U FOKUSU / IN FOCUS
O n that fateful day, at precisely at 8:08am, Captain Davor Mišeljić lifted the Airbus A330 aircraft into the air above Belgrade. It was nine and a half hours later that this flying giant, containing more than 250 passengers, landed at John Fitzgerald Kennedy Airport and thereby officially reopened the direct route between Belgrade and New York after a break of almost a quarter of a century. Carrying the famous name of Nikola Tesla, Air Serbia’s plane was welcomed at the New York airport with a water cannon salute and an electronic billboard greeting that read: “JFK Airport welcomes Air Serbia”. It is no coincidence that the plane used for these transatlantic flights bears the name of this genius scientist, given that Tesla spent a large part of his life in New York, where he created, experimented and forever changed the world of science and technology. Almost a century on, his name once again connects Serbia and America, this time through the skies. Few world cities are as beautiful as New York in June, when the city’s famous Central Park is at its most glorious verdant and rooftop bars and city terraces are full of life. This is the period when the city has that unique energy that’s recognisable from the movies, while the long evenings are filled with street musicians who play late into the night and a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge becomes an experience that you’ll always remember. This is precisely why the anniversary of this flight represents the perfect occasion to rediscover the Big Apple. Since that inaugural flight back in 2016, Air Serbia has remained the only airline in Southeast Europe to offer direct flights to the U.S. And do we need to remind you that, in the meantime, the Serbian flag carrier has also established scheduled flights to Chicago and, as of this May, Toronto? What seemed like a big and bold move a decade ago has gone on to become part of the daily lives of thousands of travellers – from members of the Serbian diaspora and businesspeople, to tourists who travel directly from Belgrade to one of the world’s most exciting cities. And it is there that the greatest significance of Air Serbia’s New York flights lies: it hasn’t only connected two destinations, but also peoples, families and cultures, as well as the idea that Serbia is once again part of the world’s great travel routes.
Avion pod slavnim imenom „Nikola Tesla“ dočekan je 23. juna 2016. na njujorškom aerodromu, čime je Er Srbija vratila dugolinijski saobraćaj u srpsku avijaciju / On 23 rd June 2016, a plane named after the famous Nikola Tesla was welcomed at New York’s JFK Airport, thus marking Air Serbia’s restoration of long-haul traffic to Serbian aviation CELA DECENIJA LETOVA DO VELIKE JABUKE / AN ENTIRE DECADE OF FLIGHTS TO THE BIG APPLE BEOGRAD I NJUJORK SLAVE GODIŠNJICU BELGRADE AND NEW YORK CELEBRATE ANNIVERSARY
T og 23. juna 2016. godine, tačno u osam sati i osam minuta, kapetan Davor Mišeljić podigao je u vazduh nad Beogradom „erbas A330“. Leteći gigant sa više od 250 putnika sleteo je posle devet i po sati na aerodrom „Džon Ficdžerald Kenedi“ („JFK“), čime je i zvanično otvorena direktna linija Beograd– Njujork posle gotovo četvrt veka. Pod slavnim imenom „Nikola Tesla“, avion je dočekan na njujorškom aerodromu vodenim topovima u znak dobrodošlice, a pozdravio ga je i elektronski bilbord na kojem je pisalo: „JFK aerodrom pozdravlja Er Srbiju“. Nije slučajno što upravo ime Nikole Tesle nosi avion koji leti preko Atlantika. Genijalni naučnik je veliki deo života proveo u Njujorku, gradu u kojem je stvarao, eksperimentisao i zauvek promenio svet nauke i tehnologije. Danas, gotovo vek kasnije, njegovo ime ponovo povezuje Srbiju i Ameriku, ovog puta na nebu. A malo je gradova koji su lepši u junu od Njujorka. Central park je potpuno zelen,
a „rooftop“ barovi i gradske terase puni su života. To je period kada grad ima onu prepoznatljivu energiju iz filmova, večeri su duge, ulični muzičari sviraju do kasno, a šetnja preko Bruklinskog mosta postaje iskustvo koje se zauvek pamti. Upravo zato jubilej ove linije deluje kao savršen povod da se ponovo otkrije „Velika jabuka”. Od te 2016. do danas Er Srbija je ostala jedina avio-kompanija u jugoistočnoj Evropi koja nudi transatlantske letove za SAD. Treba li podsećati da je kompanija u međuvremenu na američkom kontinentu poletela do Čikaga, a od ovog maja i do Toronta? Ono što je pre 10 godina delovalo kao velik i hrabar iskorak, postalo je deo svakodnevice hiljada putnika, od dijaspore i poslovnih ljudi do turista koji iz Beograda direktno odlaze u jedan od najuzbudljivijih gradova sveta. A upravo u tome i jeste najveći značaj leta za Njujork: nije povezao samo dve destinacije već i ljude, porodice, kulture i ideju da je Srbija ponovo deo velikih svetskih ruta.
12 | Er Srbija » Air Serbia
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