An Embraer E195, operated by Marathon Airlines under the colors of Air Serbia, suffered major damage following takeoff from Belgrade. On February 18, the aircraft lined up for takeoff on runway 30L of the Belgrade airport. During the take-off process it crossed the runway threshold before detaching from the ground and struck the ILS antennas of runway 12R. The aircraft returned safely to Belgrade shortly after departure.
Flight JU324 lined up on runway 30L of Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport at 16:38 UTC. The plane did not line up at the end of the runway, but in its middle area, which made the take-off distance much shorter.
During the take-off process, the left side of the aircraft was severely damaged when it struck the instrument landing system of the opposite runway. A long gash on the side of the aircraft is visible, as well as damage to the wing area (where the wing meets the fuselage).
After takeoff, JU324 entered the holding area near Belgrade and spent less than 60 minutes in the air before landing on runway 30L (the same runway it departed from) at 17:36 UTC.
Following the accident, the ILS system category of Runway 12R was downgraded from CAT III to CAT I. Runway 12R/30L is the airport's second and newest runway, which just opened in July 2023.