46 | Er Srbija » Air Serbia ispred zgrade aerodroma dočekali su nas njihovi roditelji. Tapšali su nam sa suzama u očima i zahvaljivali što smo im vratili ono najdragocenije što u životu imaju – decu. Osetio sam i ponos i zadovoljstvo i sreću što sam pilot i što sam to mogao da učinim – kaže Jovanović, kome je još jedan let iz vremena vanrednog stanja ostao kao dragoceno sećanje. – U Alitaliji sam završio obuku za A330, i to je bilo čarobno doba moje letačke karijere, a onda sam imao čast da baš tim avionom ponovo dođem u Rim i donesem iz Srbije neophodnu pomoć. To mi je mnogo značilo, da se odužim bar malo – ističe ovaj hrabri kapetan, koji na kraju naglašava da je epidemija koronavirusa pokazala koliko je važno imati nacionalnu avio-kompaniju. – Kad dođu teška vremena, vidi se koliko je koncept nacionalne kompanije važan za državu. Mi smo bili jedini u regionu, samo Er Srbija je mogla da leti do Kine, a svi znamo šta nam je to značilo. Drago mi je što smo državi i svim našim građanima mogli da vratimo bar jedan mali deo... lation, a completely empty airport and a runway where we are the only crew except some cargo flights. And it was like that everywhere, and even now things haven’t returned to the state from before. I flew the last flight from New York before the declaring of the state of emergency and flew the first return flight on 6th June, when we re-established traffic. And even JFK, the airport where I’ve grown accustomed to waiting for an hour just to park, now has so few planes. These are all things that one doesn’t forgot...” It was both physically and mentally difficult to endure the flights to China... “We rested in shifts of three to four hours, six pilots, two stewards and, of course, loadmasters for cargo and mechanics. It was psychologically difficult to endure being closed in for 30 hours, but we all knew why we were there and there was no dilemma – that’s also where we wanted to be,” recalls Jovanović. He also recalls with particular excitement the return journey from Washington, with the state having organised the evacuation of our students - mostly high school pupils and university students - from there, and he brought them back to Serbia. “The crew emerged among the first in Belgrade, because the passengers had to follow certain procedures, and we were welcomed by their parents in front of the airport building. They applauded us with tears in their eyes and thanked us for bringing back to them the most precious thing they have in life – their children. I felt both pride and satisfaction, and happiness that I’m a pilot and was able to do that,” says Jovanović, for whom another flight from the period of the state of emergency remains as a precious and unforgettable memory. “At Alitalia I completed training for flying the A 330 and that was a magical period of my flying career, and then I had the opportunity to return to Rome with that very same plane and bring much-needed help from Serbia. That meant a lot to me, to be able to pay back at least a little,” notes this brave captain, who emphasises in conclusion that the Coronavirus pandemic showed how important it is to have a national airline. “When hard times come you see how important the concept of a national airline is for the state. We were the only ones in the region; only Air Serbia was able to fly to China, and we all know what that meant to us. I’m glad that we were able to return at least a little part to that same country and all our citizens...” Kapetan Aleksandar Jovanović već 30 godina na svetskom nebu Captain Aleksandar Jovanović has already spent 30 years in the skies
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