Russia’s S7 Airlines will commence flights from Moscow Domodedovo Airport to Belgrade from May 21. The carrier intends on initially operating one weekly flight, each Friday, due to the frequency caps currently in place between Serbia and Russia as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, and then increase operations once restrictions are lifted. Services will run with the 160-seat Boeing 737-800 aircraft, featuring twelve business class and 148 economy class seats. S7 Airlines will become the fourth carrier to maintain flights between the two countries and the second new Russian airline to launch operations to the Serbian capital this year following Nordwind Airlines. It will also become only the second Oneworld alliance member to fly to Belgrade after Qatar Airways. Currently, Air Serbia maintains four weekly rotations to Moscow, while based on reciprocity, Aeroflot runs three weekly services and Nordwind one weekly operation.

Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, travel between Moscow and Belgrade is in high demand, primarily due to Russian tourists visiting the Serbian countryside in organised tour groups. Aeroflot has been deploying its wide-body Airbus A330 jet on two of its three weekly flights throughout March and April, while Air Serbia has recently upgraded its equipment from the A319 to the A320 on the majority of its Moscow flights. Demand is also being generated by transfer passengers. Both Serbian and Russian citizens are able to travel between each other’s countries without restrictions with a negative Covid-19 PCR test, however, they must fly on the nonstop Belgrade - Moscow service to avoid quarantine upon entering Russia.

S7 Airlines is the largest private airline in Russia, and currently boasts the youngest fleet on the Russian market. It operates a network of 181 cities in 26 countries across with a fleet of over 100 aircraft. The carrier has a limited presence in the region, operating seasonal summer flights to the Croatian coast, as well as year-round operations to Tivat until the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Further flight details for S7 Airlines' new Belgrade service can be found here.