Aviogenex

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Aviogenex
IATA ICAO Callsign
JJ AGX GENEX
FoundedMay 1968
Ceased operations2015
Fleet size1
Destinations19
Parent companyGenex Group
HeadquartersBelgrade, Serbia
Key peopleBojan Nikolić

Aviogenex (Serbian Cyrillic: Авиогенекс) was[1] a Serbian and Yugoslav charter airline based at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport. It operated regular and ad hoc charter flights as well as wet-lease services.[2]

History[edit]

Aviogenex had more than 40 years of experience in flying under charter, sub charter and wet lease agreements. Aviogenex was founded on 21 May 1968 as an air transport division of Generalexport, an enterprise for foreign and domestic trade, tourism and air transport.[2] On 30 April 1969, Aviogenex operated its first flight from Belgrade to Düsseldorf Airport using a Tupolev Tu-134. Prior to the break-up of Yugoslavia, Aviogenex was the busiest charter airline in the country, handling over half a million passengers per year in the late 1980s.[3] Aviogenex brought their first two Boeing 727-200 from Yugoslav Air Force in 1983.[4]

The last Tu-134's in the fleet were retired in the early 90s. [5] In 1990, the airline flew 633,932 passengers, with 10 aircraft (5 Boeing 727 and 5 Boeing 737) reaching 17,000 flight hours per year.[6] Since 1991, Aviogenex has oriented to leasing of aircraft and crews, and achieved more than 40,000 flight hours. In this period Aviogenex operated in Europe, Africa, the Middle and Far East, and South America. In 2010, they restarted flights under their own name using a Boeing 737-200 Advanced.[7]

In February 2015, it was announced that Aviogenex will cease operations to be liquidated as the government failed to attract investors for the airline.[1][8]

Services[edit]

Aviogenex services included:

  • International and domestic charter operations
  • Aircraft lease with or without crew and technical personnel ("wet" or "dry" lease)
  • Transfer of technology/know-how and logistic support
  • AGX Engineering Dept maintains Boeing 727-200 and Boeing 737-200 Adv aircraft, to "B"-check level, and operates maintenance facilities (workshops) for its own needs and for the needs of others
  • Aviogenex has a Training Center approved by the Ministry for Transportation of the Republic of Serbia for the education and training of its flight and ground staff, cockpit and cabin crew.
  • Carriage of cargo and special cargoes
  • Ad hoc transport arrangements for special purposes (artistic tours, football matches, VIP flights etc.)

Destinations[edit]

Aviogenex Tu-134 at Zürich Airport in 1982
Aviogenex Boeing 727-200 at Faro Airport in the 1980s
Aviogenex Boeing 737-200 at Zürich Airport in 1999

Aviogenex operated charter services to the following leisure destinations:

Africa
 Egypt
 Tunisia
Asia
 Jordan
Europe
 Cyprus
 Greece
 Serbia
 Spain
 Turkey

Fleet[edit]

As of June 2015, the Aviogenex consisted of one single Boeing 737-200. The historic fleet of Aviogenex included 12 Tupolev Tu-134,[9] 7 Boeing 737-200[9] and 5 Boeing 727.[9]

Incidents and accidents[edit]

  • On 23 May 1971, an Aviogenex Tupolev Tu-134A (tail number YU-AHZ) crashed on approach to Rijeka Airport located on the island of Krk, because of rough landing in bad weather conditions,[10][11] killing 78 people and leaving five survivors. Among the victims was the Croatian poet Josip Pupačić with his wife and daughter.
  • On 2 April 1977, an Aviogenex Tupolev Tu-134A (registration YU-AJS) crashed on approach to Libreville Airport located in Gabon. It was a cargo flight, killing 6 crew and 2 passengers, without survivors.[12]
  • On 22 February 1998, while operating for Chanchangi Airlines of Nigeria, an Aviogenex Boeing 737-200 (registration YU-ANU) was destroyed by a fire at Kaduna Airport, Nigeria. The aircraft was used for rejected takeoff training, with four rejected takeoffs in 12 minutes (in the conditions at the time at Kaduna, a single exercise of a rejected take off would have required a cooling period of at least ten minutes). A wheel caught fire due to overheating, and the aircraft burned completely. There were no fatalities.[13]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Aviogenex on ch-aviation".
  2. ^ a b "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 2007-03-27. p. 82.
  3. ^ The end of Aviogenex at EX-YU Aviation News, 3-5-2015, retrieved 1-12-2015
  4. ^ "World Airlines Directory". Flight International. 19 March 1983. p. 706.
  5. ^ "Aviogenex". www.aerobernie.bplaced.net. Archived from the original on 2018-04-01.
  6. ^ "Aviogenex". International CG. 2008-05-08. Archived from the original on 2010-11-23. Retrieved 2010-10-07.
  7. ^ Aviogenex Rises From Dead
  8. ^ "Serbia to liquidate ACMI/Charter specialist, Aviogenex".
  9. ^ a b c Aviogenex at rzjets.com, retrieved 13-12-2014
  10. ^ ASN Aircraft accident Tupolev 134A YU-AHZ Rijeka Airport (RJK) — 2 photographs
  11. ^ Авиакатастрофы самолётов Ту-134 (in Russian)
  12. ^ "Aviation Safety Network". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2019-07-08.
  13. ^ "Aviation Safety Network". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2020-01-04.


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