BASIC AIR STUDY ON YUGOSLAVIA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78-01617A004200110001-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 22
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 23, 2013
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: May 1, 1949
• Content Type: REPORT

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BASIC AIR STUDY ON YUGOSLAVIA
OUTLINE
I. Civil Aviation Policy
II. Governmental Organization for Civil Aviation
III. Yugoslav Airlines
(1) General. Background
(2) The Organization of JAT
(a) Ownership and Capitalization
(b) Personnel ?
(c) Equipment
The Organization of JUSTA
(a) Ownership and Capitalization
(b) Personnel
(c) Equipment
Routes Flown by JAT and JUSTA
Foreign Airlines Operating in Yugoslavia
(3)
IV. Civil Air Facilities
V. Yugoslav Bilateral Air Transport Agreements
VI. Aeronautical Industry and Research
VII. Sport Aviation
0 61
Document No.
NO CHANGE in Class. 0
sa DECLASSIFIED
ti
TO: TS S ?ass. CHANCED
DDA Memo, 4 Apr 77
Auth: DDA REG. 77 1763
Date: ILailaigl BY:
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I. Civil Aviation Policy
Yugoslav civil aviation was completely nationalized after World
War II and placed under direct control of governmental authorities.
Both commercial and private aviation activities are, in effect, instru-
ments of national policy. Although Yugoslavia will undoubtedly continue
its past efforts to expand both its internal and international route
.
networks, several obstacles block the attainment ot these objectives.
Lack of an adequate fleet of transport aircraft, and East-West political
tension will continue to hamper the development of the Yugoslav com-
mercial aviation enterprises. More recently, the split between the
Cominform and the Yugoslav Government posed an additional difficulty,
as illustrated by the stoppage of aviation gasoline shipments to
Yugoslavia from neighboring satellite states, and the suspension of
?air services between Yugoslavia and Albania.
With regard to air relations with other countries, Yugoslavia
has maintained a restrictive policy, especially with regard to Western
powers. During 1947, there appeared to be two distinct Yugoslav air
policies, an "Eastern policy" and a "Western.policy".(1) At that time,
the only basis for distinguishing thesedual policies lay in a comparison
of the Yugoslav-Rumanian air agreement of July 30, 1947 (at present
inoprrative) with the proposed text of the agreement offered by
Yugoslavia to the Swiss. It was evident that Yugoslavia was granting
clearly more advantageous conditions to Eastern European countries '
than it was prepared to grant to the Western countries with which it
was then negotiating.
' Yugoslavia's "Western air agreement policy" as then observed included
the following points (not included in the available text of the Rumanian-
Yugoslav agreement):
A. Provision for unilateral'substitution of one designated
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carrier by another (interpreted as a means of substituting the Soviet-
Yugoslav JUSTA for the all-Yugoslav JAT).
B. Provision for rejecting individual flight crew members found
undesirable by either power for any reason.
C. Detailed and comprehensive traffic restrictions susceptible
to interpretations which would.greatly reduce whatever commercial at-
tractiveness a route to and/or beyond Belgrade might have possessed
for the Western power.
However, a reading of the air agreements which Yugoslavia has
'concluded more recently with Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria and
0 Poland discloses that (unlike the agreement with Rumania) they also
include the provisions under paragraphs (A) and (B) above. With
respect to point (C)2 however, these later agreements are essentially
the same as that signed with.Rumenia, and contain none of the special
traffic restActions found in the "Western policy" agreement proposed
. with Switzerland in 1947.
Although Yugoslivia's split with the Cominform has caused serious
difficulties within the country's commercial aviation enterprises,
there is as yet no clear indiaation that Yugoslavia intends to retaliate
by restricting the airlines of Cominform countries presently operating
through Yugoslav territory. However, such retaliation would follow
logically from any further deterioration in Yugoslavia's relations with .
the USSR USSR and other satellite states. Although Yugoslavia has -feeently
indicated its ,desire to conclude a bilateral air transport agreement
with Italy, and may in the future be willing to negotiate less restrictive
'Agreements with other Western powers, there has been no perceptible shift
in the country's aviation policy toward the West despite the Yugoslav-
Cominform rift. Similarly, the US has not modified its aviation policy
with respect to Yugoslavia, that policy remains one of preventing the
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expansion of Yugoslav air services beyond the Iron Curtain, and prohibit?
ing the export of aircraft and aeronautical equipment to Yugoslavj.a or
any other areas within the Soviet orbit.
