Aeroput

Aeroput (Serbian Cyrillic: Aeропут, English translation: "Airway") was an airline and flag carrier of Yugoslavia from 1927 until 1948.

Society for Air traffic AD Aeroput was the first Serbian company for civil air traffic, which was founded on 17 June 1927 as Društvo za Vazdušni Saobraćaj "Aeroput" (Society for Air Traffic "Aeroput"),^[2] in the palace of the Adriatic-Danube Bank in Belgrade. Aeroput was the national carrier of the Kingdom of SHS, and then the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Aeroput was among the first civilian aircraft carriers, being the 10th airline company founded in Europe and the 21st in the world. The airline ceased to exist during World War II in Yugoslavia, but was renewed after the war under the new name Jugoslovenski Aero Transport (Yugoslav Airlines - JAT) and still flies today as the Serbian national air carrier under the name Air Serbia.

The beginning and development of the Serbian civil aviation

On 13 February 1913, The Peter I of Serbia adopted the Regulation of the transportation system of devices which run in the air. The Kingdom of Serbia joined the modern air traffic. It is the fifth country in the world (after Germany, England, France and Austria-Hungary), who regulated legal norms of the air operations. For the Kingdom of Serbia, it was a defense mechanism from Austro-Hungarian planes, which had been flying over Serbian territory, without any permission, since November 1912 as Austro-Hungarian Empire putting pressure on Serbia to withdraw from the coast of the Adriatic Sea, where Serb units were stationed after the victory over the Turks in the First Balkan War.

The first civilian aircraft flew over Serbian sky before the end of World War I, carrying mail. In cooperation with the Postal and Telegraphic Department several flights were organized in Salonica, where pilots of the First Serbian Squadron AP 521 transmitted mail between Skopje and Salonica. When the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes was established in December 1918, two-seaters Breguet 14 flew a regular route from Novi Sad through Belgrade and Niš to Skopje almost daily. After that there followed a postal air transport from Novi Sad and Belgrade to Sarajevo, Mostar and Zagreb. Passenger transport also began in 1919.

Before an airport at Bežanija in Belgrade was constructed, a temporary solution was found in an airfield in the village of Jabuka near Pančevo. The city authorized 500 by 500 meters of pasture by the side road that is used for grazing livestock except for the brief period when the airplane was landing or taking off, as was the case in Prague and other cities. First flight landed at this impromptu airport on 25 March 1919, operating a Blériot-SPAD S.46 Berline biplane. It was soon clear that the position of airport is not convenient for passengers, since in the absence of a bridge over the Danube, the travel by ship to Belgrade often lasted longer than air travel to Budapest or Bucharest.

The first international air line that passed through the territory of the Kingdom of SHS was opened by Compagnie Franco-Roumaine. In order to compete with famous train the Orient Express, which has for a long time been the fastest link between Western Europe and the Middle East, this company introduced world's first regular night flights on the Belgrade-Bucharest route. A three-engine Caudron C.61 took off from Bucharest at 4.00 am and landed in Pančevo at 9.00 am on 9 September 1923. That same year, the construction of the airport along the road to Bežanija began.

Establishment of Aeroput

At the initiative of the Aero-Club on 6 February 1926 conference was held at which embraced rules in the founding of the air traffic, and all participants have become founders. The rules are sent to the Ministry of Trade and Industry, which were approved on 13 March. After this, work on entering of shares. However, the registration of shares went below expectations and it was clear that further work is meaningless unless a sign a contract with the state to guarantee the Company need assistance in cash and goods. This agreement was signed on 25 January 1927, but subscription of shares not still go on wished tempo. The planned and required 24,000 shares (i.e. the then six million dinars required to purchase aircraft) by the end of March 1927, there were subscribed and paid only about 10%, which is in accordance with the applicable law of joint stock companies, threatened danger Aeroput to be abolished.

Adventurous flight

Transcontinental flight with Potez 25, in 1927: Paris - Belgrade - Aleppo - Basra - Jask - Karachi - Bombay.

