Air Serbia plans to introduce flights to China by the end of the year, the country’s Minister for Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications, Tatjna Matić, said. During talks with her Albanian counterpart, she noted that Serbia would work together with several of its neighbours to jointly present their product on the Chinese market. “Considering that Air Serbia plans to introduce nonstop flights to China towards the end of the year, we believe that joint representation on far-away markets such as this one will significantly increase the number of arrivals to the region”, Ms Matić said. China’s Hainan Airlines will introduce nonstop flights between Beijing and Belgrade this Saturday.
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| Hainan Airlines launches nonstop flights between Beijing and Belgrade this Saturday |
Air Serbia’s CEO, Jiri Marek, recently said the airline will soon make a decision on the lease of a second wide-body Airbus A330-200 aircraft in order to launch new destinations in Asia and North America. Earlier this year, Air Serbia undertook due diligence and drafted a business plan for the introduction of flights from Belgrade to either Shanghai or Beijing in Asia, as well as Chicago or Toronto in North America. Mr Marek confirmed the airline had initially planned to wet-lease an A330-200 for this summer season but gave up on the idea due to rising fuel prices. Last week, Air Serbia’s minority shareholder, Etihad Airways, became the first international airline to restore scheduled flights to Beijing since the start of the pandemic, with a one weekly service from Abu Dhabi.
China remains one of the most restrictive countries for travel and entry due to the coronavirus pandemic and its zero-Covid policy. However, it has been easing restrictions over the past few weeks and is expected to further relax measures by the end of the year. As of this month, passengers can take nonstop flights or can transfer to China. Travelers can also make multiple transfers, which was not permitted until recently. China also has a special policy in place for travel from Serbia, which is less restrictive than for passengers from other countries. This includes simplified testing requirements. Furthermore, there are additional concessions for those vaccinated with Chinese-made jabs. China is still not open for tourism and currently, foreign nationals may enter the country for work or emergency humanitarian needs. Chinese nationals and citizens living in foreign countries are permitted entry into China but must quarantine upon arrival. The country has also ended its closed-loop rostering system for cabin crew, which meant flight personnel would be isolated from the community by working eleven, 21 or 28-day cycles, after which they would have to quarantine in specially designated facilities for seven to fourteen days and then go under medical surveillance for a further seven to fourteen days. As a result, many cabin crew would be isolated for up to 49 days. The authorities' decision to retire the system has, in large part, enabled Chinese carriers to resume more international services this month.
Amazing news, i hope they open Toronto plans as well!
ReplyDeleteOr Regina at least.
DeleteHopefully they have a good partner there who can help them cover domestic market as well as regional destinations.
ReplyDeleteI suppose this will mean there will actually be two new long haul routes. The question is, what's the second one.
ReplyDeleteSure. Ministry said so.
ReplyDeleteWell Marek also said they plan to get a second A330 soon. So it does make sense.
DeleteIt says in the article that they gave up on this:
Delete'Mr Marek confirmed the airline had initially planned to wet-lease an A330-200 for this summer season but gave up on the idea due to rising fuel prices.'
It says: "Air Serbia’s CEO, Jiri Marek, recently said the airline will soon make a decision on the lease of a second wide-body Airbus A330-200 aircraft in order to launch new destinations in Asia and North America."
DeleteFlying to Tianjin is hardly the destination to make things work - especially if Hainan is also flying from there to Serbia. I have no idea why anyone would do that - unless of course it was a "take it or leave it" offer
ReplyDeleteTianjin? What are you talking about?
DeleteJust wait until it is announced ....
DeleteBut Hainan is not flying from Tianjin to Belgrade.
DeleteSecond A330 coming.
ReplyDeleteChicago and Shanghai my guess
ReplyDeleteIf you were planning for this, why wouldn;t you be launching this going into summer 2023 instead of winter 2022/23, where you will have 4 -5 mths of lean flying ?
ReplyDeleteI think this route, at least in the early days, will have a lot to do with cargo.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely. Cargo will probably bring in more money than the sale of tickets.
DeleteWhat would be the potential departure time of a Shanghai flight to Belgrade in order to fit Air Serbia's waves?
