Serbia and Canada to re-establish flights

Serbia and Canada plan to resume nonstop flights in the near future after the two countries signed a bilateral Air Service Agreement on Monday, almost twelve years after the deal was initially drafted. The Serbian Foreign Minister, Ivica Dačić, noted, "The agreement will pave way for negotiations to start between Air Serbia and Air Canada. Their representatives have to determine how many flights there should be and what would be the most profitable solution. However, there is no doubt that the introduction of nonstop flights to Canada would be extremely important for our citizens and country". The Serbian Minister for Construction, Transport and Infrastructure, Zorana Mihajlović, said the government was anticipating the introduction of flights to Canada this year. "We are talking to and working with Canada to try and secure nonstop services", she said.

Transport Canada, which regulates aviation matters in the country, has told EX-YU Aviation News that the initial Air Service Agreement between the two countries was drafted back in December 2006 but has only come into effect with its signing several days ago. It noted that the deal was only provisionally applied over the past decade and has now been updated. Air Serbia and Air Canada have been designated by each country as their operating carrier, while the routes and associated rights remain confidential. "We would really like for flights to commence and we are certain Canadian Serbs would want it too as they have fond memories of JAT's nonstop service", the Canadian Embassy in Belgrade said.

Toronto's Pearson Airport confirmed earlier this year that it held talks with Air Serbia over the resumption of flights between Belgrade and Canada's largest city. A spokesman for the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, Robin Smith, said, "At this time, Air Serbia's service will not be starting this summer, but we will continue to work with Air Serbia to find an opportunity to add Toronto Pearson as one of their newest travel destinations". Mr Smith added, "We will make an announcement in cooperation with Air Serbia if there is any future development of service to Toronto Pearson". The Serbian government said last November that Air Serbia was considering Toronto as its second long haul route after New York. At the time, it noted that preparations for the new service were underway and in the advanced planning stages, however, it emphasised that there was still a lot of work to be done concerning the Air Service Agreement, which has since been dealt with.

Air Serbia itself has noted, "We are working on a complete analysis and we are seriously considering all aspects. A final decision on the potential introduction of a new transcontinental service will be made in the coming period. It is a complex project which takes several months and does not depend solely on us, but also on regulatory authorities since all procedures must be harmonised with the laws and regulations of the country we fly to". Flights between Serbia and Canada were last operated a decade ago by leisure carrier Skyservice, which has since gone bankrupt. During the 1970s and 1980s, JAT Yugoslav Airlines maintained services from Belgrade to Toronto and Montreal.