Air Serbia plans network expansion once all components in place

Air Serbia intends to resume its efforts for broader network expansion once it resolves all outstanding issues, prioritising smooth growth and mitigating the challenges encountered in the previous summer season. The carrier’s CEO, Jiri Marek, recently told the “AeroTime” portal that the priority this year will be to consolidate and make sure all elements, including the supply chain, are ready for its renewed push for growth. Compared to last year, when the airline added over twenty new routes to its network, this summer sees the addition of one new service, to Mostar. The airline still plans to serve 100 destinations by the 100th anniversary of commercial aviation in Serbia, which will be marked in June 2027.

This summer, the carrier is serving close to eighty destinations on a scheduled basis, as well as a further thirteen cities as regular charters. “We are very positive towards the future. We have reached the critical mass that allows us to think about further growth”, Mr Marek said. Air Serbia sees the upcoming specialised EXPO 2027, to be held in Belgrade, as a big opportunity but also a challenge considering the amount of people expected to visit the city. “It is estimated there will be over three million visitors at EXPO, which puts extreme pressure on us, the airport and everyone else”, Mr Marek previously said.

Air Serbia has been criticised for growing too quickly at the cost of its operational performance and customer service. Last summer saw the airline register poor on-time performance, caused by fleet issues, an ambitious and dense network, operational problems at its hub in Belgrade and severe weather throughout the peak summer months. The start of the 2024 summer season has also not gone without a hitch due to unexpected fleet issues. However, the carrier has maintained that it needed to take up network opportunities last year before they were seized on by the competition, which ultimately led the carrier to post a record net profit of 40.5 million euros and revenue exceeding half a billion euros. It has acknowledged the need to improve passenger service. “The intensive growth in 2022 and 2023 was inevitable for us to meet the increased demand and achieve the critical mass and market presence necessary for further business development, in line with our strategy. We will work on further operation stabilisation, network expansion, and improving the services provided to passengers”, Mr Marek said recently

The airline has noted that long haul expansion will mark the second decade of operations under its new name, which it marked the start of last October. The carrier is due to take delivery of an additional two Airbus A330-200 aircraft this year. The extra wide-body capacity will be primarily utilised on new flights to Shanghai and Guangzhou, while officials have also announced services to Miami in the near future. Serbia’s President, Aleksandar Vučić, has said focus will afterwards shift to Far East Asia, with operations to Seoul most likely, which coincides with Mr Marek’s previous remarks.