ReplyDeleteI wonder if they will cooperate with Hainan Airlines.
ReplyDeleteShanghai would be the most logical route for them.
ReplyDelete"The country has also ended its closed-loop rostering system for cabin crew, which meant flight personnel would be isolated from the community by working eleven, 21 or 28-day cycles, after which they would have to quarantine in specially designated facilities for seven to fourteen days and then go under medical surveillance for a further seven to fourteen days. As a result, many cabin crew would be isolated for up to 49 days. The authorities' decision to retire the system has, in large part, enabled Chinese carriers to resume more international services this month."
ReplyDeleteMy goodness. This is absolute madness.
They did the same at Cathay Pacific in Hong Kong. It is the reason so many crew left the airline. The difference is that in mainland China they probably can't leave.
DeleteBrutal
DeleteThat's what they can do in a totalitarian state...
DeleteThey locked up people for months in democracies too.
DeleteNo one "locked people for months in democracies". There is a huge difference between curfews, forced hospitalizations and your favorite caffe or shoe store being closed.
DeleteCurfews were implemented in many European countries. Protests against these rules were met with huge police force, beatings and arrests
DeleteDon't try to minimise what the West did. It was horrific. The UK, for example, was under strict lockdowns while the leaders of the country partied obviously unafraid of the big bad virus.
DeleteAsk the residents of Melbourne Victoria in Australia how they were locked up, the most locked up city in the world for Covid
DeleteNot the leaders but Boris Johnson
DeleteAnonymous at 13:10, I can assure you most people in the UK ignored the lockdown rules.
DeleteCould they make it to have 2x week Shangai, YYZ and ORD all together with one plane?
ReplyDeleteTo have all three, two of the routes would have to be once per week. But they can do all three with second A330 that flies to New York. But that's only in winter. In summer when frequencies increase they won't be able to. I think they will pick 2 new destinations and possibly increase New York by one more weekly flight.
DeleteNice!
ReplyDeleteOn paper it looks like a good opportunity for JU, especially with many European airlines still not flying to China and especially since European airlines have to avoid Russian airspace, adding a lot of flight time.
ReplyDeleteWhich European airlines have restored flights to China?
DeleteLufthansa, Swiss, SAS, Iberia, Aeroflot, Austrian Airlines, Finnair and Turkish. All fly only to Shanghai with exception to Turkish which flies to Guangzhou and Air France that flies to Tianjin.
DeleteAir France will resume Beijing finally on 22 July.
DeleteIf the second 330 comes in would it be also portraying a Serbian scientist on it's tail ... maybe Pupin or M Milankovic?
ReplyDeleteI hope it will be in the standard JU colour scheme, which looks great on a widebody.
DeleteIt will be called Toma Zdravkovic, Nikola Jokic or Czar Lazar :) but in the interests of gender equality it might be called Lepa Brena
DeleteI was actually hoping it would carry the image of Isidora Sekulic :)
DeleteThe one for Chicago should be called Jelena KarleUSA
DeleteIt will happen soon
ReplyDeleteI think 3 times per week BEG-PVG nonstop on Air Serbia with good connections to Sarajevo, Skopje, Podgorica could work. The longer they wait to introduce these flights, the more difficult it will be.
ReplyDeleteCurrently most international flights to China are once per week.
Delete^ This will probably change by the time JU starts flights.
DeleteTowards the end of the year probably means start of winter season.
ReplyDeleteSecond A330 is needed. They could fly to PVG twice a week and to YYZ twice a week, as bilateral would allow them. Depending on schedule, it could be possible to squeeze in one JFK as well.
ReplyDeleteGreat but it won't be easy organizing these flights. China still has a system for international airlines that if 5 people on your flight test positive for Covid the airline is banned from flying to China for 2 weeks (maybe it's 10 days now) starting immediately.
ReplyDeleteHope they have a good GSA in China. They will need it to make a market like China work. Also they will need Weibo and other Chinese social media accounts for marketing. They will have to alter catering and introduce Asian meal on these flights and make sure to have Chinese markings in the plane, on the IFE system etc.
ReplyDeleteFair point. A route like this requires even more preparation than the launch of JFK.