The decision to accelerate the registration of shares found the aeronautical engineer Tadija Sondermajer, a member of the Company, a reserve captain and pilot of Salonika Front. He suggested that along with the pilot Leonid Bajdak, perform staged plane flight from Paris to Bombay, and thus to prove the value and ability of Serbian pilots count thereby the effects of propaganda to make the local aviation and faster registration of shares.^[3] After a short preparation, Sondermajer and Bajdak flew from Paris on 20 April 1927. Finally, after covering 14,800 kilometers, 14 stages and 11 days of travel, on 2 May 1927 landed in Belgrade . The welcome was magnificent and more than 30,000 of Belgrade citizens hail to their heroes at the airport under Bežanijska Kosa. After this achievement of the pilots Sondermajer and Bajdak, subscription of "Aeroput" shares grew over all expectations. Aeroput was established with a capital of six million dinars, collected by 412 shareholders. Packets of shares was have: Vračarska Zadruga (Vračar Cooperative), Economic Bank, Postal Savings Bank, Gateret, Serbian bank of Zagreb, American-Serbian bank in Sarajevo, Teleoptik, Velauto, Ikarus from Novi Sad, Technical Society Voks and others. A total of 412 shareholders paid the 14,000 shares at 250 dinars, or 3.5 million dinars. Aeroput with that capital started to work and on that occasion they purchased four airplanes. For the three months were enrolled over 30,000 shares, which enabled the new company to overcome the crisis. Already on 17 June 1927 was performed a promotion of the Society in the Belgrade Commercial Court and from that day the Company for Air Traffic "Aeroput" is legal entity.

Construction of the airport

The airport was officially opened on 25 March 1927, with the joy of a great stunt and a total of 25 fighter aircraft of type Dewoitine. Opened building of the first civilian airport - Belgrade Airport. The hangar was designed by Serbian scientist Milutin Milanković, which had until then been abroad reflected in the development of similar properties and performed the world's first basic equation for determining the reinforcement of concrete beams. The airport was built on a meadow called Dojno Polje between Bežanijska Kosa and left bank of the Sava River, about two kilometers from Zemun. Airport disposed of four grass runways. In 1931 a modern terminal building was built, and in 1936 the airport installed equipment for landing in poor visibility conditions.

The first promotional flight

The first Aeroput aircraft arrived at Belgrade's airport in early February 1928. Aeroput management bought four Potez 29/2 biplanes from the French company Potez. The choice of this type of aircraft management of Aeroput decided because the domestic factory Ikarus in Zemun produced planes under license from the same French company, the aircraft of type Potez 25, for Air Force Command and its air force units. Aeroput was important to in the immediate vicinity of airport is a factory that is capable of servicing their new aircraft. Biplane Potez 29/2 in that time had good characteristics for a passenger plane, the crew made up of two members, had five seats for passengers, range up to 500 kilometers, with a 450 hp engine, flying at a speed of 210 kilometers per hour, and the trunk is receiving load of 250 kilograms.

The first promotional Aeroput's flight is done on the line Belgrade - Zagreb on 15 February 1928. Aircraft Potez 29/2, with license plate X-SECD, called "Belgrade" takeoff from the Belgrade Airport near Zemun, at 9 o'clock in the morning. The pilots of the plane were the Director of the Aeroput Tadija Sondermajer and Vladimir Striževski Striž, chief of pilots, and while the first passengers were five journalists and photo reporters from Belgrade media. After a two-hour flight by overcast sky and low clouds over the Sava River, which is a major landmark for pilots, noticed the towers the Zagreb cathedral. The plane landed at the airport Borongaj in 11 hours and 25 minutes, earlier making a couple of passes over Zagreb. The plane was greeted by a large number of citizens and representatives of the civil and military authorities. On the same day in the afternoon a group of journalists flew from Zagreb to Belgrade. With this flight by Aeroput has been promoted future first regular line of domestic air traffic. On the line Belgrade - Zagreb Aeroput's aircraft during the first year flying every day, except Sundays, until November, when due to the winter conditions, air traffic disrupted. Despite the high ticket prices and passenger fear of flying, the number of passengers has been higher than expected, so it was more than 80 percent of the seats filled.

