An Air Serbia flight that was supposed to fly from Serbia to Russia ended up turning around over Lithuania, in order for additional security checks to be carried out on passengers. The circumstances surrounding this sure are unusual, given who was onboard.
Air Serbia flight returns to Belgrade over “security” concern
This incident happened on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, and involves Air Serbia flight JU134, scheduled to fly from Belgrade (BEG) to Moscow (SVO). The 1,074-mile flight was operated by an Airbus A320 with the registration code YU-APH. The flight was scheduled to depart at 6:25PM and land at 11:40PM, with a two hour time change, so it was blocked at 3hr15min.
The plane took off at 6:48PM, basically on schedule, and it started flying north, over Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, and then Lithuania. However, around 90 minutes after takeoff, while more than halfway, the plane u-turned, and flew back toward Belgrade.
The plane ended up landing in Belgrade at 9:57PM local time, a little over three hours after it first departed. The plane ended up once again taking off in the early morning hours of November 4, departing at 1:56AM, and landing at 6:43AM, over seven hours behind schedule.
Diversions happen, though it’s definitely unusual for a flight to turn around to the origin when it’s already more than halfway to its destination, especially when maintenance wasn’t to blame. Officially, the airline has shared that the decision to divert was made “in accordance with the instructions received and all applicable security rules.” That’s obviously really vague, though… so what really happened?
Was this Air Serbia diversion politically motivated, or…?
Here’s where the story gets really interesting. Onboard this Air Serbia flight were a few associates of former Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic, who just recently lost an election. One of the people onboard was Aleksandar Vulin, who served as deputy prime minister until 2025, and is viewed as being very pro-Russia. The US had even imposed sanctions on him due to his close ties with Russia.
Media reports in Serbia suggest that the reason for the diversion was that security camera footage at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport had been reviewed, and it was determined that someone had helped him avoid security checks. Now, I understand the need to carry out security checks, though I’m also not sure the point of diverting when you’re already more than halfway to your destination.
Vulin denies that he was the reason that the plane diverted, claiming that it was instead a political showdown. After the diversion, he went on national TV in Serbia, to say the following:
“It’s all a lie, an act of violence and an attempt to prove to these new authorities how ready they are here at the airport, how much they are on the defensive of their ideology. So, of course it’s all a lie, of course it’s all utter nonsense. I’m really sorry and uncomfortable, so many people have returned, their lives are being ruined, their obligations are being ruined because of the attempt to politically deal with me.”
“I am completely calm, I know that I am in the right. And you know, I did not go to Moscow as a tourist, I went on business. I am going there to fight for the extension of the gas agreement. Not for me and you, but for all citizens of Serbia.”
He also said he was asleep at the time of the diversion, and had no clue what was going on until the plane landed back in Belgrade:
“We just woke up, to be honest, I fell asleep. I was sleeping on the plane, I wake up, they say: You are in Belgrade. How are you in Belgrade? When we went outside, I see the police, the special forces gathered. I say: ‘Colleagues, have you come for me?’ They laugh. They say: ‘We are not, Minister.’ I go down with all the other passengers. I go through the procedure with all the other passengers again. I go through another procedure by myself. And now, I am standing and waiting for them to let us get on the plane again.”
Bottom line
An Air Serbia flight from Belgrade to Moscow turned around while over halfway to its destination. The decision to divert was made in accordance with “applicable security rules,” and all passengers were screened when the plane landed back in Serbia.
While it’s believed that a pro-Russia Serbian politician who was onboard may have avoided security checks at the airport, the politician denies that, and claims this was a political move.
What do you make of this unusual Air Serbia diversion?
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