DeleteI think this is happening soon. I know some A320-family pilots at Air Serbia that recently completed training and converted to A330 meaning they are preparing crew for additional plane.
ReplyDeleteConverted to A330? A320F and A330 are CCQ
DeleteDo Chinese need visa to enter Albania?
ReplyDeleteNo! Neither for Serbia and Bosnia too.
DeleteThis will be a great opportunity for Chinese tourists to visit Balkan countries, especially Serbia
DeleteCommercially, it makes sense.
ReplyDeleteWhy not launch Bangkok or Singapore just like LOT? These markets are huge and Australia may become only 1 stop away...
ReplyDeleteLOT has discontinued Singapore.
DeleteBecause LO has a real network with a high number of frequencies so it's easier to sustain these long-haul flights. JU on the other hand has very few western European destinations that have more than daily flights, even before covid.
DeleteFlights to China are obviously a political project which indicates that Beijing is planning on relaxing their covid measures. After all, they have to because of their economy.
ReplyDeletePersonally I am happy Hainan is launching Beijing flights as we will have access to their vast domestic market. Air Serbia isn't known for developing efficient and competitive code-share agreements so it's better that they will take another city in China like Shanghai.
That said, they should really work on boosting flights, passenger numbers and revenue outside the busy holiday months. This is the first step towards turning BEG into a real regional hub.
Any long-haul expansion should be followed with the strengthening of the regional network.
DeleteExactly, either in terms of frequencies or capacity. If let's say ATH was already performing well with the A319 then once you add China flights you need to be ready to be able to increase capacity to A320. Otherwise end up restricting yourself.
DeleteAfter this summer's experience, I honestly hope JU will not be looking at A319s for next summer but rather A320s.
@nemjee
DeleteCouldn't agree more.
@nemjee
DeleteFlights to China are not political project. It is economic project. And it is Chinese Economic project.Problem in analyzing everything is tendencies that we look only from our subjective (in this case Serbian) perspective. Economy of China is fine even with the recent Covid measure (3 months of lockdown). These flights to China indicates that shift in balance of economy is tilting towards Asia. In termsof regional frequencies emphasis would go to airport in ex Yu, North Africa, E.Europe.
Athens is one trick pony (tourism),and unfortunately Athens inability to restart real economy due to Euro currency will mean that their broader economy will suffer considerably in the next 5-10 years.
Can't wait for the flights to start.
ReplyDeleteExciting times :)
DeleteThose Hainan flights came out of nowhere.
ReplyDeleteGood luck.
ReplyDeleteSo the big European expansion this summer will lead up to long haul expansion as expected.
ReplyDeleteWith good pricing, they could get all sort of transfers across Europe.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is flights need to make money and not subsidise travellers. In theory you can charge 1 euro per flight and will always be full, but it is not a solution. You need to keep your costs low to be able to sell tickets at low prices. And also sell a lot of tickets at expensive prices to be able to fill the back of the plane with cheap tickets.
DeleteIs there any indication when China may fully open up to foreign arrivals?
ReplyDeleteNo indication yet but they are really reducing measures. Quarantine upon arrival is now just 7 days. It was 28 days just a few months ago!
DeleteYou would hope that the minister has some inside news from the Chinese if they intend to be relaxing their regulations later in the year, otherwise it could be emberassing if the Chinese say no
DeleteSay no to what? International airlines are permitted to launch flifghts to China.
DeleteThey should work towards having a codeshare with one of the Chinese carriers on this route.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely. That way we can get access to their domestic and international networks
Deleteit was about time
ReplyDeleteWill YU-ARA which is sitting in Abu Dhabi will return to the fleet?
ReplyDeleteBetter take something newer and refresh the fleet. ARA was not that young of a bird.
DeleteARA wasn't old either. It was at a similar age entering the fleet as ARB.
DeleteARA has different engines, and EY wasn't flexible with the lease rate for the aircraft. That could of changed in the meantime, however with the relaunch of Jet Airways, it might complicate things as they might want the aircraft back.
ARB was one of a few A332's SU formerly leased. It would make more sense leasing one of those.
Fingers crossed.
ReplyDeleteI think 3 times per week BEG-PVG could work.
