Serbia has become the latest country in the former Yugoslavia to initiate talks over the introduction of nonstop flights to Japan, following on from Slovenia and Croatia over the past month. The Serbian Minister for Construction, Transport and Infrastructure, Zorana Mihajlović, said after talks with the Japanese Ambassador to Serbia, that a new bilateral Air Service Agreement between the two countries will be inked in the near future in order to facilitate the introduction of new services. The future operator of Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport, VINCI, holds a concession, as part of a consortium with Japanese partners, for two airports in Osaka, and this year added Kobe Airport to its portfolio. VINCI has said it plans to link Belgrade with a number of its other airports across the world.

Serbia and Japan do not require visas for each others' nationals. In 2017, there were 5.769 Japanese visitors to Serbia, which, although light, was still ahead of arrivals from much closer markets such as Portugal, Finland and Ireland. In 2016, All Nippon Airways (ANA) expressed initial interest in operating flights between Japan and Belgrade, however, no concrete agreement was reached and the services never materialised. The National Tourism Organisation of Serbia recently held talks in Tokyo with Japanese tour operators, the country’s tourism board, as well as the Japan International Cooperation Agency and the Japan-Southeast Europe Business Association in a bid to boost travel between the two countries.

The Serbian Ministry for Construction, Transport and Infrastructure is aiming to attract more medium and long haul flights to the country in an effort to improve tourism and connectivity. It has identified several markets which hold potential to generate inbound or outbound travel from Serbia in the form of seasonal or charter flights, including Japan, Canada, India and South Korea, as well as further opportunities in the United States and China. Commenting on its upcoming plans, Ms Mihajlović said, "In the coming period we expect even more new flights from Belgrade Airport, which will link us with previously unserved markets and in turn boost tourism". Last year, Belgrade Airport identified counterparts in Zagreb and Budapest as its main competitors to securing long haul services. In a statement at the time, it said, "Our aim is to become a gateway for long haul flights in Southeastern Europe to North America, China and Asia, as well as to introduce new routes to the Euro-Mediterranean region and strengthen our regional connectivity, which would, in turn, help increase loads on flights to the abovementioned markets. The main competitors in achieving these goals are first and foremost Zagreb and Budapest".