3-hour ATR72 flights from Heathrow?

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Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 6,503

I've just been browsing the new heathrowairport.com website and stumbled across a once-weekly JAT-Yugoslav flight that supposedly operates to Tivat every Saturday lunchtime. The flight there is 2 hours and 45 minutes and coming back, it is 3 hours and 5 minutes, using an ATR72.

So, is this for real? I can't imagine its the most comfortable aircraft in the world and especially not on such a long flight?

Also, why am I not finding photos of a JAT ATR72 Heathrow on the Internet and why does the screenshot attached not specify a terminal number at Heathrow?

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/822066/M/

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Original post

Member for

21 years

Posts: 4,209

I think this is probably a connecting service in Belgrade.

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 1,342

Well it's showing up on OAG as a weekly direct service (ie no connection in Belgrade), and it shows up on Opodo (go in August for only 353.50 for a week..bargain LOL).

So yes...ALL true.

Member for

21 years

Posts: 4,209

2 things still strike me as odd about it:

JAT are in bankruptcy and are handing back aircraft all over the place so a new route is unlikely, although it may explain the prescence of the ATR I suppose.

Secondly no start time is shown on that image T5 added, and there is no regular JAT scheduled service, or at least there never has been any Saturday I have visted in the last few months.

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 1,342

2 things still strike me as odd about it:

JAT are in bankruptcy and are handing back aircraft all over the place so a new route is unlikely, although it may explain the prescence of the ATR I suppose.

Secondly no start time is shown on that image T5 added, and there is no regular JAT scheduled service, or at least there never has been any Saturday I have visted in the last few months.

2 things strike me as odd about your post Mark L....

Firstly...since when have JAT been in bankruptcy, I certainly cannot recall any details of this, they are undergoing restructuring, but I don't think they're in bankruptcy as such? As far as I can tell they are still looking to expand. Furthermore just because an airline is in some state of bankruptcy does not mean it stops flying, or else United, US Airways, Air Canada and many other would have vanished off the fcae of the earth in recent years. Take the latest case, ATA in America..they are adding aircraft!

I don't see why you cannot see a start time...what do you mean, departure time or service start date? Many airlines will not have a service start date, particularly if it runs over 2 scheduling periods, don't forget the timetable sample is taken from the BAA summer timetable. Just because you have not seen the aircraft arrive/depart does not mean it hasn't happened....the evidence suggests it is operating, and operating direct....for heavens sake you can book seats on the damned flight through Opodo so what are you expecting JAT to do, tell you at Check-in that they don't operate this service but thanks for buying a ticket anyway?? Knowing how accurate OAG and BAA are I'm sure neither of them would be showing it as schedule if it didn't exist!

Member for

21 years

Posts: 4,209

JAT have been in bankruptcy for a couple of months now and have had a number of their 737s reposessed.

Checking the LHR movements site this flight has been operating for at least the last week, however the service is operated by the more usual 737, and not the ATR as the schedules show. YU-ANK operated it last Saturday.

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 1,342

JAT have been in bankruptcy for a couple of months now and have had a number of their 737s reposessed.

Well the aviation press and sources that I can search have no record of it being in bankruptcy...as I say, it all goes along with what I thought, they are simply restructuring. The airline is government owned and so is highly unlikely to go bankrupt per-se, the country is not in Europe and so can support it's airline with unlimited funds should it wish.

Having aircraft repossessed is not a sure fire sign of an airline being bankrupt.

I'm sure you have it on very good authority that they are bankrupt. ;)

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 1,342

I can't find any evidence of their aircraft being repo'd aswell....you sure you haven't been reading PPRUNE too much?? I'm not saying it hasn't happened, but strange that there isn't more news on it..I'll go to google.

Member for

21 years

Posts: 4,209

To be honest the defintion of the word "bankrupt" is very different nowadays to what many people might think. I THINK I saw it on here in some press release that JAT had been taken into administration or words to that effect. Again that means very little, as they are of course state owned and it would take something very serious to go wrong for them to have to cease operations.

Recently they have been using a vast range of different aircraft on their routes, for much of last year and the start of this year it was very rare to see one of their aircraft in full colours. Finding info on reposessions is also quite difficult, as its not something that is publicised unless it goes through the courts, but again I believe I saw it reported as an explanation for the continuous use of Islandsflug aircraft on their LHR routes at the start of the year.

Member for

19 years 5 months

Posts: 1,887

JAT are launching Tivat to LHR and St Petersburg this summer