ReplyDeleteGreat news about these flights. I can't wait until they are finally loaded into the system.
ReplyDeleteWhat about Hong Kong? I think it has big potential for flights from BEG.
ReplyDeleteThere is much more demand to mainland China.
DeleteI went to "experimental school" when I was kid, and I had English language as subject starting from the first grade. I also had a book for the subject, actually it was picture book, because most of the kids in the first grade still can't read and write, particularly in the beginning. The name of the book was : Look, Listen and Learn! And now I have a message for Croatia Airlines : Pay attention what's going on just across the eastern border, and Look, Listen and Learn!
ReplyDeleteThis is funny.... And sadly true.
DeleteGood grief, not him again...! Give it a break, mate, drop this codswallop once for all.
DeleteMate, you don't like it, you don't read it, as simple as that, and I will not stop talking about OU missed opportunities and wasted potentials, and humiliating and loss making feeder role, and crime and corruption, for as long as I live, or as long as something is changed
DeleteTrust me, I do not give a toss about your comments as such; in fact I try not to read them...
DeleteJust like everyone else on the web, you are entitled to your opinions, whatever they be.
It is however your way of wording and presenting them you should perhaps start to think of: you tend to sound extremely annoying, mostly offensive, undermining and (at times) vulgar - not towards Croatia/Croatia Airlines, but towards others users of the forum.
This being my first comment on this page, I shall prefer not to engage in any further pointless correspondence with you on here...
If Croatia Airlines wants Pozdrav to stop complaining, they just have to get their asses up and finally do something about their situation ...
DeleteThey will get 10 A220 and start working for Air Serbia.
DeleteActually there is info today on web that Supervisory Board cleared today OU to acquire 15 A220.
DeleteIf it happens, I don't think it will make any change, as long as they accept being tiny insignificant humiliated LH feeder. Nonsense about feeding JU, I don't intend to comment at all, despite written as a joke, A220 included
@An.15.33
DeleteOf course I believe you this is your first comment on this page, the same as I believe you try not to read my comments, and then reply twice only today ☺ And the same I will not keep silent about all negativities in OU, I will not keep silent about people on this page spitting on me, just in order for my accusations and claims to be somehow softened. Cheers!
Croatia Airlines has denied these reports in a statement:
Delete"The mentioned topic wasn't on the agenda of the Croatia Airlines' Supervisory Board and the company does not confirm the mentioned information", a Croatia Airlines spokesperson told EX-YU Aviation News.
A question for 'Pozdrav" - did they ever make public the report that BCG did on their post-covid recovery strategy ? I would think that Croatian taxpayers should have the right to understand where and how their tax dollars are being spent
DeleteTo answer the question : it's not only OU and BCG, it's entire country, entire Croatia, which is hostage of Kradeze model of control of public money, in order to divert it to their own private pockets. New mayor of Split Puljak talked about it recently. OU and BCG are just the drop in the ocean
DeleteNekima je izgleda zdravlje ozbiljno ugroženo kad vide kako će BG aerodrom izgledati nakon nadogradnje.
ReplyDeleteSlazem se sa Vasim stavom, postovani Anon 18:59.
DeleteZlomisljenost i zavist slabi i kontaminira ljudski duh.
Postoji stara Srpska uzrecica za takve pojedince. I glasi:
"Kada vrag nema sta da radi, baca majci pepeo pod
suknju"... mnogi se mogu prepoznati u ovoj poslovici.
Where is anything writen or commented about the airport?
DeleteThis is great news indeed - if true ! HOWEVER, what is more important than just launching flights to China, is WHERE they will fly to and what local relationships they will be able to conclude in order to maximise the potential of such flights. Ofcourse, with things still in lock down for the foreseeable future, this may not be the best time to launch flights, especially going into the winter and with Chinese not being able to freely leave the country. They may however have little choice as the Chinese authorities will eventually decide where they are able to fly to. So it will probably be you take what you can get and try to grow things from there.
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of joint representation of Serbia and Albania in China does she mean in the article?
ReplyDeleteTourism organisations
DeleteSo many routes get announced and then canceled. They should inform when it’s 100% going to happen….
ReplyDeleteThey have already informed that it is 100% going to happen.
Delete