History

The first line Belgrade - Zagreb became operational on 15 February 1928. The following year, 1929, the company joined the International Air Traffic Association (IATA). The first international flight Aeroput recorded on the 7 October 1929, the aircraft that flew from Belgrade via Zagreb to Vienna was Potez 29/2 with five-passengers. By 1930, Aeroput airplanes had regular flights from Belgrade to Graz and Vienna (via Zagreb), and to Thessaloniki (via Skoplje). Thus the shortest air link between Central Europe and the Aegean area was formed across the Yugoslav territory. At that time Aeroput with several local lines connect Belgrade and Zagreb with the major centers in the interior of country and along the coast of the Adriatic. Initially the fleet consisted of three Potez 29/2 biplanes with five passenger seats. In 1932 "Aeroput" broadened its fleet with Farman F.306 aircraft, and in 1934 the company purchased three Spartan Cruiser II planes. In the company bought two Caudron C.449 Goéland monoplanes, one de Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide and six mid-range Lockheed Model 10A Electra aircraft. Relying on its renewed fleet, the company greatly expanded its list of destinations in 1937 and 1938. Regular flights to Sofia, Tirana, and Budapest were introduced, as well as a seasonal-tourist flight Dubrovnik - Zagreb - Vienna - Brno - Prague. In cooperation with Italian and Romanian companies, the Bucharest - Belgrade - Zagreb - Venice - Milan - Turin line was introduced.

The impressive development of the company and of the newest transport sector was interrupted by World War Two. Aeroput suspended all services after the April War at beginning of the World War II in Yugoslavia in April 1941. After occupation of Yugoslavia in April 1941, the airline effectively ceased to exist, and its aircraft seized by the Axis powers.^[2] After the war, a new airline was established in 1947 as JAT Yugoslav Airlines, continuing the tradition of Aeroput as the beginning of civil aviation in Yugoslavia.^[4] JAT was established with the assistant of the Yugoslav transport regiment and former Aeroput pilots and aircraft mechanics.^[5]

Establishment of Aeroput Technical service

Aeroput MMS-3

In the first three years, while in the fleet was the only Potez 29/2 biplanes, major aircraft maintenance for Aeroput is performed by aircraft factory Ikarus in Zemun, who have then the French licence for the Royal Yugoslav Air Force (JKRV) produced a similar plane Potez 25. Engine maintenance is performed at the factory Jasenica AD from Smederevska Palanka, which was produced under licence aircraft engines of the Lorraine brand. Early in 1931, the Aeroput buys a workshop for the repair of the aircraft from the French - Romanian company CIDNA, which was located at Zemun airport and assembly organized with the mechanics of Ikarus and the Air Force, and on that way organized its own technical aircraft maintenance service. Maintenance department was located in one of the large hangar at the civilian part of the airport, it was a modern and possessed a test stand for aero-engines. Since then, all the revisions, and airplane engines overhauling that had Aeroput was performed in they own technical service. How it was the good service, show fact that they are made in the service aircraft of domestic design, the Aeroput MMS-3.

World War II and postwar prohibition

Bombing in 1941 destroyed almost the entire property of the company. Due to the outbreak of war, 500 tons of fuel which were ordered and paid, never arrived. Aeroput sued for punitive damages on 31 October 1941. In 1942 the commissar administration banned Aeroput operations. German occupation authorities nationalized the property of Aeroput in Knez Mihailova Street 32, where they moved their national airlineDeutsche Luft Hansa (DHN).

After the war Aeroput renewed work on 2 July 1945, and a general meeting of shareholders elected the first post-war management of the company. The meeting was attended by delegates of the new government of Democratic Federative Yugoslavia (DFY), and with the participation of then the Head of State Ivan Ribar, who was a pre-war shareholder and board member. However, the later communist government of the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia adopted a decree prohibiting private joint-stock companies, and on 24 December 1948 Aeroput was liquidated. Its assets were nationalized and the airline continued as Jat Airways.

