The Cuban Ambassador to Serbia, Leyde Ernesto Rodriguez Hernandez, held talks with Air Serbia’s CEO, Jiri Marek, last week during which the two discussed the possibility of introducing charter services between Belgrade and Havana. Cuban authorities have expressed their readiness to facilitate the launch of flights between the two countries. Although Air Serbia contemplated operating leisure flights to Havana during the 2022/23 winter season, it ultimately decided against it, attributing the decision to tour operators whom they believe have not done enough to secure adequate demand. “The issue of seasonality with the growth of the long-haul fleet is getting less and less problematic. We are definitely looking into the leisure winter destinations but rather at some niche because everybody is putting capacity into Bangkok Suvarnabhumi”, Mr Marek said last summer.

Commenting on last week’s talks, the Cuban Embassy said, “The Cuban Ambassador conveyed the interest of the Cuban authorities in signing an Air Transport Agreement with Serbia, and, at the same time, received an update on tourism flow from Serbia to Cuba and the efforts made by local tour operators and travel agents. However, the outcomes of these efforts are still below Air Serbia's expectations for initiating nonstop flights to Cuba”. It added, “Both parties have reached an agreement to uphold ongoing communication regarding shared interests, particularly emphasising the necessity of establishing the required infrastructure for potential nonstop flights between Belgrade and Havana. The Cuban Ambassador to Serbia urges Serbian travel agencies and tour operators to collaborate in ensuring the necessary capacities for the launch of a direct Belgrade - Havana service. This aligns with the growing demand from both Serbian and Cuban communities for travel in both directions, including Cubans residing in Serbia”.

Based on data from global travel provider OAG, cities that could be considered as leisure destinations with strong demand from Belgrade include Bangkok, Pattaya, Denpasar (Bali), Male (Maldives), Havana, Colombo, Seychelles, Zanzibar, Mauritius, Cancun and Varadero in Cuba. “In the past, we were looking at Mombasa or Zanzibar and some other options, but this will always be in synergy between us and the tour operators”, Mr Marek noted last year. While there is growing demand for leisure travel from Serbia to Cuba, there is also a growing Cuban community in Serbia. Last year, Serbia introduced visas for Cuban nationals for the first time, in an attempt to stem the flow of migration. Over the coming six months, Air Serbia is to take delivery of two Airbus A330-200 aircraft, doubling its wide-body fleet.