation of constitutional amendments.
- June, regular charter flights to FR of Germany introduced. The first of the workers charter flights
went to Dusseldorf. Hamburg and Stuttgart were added later.
- August 9th. McDonnell Douglas organized a DC-10 promotional flight in Belgrade. In the passenger
lounge of a DC-10 parked at the Belgrade Airport the purchase agreement for 6 new DC-9s was signed.
- August 10th, with the election and appointment of the JAT Assembly the mandate of the JAT Workers
Council was terminated and a new phase in the development of self-management was initiated in
accordance with modified constitutional amendments.
- August 24th, representatives of the Workers Councils of the BOALs signed the JAT Self-management
Agreement on the merger of work and assets.
- September 10th, a new domestic route from Belgrade to Nis was opened.
- The Integration between the JAT Training Center and the Vrsac Aviation Center was completed.

1973.

- February 12th, a new JAT DC-9 arrived in Belgrade (YU-AJH). During the year other DC-9 planes were
delivered as well (YU-AJI, YU-AJJ, YU-AJK, YU-AJL and YU-AJM).
- May 18th, Air Lift was established.
- June, by a decision made of the JAT General Assembly, the Pilot Academy was established. The first
trainees commence their courses in July.
- July 13th, the Charter of the Senate of the State of California was presented to JAT and Air Yugoslavia
representatives, acknowledging the important role played by the Yugoslav airline in establishing charter
flights between the US and Yugoslavia.
- December 20th, the purchase agreement for two B-727-200 aircraft was signed.
- During the year, JAT introduced flights Lyon and Manchester.
- An Air-taxi service opens with a fleet of Cessna 402-B planes.

1974.

- February 2nd, the agricultural subdivision joins the Self-management agreement and joins the JAT
system.
- The Training BOAL purchased thirteen Cessna-172s and two Zlin airplanes for the pilot school.
- April, JAT purchased two 707s from NWA (YU-AGI and YU-AGJ).
- May, JATs agricultural division signs a purchase agreement for 12 Grumman AG-CAT airplanes.
- June 10th, a welcome ceremony is held for the first JAT 727 (YU-AKA) at the Belgrade Airport.
- June 14th, arrival of the second 727 (YU-AKB)
- June, Air Lift package tours to Greece, Turkey and Tunisia become operational.
- June 24th, the Pristina Airport re-opens after being reconstructed and modernized.
- July 31st, the JAT General Assembly decides on commencing the training of flight engineers.
- JAT initiates flights to Kiev and Gothenburg.
- September 18th, a DC-9 bearing the registration letters YU-AJN is leased from Inex Adria; on
September 23rd it suffers an accident.

- November 10th-29th, JATs first round-the-world flight, using a 727 on the route Belgrade-BeirutBombay-Singapore-Tokyo-Honolulu-Los Angeles-New York- London-Belgrade.
- November, the JAT General Assembly decided that the Mihajlo Petrovic Light Aviation Technical Service
BOAL is to be made part of the JAT system.
- December 18th, JATs third 727 (YU-AKE) lands at Belgrade Airport.
- December 24th, a new Self-management Agreement on merger with the JAT system is signed in Vrsac
by representatives of 23 BOALs.
- A new test bench for aircraft engines was purchased. The engine service unit moved into a new
building.

1975.

- January 12th- February 6th, the Belgrade-unit of the Agricultural division is involved in afforestation of
desert lands in Libya.
- End of March: JATs fourth and fifth 727s (YU-AKF and YU-AKG) arrive in Belgrade.

- April 1st, JAT opened a scheduled intercontinental flight on the following route Belgrade-KarachiSingapore-Sydney. It was based on the basis of an agreement between the Yugoslav and Australian
governments and one between JAT and Qantas. It was operated twice a week using a Boeing 707.
- November 1st, the route to Baghdad introduced.
- November 7th, services to Malta introduced.
- Aircraft overhaul for foreign airlines starts.
- December 24th, JATs three-millionth passenger that year lands at Belgrade Airport.

