Serbian Government Aviation Service
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| Founded | 1965 (current form since 2006) | ||||||
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| Fleet size | 2 | ||||||
| Headquarters | Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport | ||||||
| Website | www | ||||||
The Government Aviation Service (Serbian: Авио-служба Владе, romanized: Avio-služba Vlade) is a directorate of the Government of Serbia, which provides air transport for the President of the Republic, Prime Minister and other high-ranking state officials for visits outside the country.
History
[edit]The history of the Government Aviation Service dates back to 1 June 1965 and the establishment of the Aviation Service of the Federal Authorities (Avio služba za potrebe saveznih organa) of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Fleet initially consisted of two aircraft (Let L-200 D Morava and Beechcraft Baron B 55) as well as Bell helicopter with 5 pilots and an aircraft mechanic.[1] In 1969, two Beechcraft Duke B 60 were acquired while in 1975 first two Learjet 25.
On 18 January 1977, the Prime Minister of Yugoslavia Džemal Bijedić, his wife Razija, and six others died when Learjet 25 crashed on the Inač mountain near Kreševo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The plane took off from Batajnica Air Base near Belgrade and was en route to Sarajevo when it crashed, due to poor weather conditions.
In 1981, Dassault Falcon 50 was purchased while another Learjet 25 was purchased in 1985. In 1991, Learjet 30a (which is to date still in service) was acquired.
In 1995, the 675th Transport Squadron of the Yugoslav Air Force (tasked with transport of high-ranking officials as well), with a fleet of six planes and helicopters, was merged into the Aviation Service of the Federal Authorities.
Two Learjet 25 were sold in 1999 and another two in 2003, while Learjet 31A was acquired in 2004.
In 2006, after dissolution of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro, Aviation Service of the Federal Authorities was transformed into the Government Aviation Service of the Republic of Serbia.
On 17 April 2015, Falcon 50 en route to Vatican with President of Serbia Tomislav Nikolić on board, returned back due to an engine failure and safely landed at the Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport.[2] Subsequently, the plane went on overhaul engine with extended life service for six years.[3]
In 2018, Embraer Legacy 600 was acquired and is nowadays the backbone of the fleet.
Fleet
[edit]Current fleet
[edit]| Aircraft | Registration | Introduced |
|---|---|---|
| Embraer Legacy 600 | YU-SRB | 2018 |
| Learjet 31A | YU-BRZ | 1991 |
Retired fleet
[edit]| Aircraft | Registration | Introduced | Retired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dassault Falcon 50 | YU-BNA | 1981 | 2023 |
| Learjet 25 | YU-BJH | 1975 | 1979 (crashed) |
| Learjet 25 | YU-BJG | 1975 | 2003 (sold) |
| Learjet 25 | YU-BKR | 1981 | 2003 (sold) |
| Learjet 25 | YU-BRA | 1984 | 1995 (sold) |
| Learjet 25 | YU-BRB | 1984 | 1995 (sold) |
| Beechcraft Duke B 60a | YU-BHL | 1969 | 1978 |
| Beechcraft Duke B 60a | YU-BGF | 1969 | 1975 |
| Beechcraft Baron B 55 | YU-BBY | 1965 | 1971 |
| Let L-200 D Morava | YU-BBI | 1965 | 1969 |