Fleet

• Aeroput MMS-3 - One prototype aircraft from 1936 until it was destroyed in the April War.
• Breguet 19/10 - One aircraft from 1934 to 1937.
• Caudron C.449 Goéland - Two aircraft from 1937, one damaged in 1939 the other captured during 1941 April War.
• de Havilland DH.80A Puss Moth - One aircraft from 1931 to 1933
• de Havilland DH.60M Moth - One aircraft from 1931 until it was destroyed in April War on 6 April 1941
• de Havilland DH.83 Fox Moth - One aircraft from 1941 until it was destroyed in April War on 6 April 1941*
• de Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide - One aircraft from 1936 until it was captured in the April War in 1941
• Farman F.190 - One aircraft from 1937 to 1941.
• Farman F.306 - One aircraft from 1933 that crashed in near Ljubljana on 12 September 1933
• Lockheed Model 10 Electra - Eight different aircraft with the first two delivered in 1937, two had left by 1940, four were impressed into service with the Royal Air Force in May 1941 and two were destroyed in 1941 in the April War.
• Potez 29/2 - Six aircraft operated from 1928 to 1929.
• Spartan Cruiser II - Two aircraft from 1933 to 1941, an additional aircraft was built in 1935 under Spartan's licence for Aeroput by Zmaj aircraft company in Zemun, it crashed on 15 July 1936.

Exhibits from this period can be found in the Aeronautical Museum-Belgrade (with a collection of over 200 planes, gliders and helicopters).

Destinations

Regular flights were made from Belgrade and Zagreb to domestic destinations such as Skopje, Sarajevo, Podgorica, Sušak (Rijeka), Split, Dubrovnik, Borovo, Niš and Bitola, and international, to Thessaloniki, Graz, Vienna, Athens, Sofia, Trieste, Venice, Rome, Prague, Brno, Budapest, Klagenfurt and Tirana.^[6]

In 1938, Aeroput was a partner along Italian company Ala Littoria and Romanian CIDNA in the Milan-Venice-Zagreb-Belgrade-Bucharest route.^[7]

Destinations by the year they were introduced:

1928:

• Belgrade – Zagreb

1929:

• Zagreb – Belgrade – Skoplje

1930:

• Belgrade – Zagreb – Graz – Vienna
• Zagreb – Sušak
• Belgrade – Sarajevo – Podgorica
• Belgrade – Skoplje – Thessaloniki

1931:

• Belgrade – Sarajevo – Split – Sušak – Zagreb
• Vienna – Belgrade – Thessaloniki

1933:

• Belgrade – Skoplje – Thessaloniki – Athens
• Zagreb – Ljubljana
• Ljubljana – Sušak

1934:

• Ljubljana – Zagreb – Sušak
• Ljubljana – Klagenfurt

1935:

• Belgrade – Borovo – Zagreb – Graz – Vienna (Borovo was added to the Belgrade – Vienna route)
• Belgrade – Niš – Skoplje (Niš was added to the Belgrade – Skoplje route)
• Belgrade – Skoplje – Bitola – Thessaloniki (Bitola was added once a week, on Sundays)
• Belgrade – Sarajevo

1936:

• Belgrade – Podujevo – Skoplje
• Belgrade – Sarajevo – Dubrovnik
• Belgrade – Borovo – Zagreb – Sušak – Ljubljana

1937:

• Zagreb – Sarajevo – Dubrovnik

1938:

• Belgrade – Sofia
• Dubrovnik – Sarajevo – Zagreb – Vienna – Brno – Prague
• Belgrade – Dubrovnik – Tirana

1939:

• Budapest – Zagreb – Venice – Rome
• Belgrade – Budapest

See also

• Jat Airways

References

External links

• Jat Airways
• Timeline of Aeroput baggage labels
• Civil Aircraft Register - Yugoslavia