1976.

- May 18th, the Belgrade to Leningrad route opened.

- May 26th, the new Maribor Airport opens.

- June 15th, scheduled service from Belgrade to New York via Zagreb commences.
- June-September, 12 planes from the Belgrade and Vrsac units of the Agricultural division carry out
dusting of cotton fields in Egypt.
- July 1st, JAT from now on lands in Kuwait rather than Karachi en route to Australia.
- August, the Agricultural divisions Belgrade unit purchased four Grumman planes, bringing the total
number of Grummans in its fleet up to 24.
- November 12th, an agreement on air services to Jordan is signed.
- First block inspection of a DC-9.
- December 31st, last flight of the Caravelle, on the Belgrade-Skopje-Belgrade route.
- During the year, the Operations Center is formed within the flying operations department.

1977.

- April 1st, at a ceremonial meeting the JAT General Assembly passed the decision that a Golden Plaque
should be awarded to President Tito on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Yugoslav civil aviation
and JATs 30th anniversary.
- April 1st, scheduled flights to Damascus and Kuwait are introduced.
- May 20th, JATs board of directors approves the purchase of a wide-body aircraft for intercontinental
operations. The DC-10 was chosen.
- July 13th, Titograd Airport is formally reopened after a period of reconstruction and modernization.
- July 15th, in Long Beach, California, a purchase agreement is signed for JATs first wide-body plane, the
DC-10-30.
- November 25th, scheduled JAT service opens between Belgrade and Madrid via Zagreb and Lyon.
- A new prefabricated hangar is installed at the Belgrade Airport.

1978.

- February 2nd, in New York, JATs general manager Dragoslav Radosavljevic signs the agreement for the
purchase of a second DC-10.
- February 3rd, an agreement on scheduled services between Yugoslavia and China is signed by the
Federal Transport Committee in Belgrade.
- February 9th, the JAT automatic reservation system, JATARS, becomes operational. The agreement on
introducing an electronic reservation system was signed with KLM in Amsterdam in mid-September
1977.
- February 13th, on board a JAT 707 (YU-AGI), en route from Belgrade to Sydney, passenger Marija Todev
gave birth to a little boy - nicknamed Jatko.
- April 2nd, Air Yugoslavia starts charter flights to Beijing.
- September 15th, JATs first DC-10 (YU-AMA) underwent its first test flight at Long Beach.
- October, in the JAT Training Center at Belgrade Airport, the VITAI IV visual landing system is formally
inaugurated.
- 12th of December: JATs first DC-10, YU-AMA, lands at Belgrade Airport. At the welcoming ceremony,
it is dubbed Nikola Tesla.

1979.

- February 15th, JAT starts a scheduled service to Melbourne.

- February 16th, the first-ever picture auction in world aviation history is held onboard a JAT DC-10
registered YU-AMA on a scheduled Belgrade-Zagreb-New York flight.
- April 30th, a scheduled Belgrade to Beijing service commences.
- May 16th, JATs second DC-10, YU-AMB, lands at Belgrade Airport, and is named the Edvard Rusjan.
- May 18th, JATs DC-10 starts flying to Australia once a week, replacing the two weekly flights of the
707.
- June, the JAT Motor Vehicle Department buys 30 Zastava 101 cars (taxi version) to open a new JAT Taxi
Service.
- September 25th, the new Belgrade Airport international flights terminal opens Features includes gates
for plane-docking.

1980.

- April 1st, JAT made a stopover at Dubai Airport on its services to China and Australia.

- April 10th, JAT introduces a charter service to Cleveland and Chicago.

- May 31st, formal opening of Osijek Airport, and introduction of JAT services to Osijek.
- November 4th, scheduled services to Chicago begin.
- December 16th, two more 727s (YU-AKI and YU-AKJ) arrive at Belgrade Airport.
- December 23rd, JAT introduces a second DC-10 flight to Australia.

