During the days of fear and isolation under the state of emergency, our citizens were provided with hope and comfort thanks to the image of Air Serbia’s planes that brought medical assistance from distant countries U danima straha i izolacije tokom vanrednog stanja nadu i utehu našimgrađanima davale su slike aviona Er Srbije koji su donosili medicinsku pomoć iz dalekih zemalja Air Serbia » Er Srbija | 45 Tekst/Words: Jelena Pantović Fotografije/Photography: Er Srbija /Air Srbia A I R SE R B I A AND HE ROES F ROM T HE SHADOWS I FLEW THROUGH EMPTY SKIES FOR OUR SERBIA Captain Aleksandar Jovanović flew to China eight times to collect valuable assistance, returned children home fromWashington to grateful parents in Serbia and carried humanitarian aid to Italy, the very country where he learned to fly his huge Airbus 330... AN EMPTY RUNWAY, A DESERTED SKY, magical landscapes he flew over for the first time and an awareness that he had the honour and opportunity to do something for his country. Today, several months after the lifting of the state of emergency caused by the Coronavirus pandemic, Captain Aleksandar Jovanović, the man who flew to China eight times for help, returns to that time. “From this perspective, I view all that as something that happens once in a lifetime and is never forgotten. There were many unusual and brilliant moments, but the strongest realisation was always that we would be the ones to enable safer work for doctors and health workers. And they are the real heroes of this time. It meant a lot to all of us at Air Serbia that we participated in overall efforts and helped the state and our citizens,” says the captain of our largest A330 plane, which under normal conditions flies to New York, speaking at the beginning of our interview. In extraordinary circumstances, Captain Jovanović experienced his passenger plane carrying only cargo, as well as his aircraft being the only one on the runway... “It was unimaginable, but also magical, to fly over the vast Siberia, that inconceivably beautiful landscape, then the Mongolian Steppe, but also China, which looks impressive from the air,” recalls Jovanović who won’t forget the empty airports either. “I’ve been flying from Belgrade Airport for 30 years and have got used to crowds, passengers, for everything to buzz like in a hive, and then I experienced desoSa posebnim uzbuđenjem seća se povratka iz Vašingtona, odakle je država evakuisala naše đake He also recalls with particular excitement the return journey fromWashington, with the state having organised the evacuation of our pupils
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