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II. Governmental Organization for Civil Aviation
Prior to World War II, the administration of civil air service
was in the hands of the Directorate of Civil Aviation which was under
the Air Staff of the Ministry of War and Marine. Control has now
passed to the Ministry of Communications of which the Department of .
Civil Aviation (Glavna Uprova Vasdusnog Saohracaja) now forms a part.
Since January 1948, Major General Ambrosio has been Director General
of Civil Aviation. Formerly, he was Deputy Chief of the Air Staff and
head of, the Youth Air Movement (a gliding organization).(2)
As stated in Fart I, Civil Aviation Policy, governmental authorites
exercise direct control over all civil (commercial'or sport) aviation:?
activities. Air Headquarters are located at Zemun. Yugoslav airlines
reportedly must notify Air Headquarters one day in advance of flights
to secure route clearance and their aircraft Must then be flown along
specified air corridors assigned by the Directorate of Civil Aviation.(3)
This policy of rigid control over airline operations follows logicplly.
from the fact that the airline companies are completely government-owned,
and are regarded by the'Hugoslav government as instruments of national
policy.
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ITrainin
iOperations Traffic
Diagram of the Organization of Civil Aviation Activities in Yugoilavia(4)
Ministry of Communications
Director General of Civil Aviation
JUSTA
MGOSDOVENSKI AERO TRANSPORT
lAdministrationl
1?
Air Fteigh IPutnik
Mail
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Fiscal
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III. Yugoslav Airlines
(1) rGeneral Background:
From the end of World War LF, and prior to the establishment
of JUGOSLOVENSKI.AERO TRANSPORT (JAT, the State-operated civil air carrier)
all air services within Yugoslavia were performed by the Air Transport
Section of the Yugoslav Air Force. These services were carried out under
the direction of the Ministry of War, using 6 C -47's and 2 JU -521s. Lack
of equipment and facilities limited operations to domestic flights with
the exception of Special Missions flown abroad.(4)
About March 30, 1947, the above Yugoslav Air Force aircraft and crews
were formed into a civil airline known as JUGOSLOVENSKI AERO TRANSPORT,(JAT).
A new mixed Russo-Yugoslav airline, JUGOSLOVENSKA SOVIJETSKA TRANSPORTNA
AVIJACIJA (J.U.S.T.A.) was also formed early in 1947, reportedly as a
result of Soviet Pressure?to bring air transport in Yugoslavia into line
with that of other Balkan satellites (e.g., MASZOVIET in Hungary and.2.A.R.S.
in Rumania). JAT and JUSTA have continued as the sole Yugoslav airline
enterprises. The precise relationship between the two companies has long
been a matter of speculation, for while reports in 1947 indicated that
JUSTA was a holding company of which JAT was the operating component,
more recent information would seem to establish the fact that JAT and
JUSTA are separate corporate entities operating independently.
(2) The Organization of J.A.T.
(a)
Ownership and Capitalization:
JAT, constituted as a civil airline in March 1947, is
entirely government-owned, and under the direction of the Ministry of
Communications. It is assumed that the regaining assets of AEROPUT, the
prewar civil airline, were transferred to JAT. As a state enterprise,
any aid given in the form of equipment, facilities, installations and
cash cannot be called a subsidy in the true sense of .the word.. The
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capitalization of JAT is not known.
(b) Personnel:
M. Mitic is Director General of JAT. and Captain Pudario is the
Director of Planning.(2) A Yugoslav political refugee,
stated
the following employees:
19 pilots
6 radio operators
10 navigators attending radio
that JAT had
school
STAT
STSTAT
because of political unreliabilitylof the STAT
employees, only one-third of JAT's personnel have passports to make
all JAT pilots are Yugoslays, STAT
flights abroad.
some of whom have served with the RAF.
(c) Eouiument:
JAT owned 10 DC-31s (converted C-47 war surplus aircraft) in June
nt4
1948. It is not believed that 421i, of these aircraft worc operational,
either because of an existing aviation gas shortage or lack of spare
parts.