1981.

- July 30th, reopening of the older part of the Belgrade Airport terminal after a major reconstruction, to
handle domestic services.

- September 21st-26th, while the runway in Belgrade is being re-paved, JAT successfully operated its
services out of Osijek.
- September 26th, a JAT 727 on the Dubrovnik-Titograd-Belgrade route is hijacked. The crew and
passengers overcome the hijackers at Larnaca Airport in Cyprus.
- December 30th, JATs last two 727s arrive and are registered as YU-AKK and YU-AKL.

1982.

- January 27th, for the first time after the outbreak of the Iraq-Iran war, JAT resumes flights to Baghdad.

- April 4th, the line to Beijing re-opens, but only three flights are made before it is shut down again.
- April 7th, Trans Adria merged with JAT.
- June 30th, JAT introduced services to Amman via Istanbul.
- December 25th, the Welcome drink is introduced on routes to America and Australia, served by
stewardesses in national costumes.

1983.

- March 27th, JAT opens new flights to Algiers and Thessaloniki, and flights are resumed to Beirut and
Kuwait.
- April 15th, flights to Warsaw are resumed.
- June 1st, by agreement with Air Africa, a 727 and crew are sent to Abidjan.
- June 23rd, the Workers Council announced a self-management agreement on organizational changes;
the airlines 14 BOALs are reduced to 9.
- July 9th, a second 727 is sent to Abidjan.
- August 13th, the runway at the Vrsac Air Training Center is paved.
- December 15th, the Adriatic Class is inaugurated on a flight to Frankfurt.

1984.

- February: JAT is the official carrier for the 14th Winter Olympic Games at Sarajevo.

- May 21st, the cornerstone of the giant Hangar II is laid.

- August 1st, site works and building of the new hangar begins.
- September 4th, the JAT EXPRESS service is introduced.
- September 23rd, a purchase agreement for two B-737-300s is signed by JATs general manager Misa
Radojcic.
- October 26th, JAT introduces scheduled services to Canada.
- October 27th, the No Fear of Flying campaign starts.
- November 16th, an agreement on air transport services between Yugoslavia and Canada is signed in
Belgrade.

1985.

- February 8th, a DC-10, YU-TAL, is leased from Air Africa.

- February 11th, the proposal to buy two more B-737-300s is passed.

- May 21st, a new airport in Banja Luka opens.
- August 8th, JATs first B-737-300, YU-AND, arrives in Belgrade.
- August 15th: the second B-737-300, YU-ANF, arrives.
- November 25th, a report recommending the purchase of three more B-737-300s is approved.
- November 25th, a decision is made to open the airlines own enterprises in England and FR Germany.
- November 30th, a scheduled cargo service to London using an AN-12 is started.
- December 1st, a route to Kuala Lumpur is inaugurated.
- December 12th and 18th, the third and fourth B-737-300s arrive (YU-ANH and YU-ANI).
- After several years of being part of the Zemun Health Center in Belgrade, the Occupational Medicine
Clinic rejoins the JAT organization as a BOAL with the title Institute for Aviation Medicine.

1986.

- February 28th, the cornerstone of the new Catering Department building is laid.
- March 28th, a route to Barcelona is opened.
- June 16th- October 31st, a DC-10 JAT leases from SABENA joins the fleet.
- July 17th, an agreement on air services between Yugoslavia and India is signed
- July 22nd, the new giant Hangar II at Belgrade Airport is officially opened.
- October 12th, the new Nis Airport is ceremonially opened.
- November 18th, JATs fifth B-737-300, YU-ANJ, arrives..

