Air Serbia sees potential for more new routes

Air Serbia is in the process of introducing over twenty new routes to its network, however, the airline recently said there is more room for growth in the future. While the carrier plans to put an emphasis on increasing frequencies on existing services both in the region and Europe, it has also said there “are a couple of routes in Europe” it is looking at. “The new routes might be outside of our current bank structures so we might start to create additional banks, for example like our flight to London, within this wave of departures. The routes we are looking into involve longer flying time. Maybe some of them will come as early as next year. However, I would not rule out an even earlier introduction”, Air Serbia’s CEO, Jiri Marek, said recently.

Following the introduction of Air Serbia’s new routes during the 2023 summer, few European markets remain unserved from Belgrade. Based on indirect traffic flow volumes, the busiest route without nonstop flights from the Serbian capital is now Manchester. In 2019, the carrier submitted a slot request for a three weekly service to the city but never followed through with either announcing or launching the flights. The Caucuses are the next unserved region from Belgrade with a high number of indirect passengers, followed by Dublin, the Baltics, Porto, Bilbao, Bergen in Norway and Birmingham. Further afield, Air Serbia has said that in the Middle East, Beirut will “most likely” be the next to be considered but added, “We have many other destinations on the priority list before we return to Beirut. That market is not what it used to be before we stopped flying there”.

In recent months, Air Serbia has held talks with the likes of Graz Airport and the operator of airports in Georgia over potential flights. Late last year, the Serbian President said services between Belgrade and Baku would be introduced in 2023. “You need three hours and ten minutes [from Belgrade] to Baku, to visit the beautiful city on the Caspian Sea. This is excellent for Serbian tourists and businesspeople but also Azeri businessmen to visit Serbia. Therefore, after Chicago, another important route will be introduced in 2023”, the President said. Air Serbia also previously noted it is considering the Caucasus region for further expansion. “We are looking at countries like Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia, for which Belgrade would be a good option for connecting to Europe”, the airline noted.