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(3) Orrtanization of JUSTA
(a) Ownership and Capitalization:
Vita,
JUSTA. formed early in 1947, is jointly awned by theSoviets-
4
and Yugoslav/4, each country owning 50% of the stock.( In addition to
air route concessions, the company has been given concessions to operate -
the airfields at Belgrade (Zemun) and Zara (Zernunik). The post of
Director. General of JUSTA has always been filled by 'a Russian. In January
1948. Major Orlov was replaced as Director General by Colonel Zitljev,
who also acted as chief pilot of JUSTA.
the latter has been replaced by,Andrej Bockarev.(2)
(b) Personnel:
A Yugoslav political refugee
stated
that JUSTA had the following employees:(3)
17 pilots
8 radio operators
8 mechanics
Russians andwell as Yugoslays are employed as members of JUSTA aircrews.(2)
(c) Equipment:
In July 1948, JUSTA owned 12 P8-84's (Russian-built DC-31s) and 2
J1J-52'8.(2)
' STAT
STAT
STAT
STAT
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(3) Routes Flown by JAT and JUSTA
During 1947, JAT and JUSTA rapidly expanded their services to
link the major cities of Yugoslavia asdwell as provide air connections
between Belgrade and the capitals of Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Albania,
Poland, Rumania and Bulgaria. However, civil air operations were cur-
tailed during the winter of 1947-48 because of inadequate navigation
and radio facilities.(2) By April 1948, the Yugoslav air carriers were
flying the following routes (See Map #1):(6)
JAT
Belgrade - Wrigue - Warsaw
Belgrade - Zagreb
Zagreb - Sarajevo
Zadar - Zagreb - Bratislava - Prague
Belgrade - Skoplje(7)
JUSTA
Belgrade - Budapest
Belgrade - Sofia
Belgrade - Sarajevo
Belgrade - Titograd Tirana
The Yugoslav press (Borba) ?twe announced during the latter part of
March that, by May 15, the following air routes would be opened for
general passenger service:(8)
Belgrade - Dubrovnik
Belgrade - Split
Sarajevo - Dubrovnik
Zagreb - Split
Zagreb - Fiume
Ljubljana - Fiume
In addition to the projected expansion of the above domestic routes, it
was the Yugoslav objective to extend during 1948 JAT's international
services from Warsaw to Stockholm, from Prague to Am-terdam, from Belgrade
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to Rome and from Zagreb to Milan. Moreover, it was reported that
Yugoslavia was interested in securing the air rights necessary for
establishing a Belgrade - Cairo air service via Istanbul.
All of these ambitious plans were suddenly shelved when, on April 7,
1948, all domestic and foreign civil air flights were cancelled. The
complete cessation of civil air operations, according to the official
Yugoslav explanation, resulted frome shortage of aviation gas and the
fact that the airline operations had proved to be uneconomic.(9) Although
subsequent reports confirmed the existence of a real shortage of aviation
gas, the second reason stated above appears improbable in view of Borbals
press announcement late in March that new air services were to be inaug-
urated during April and May. It appears, therefore, that the cancellation
of civil air operations was ordered by the Yugoslav Government to-conserve
aviation gas reserves and/or keep all transport aircraft on hand for
possible military use. (An unusual amount of local flying, involving
both military and civil transport typed, was conducted by the YUgoslav
Air Force after the cessation of civil airline operations). That these
drastic measures were found necessary was ahadded indication of the ever-
widening Tito-Cominform split.
JAT resumed limited. operations on May 15,. 1948, when it began an
air service from Belgrade to Sarajevo and on to Dubrovnik. By August
1948, the Yugoslav airlines were operating the following routes:(10)
gusIA?
Belgrade - Titograd (1 flight daily except Sunday)
Titograd - Tirana (3 flights weekly)
Belgrade - Budapest (1 flight weekly)
JAT
Belgrade - Sarajevo - Dubrovnik (1 flight daily except Sunday)
Belgrade.- Prague (2 flights weekly)
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During September, howevert.JUSTA discontinued its operations to Budapest
and, on September 29, 1948, suspended its services to Tirana, although
flights from Belgrade to Titograd were continued.. In.December, JAT's
services between Sarajevo and Dubrovnik were also suspended. As of
January 9, 1949, JUSTA had, reportedly discontinued all scheduled services .
and limited its activity to infrequent special flights.(11) Consequently,
the only scheduled operations now (April 21) conducted are JAT's two
4
routes: Belgrade - Salajevo and Belgrade - Prague.
(4) Foreign Airlines Operating In Yugoslavia(12)
The Czechoslovak (CSA), Bulgarian (BVS), Polish (LOT). and
Russian