- December 15th, opening of the JAT air-train service between Ljubljana and Velika Gorica.
- December 21st, JATs sixth B-737-300 YU-ANL arrives. The delivery of a seventh 737-300 is
announced for mid-March 1987.
- December 22nd, an agreement is signed with the SNECMA, an engine manufacturer, on the acquisition
of a test bench for the CFM-56 engine.
- During the year, JAT carried out intensive preparations to introduce its own automatic reservation
system. In addition to the purchase of computer hardware, preparations for automatic ticketing and
check-in were made.

1987.

- February 12th, automatic ticketing services became operational at the JAT office in down-town
Belgrade.
- February 20th - May, the third DC-10 leased) from the Dutch Martin-Air company arrives from
Amsterdam.
- March 6th, the seventh 737(YU-ANK) purchased by JAT, lands at Belgrade Airport.
- March 20th, Yugoslav Airlines and the Paris-based SNECMA - one of the largest makers of civil aviation
engines in the world, signed a contract to jointly build a test bench for jet engines.
- April 2nd, the second cargo line to Paris becomes operational.
- April 16th, the fourth DC-10 (YU-LHA) arrived in Belgrade from Helsinki. It was leased from the Finnish
airline Finnair for a period of 18 months expiring in October 1988.
- JAT joined the general anti-smoking campaign in public areas banning smoking on domestic flights.
- April 23rd, the decision to lease two ATR-42 airplanes and purchase two more B-737-300 is given the
green light.
- May 22nd, in accordance with a decision passed by the Belgrade City Council, the JAT bus terminal in
front of the St. Mark Church was moved to a new location in front of the Slavija Hotel.
- June 13th, a new DC-10 (OO-SLA) leased from SABENA arrived. The lease agreement was to expire on
October 31, 1989.
- June 17th, JATs first ATR-42 (YU-ALK) joined the fleet.
- JAT finally decides to sell the last Boeing 707 (YU-AGI) it owned.
- July 4th, the second of JATs new ATR-42s lands at Belgrade Airport.
- End of October, JAT introduces Adriatic Class service on domestic flights.
- October 26th, JAT reopened scheduled flights to Mostar from both Belgrade and Zagreb.
- October 31st, last commercial flight of the airlines 707.
- December 20th, JAT introduced a DC-10 on the Belgrade to London via Ljubljana route.
- November 29th, a formal opening of the new Catering building was organized, albeit the facility was
not fully fitted yet.
- December 16th, the purchase agreement for three ATR 72 planes was signed.

Sources and Bibliography

Archives
National Library of Serbia, Belgrade
Aeronautical Museum, Belgrade
Published works
Endres, Gunter: Civil Aviation behind the Iron Curtain (Stamford, 1984)
Gnjatovic, Dragana: Politicka ekonomija i ekonomski sistem Jugoslavije (Belgrade,
2000)
Grizelj, Jug; Janic, Cedomir; Lukac, Sergije: Prica o Jugoslovenskom aerotransportu
(Belgrade, 1987)
Grujic, Zlatomir: Avijacija Srbija i Jugoslavije: 1901-1994 (Belgrade, 1997)
Janic, Cedomir; Kovac, Lidija; Prsic, Milutin; Simsic, Jovo: Let dug sedam decenija
(Belgrade, 1997)
Janic, Cedomir; Petrovic, Ognjan: Kratka istorija vazduhoplovstva u Srbiji (Belgrade,
2011)
Janic, Cedomir; Radoslav Radosavljevic: 55 godina Jugoslovenskog aerotransporta
(Belgrade, 1966)
JAT: Program ekonomske stabilizacije (Belgrade, 1982)
Kovac, Lidija; Simsic, Jovo: Ovo je JAT (Belgrade, 1989)
Kovac, Oskar: Spoljno ekonomska ravnoteza i privredni rast; problemi i iskustva
Jugoslavije
Lukic, Milica: Zapisi stjuardese (Belgrade, 2000)
Olbina, Zivana: Privredna struktura Jugoslavije (Belgrade, 1985)
Wickstead, Maurice: JAT- Yugoslav Airlines (Stamford, 2002)