Originally Posted by
lederhosen
As I mentioned on another thread, Aviogenex picked up two 727s which were state aircraft used by Tito. They flew in parallel with him deciding at the last minute which one he was going to fly on to reduce the risk of getting shot down. Given what happened in the country after he died, maybe this was not quite as crazy as it now sounds. In any case JAT the national airline also operated 727s, so I suspect there was ample engineering support in county. All those years ago Yugoslavia as it then was with Tito treading a line between east and west was a curious, but relatively stable place. Yugotours developed a strong business flying several hundred thousand people mainly to the Dalmatian coast, which was actually a cradle of modern tourism. The Grand hotel on the island of Lopud near Dubrovnik built in the thirties, with architectural cues that remind you of an ocean liner, was one of the first seaside tourist hotels paving the way for the many thousands more that have sprung up all round the world subsequently.
I knew that YU-AKD was in Yugoslav government colours, but was used on Air Yugoslavia charters, and turned up at my local Newcastle pretty regularly. Didn't know about YU-AKH though?