Air Serbia Moscow flight turns back over Lithuania after security claim

An Air Serbia flight from Belgrade to Moscow turned back to Belgrade on Tuesday 3 November 2026, after reportedly flying more than halfway to its destination. Serbian media say the cause was a security concern linked to politician Aleksandar Vulin, who was on board and denies the allegation. Passengers reached Moscow more than seven hours late.

What happened to flight JU134

According to One Mile at a Time, flight JU134 was scheduled to leave Belgrade (BEG) at 6:25pm and reach Moscow Sheremetyevo (SVO) at 11:40pm. The Airbus A320, registration YU-APH, took off at 6:48pm and flew north over Hungary, Slovakia, Poland and Lithuania. About 90 minutes after departure it turned around and landed back in Belgrade at 9:57pm local time.

Simple Flying notes that the northerly routing avoids airspace over Ukraine. Both outlets report that the aircraft departed again at 1:56am on 4 November and landed in Moscow at 6:43am.

The security claim and the denial

Both outlets cite Serbian media reports that security camera footage from Belgrade airport was reviewed after departure, and that it showed Vulin being helped to avoid security checks. Vulin was Serbia's deputy prime minister until 2025 and is regarded as pro-Russia. Simple Flying says the US sanctioned him in 2023 over his ties to Russia. Both outlets describe him as an associate of Aleksandar Vučić, the former Serbian president, who recently lost power.

Vulin rejected the claim on Serbian television, calling it "a lie" and an attempt by the new authorities to deal with him politically. He said he was travelling on business to push for an extension of the gas agreement between Russia and Serbia. Simple Flying says he described his role as chairman of Srbijagas, the state-owned gas company. One Mile at a Time reports that he said he was asleep during the diversion and that he went through screening again with the other passengers. Simple Flying, citing AeroTelegraph, says he claimed the checks after landing found nothing illegal.

What the airline has said

Air Serbia told Reuters, as quoted by Simple Flying, that it acted on the instructions of the competent authorities and in line with applicable procedures. According to Simple Flying, the airline stressed that screening of passengers and baggage is the responsibility of airport security services, not the carrier. It has not named the passenger concerned or confirmed that it was Vulin. One Mile at a Time calls the official explanation vague and says the exact reason is not entirely clear.

What this means for travellers

• Passengers on JU134 lost roughly seven hours: the aircraft flew for over three hours without reaching Moscow and then waited until the early hours to depart again.
• All passengers were screened again after landing in Belgrade, according to One Mile at a Time.
• Screening is handled by airport security rather than the airline, so any later security alert can lead to a flight returning even after departure.
• Travellers affected may wish to contact Air Serbia about assistance or compensation. The sources do not say what was offered.

It is not yet clear who, if anyone, bypassed security, or whether any action will follow.

Sources: One Mile at a Time; Simple Flying.