Air Serbia plans to commence flights to Shanghai in either November or December of this year according to the airline’s CEO, Jiri Marek. Speaking to the Serbian President at the International Economy Fair in Mostar yesterday, Mr Marek said, when asked about flights to China’s largest city, “Shanghai will be launched in November or December, we will see. Miami will come next year. We are awaiting [wide-body] aircraft”. Shanghai is Belgrade Airport’s busiest unserved long-haul route. On the other hand, the Serbian capital is Shanghai’s fifth busiest unserved destination in Europe based on indirect passenger flow, after Dusseldorf, Venice, Hamburg, and Berlin. Overall, Belgrade is Shanghai’s seventh busiest unserved destination globally.
Air Serbia has previously said it would launch services to Shanghai and Guangzhou this year, followed by expansion in North America in 2025. The airline has secured permits for two weekly Shanghai and three weekly Guangzhou flights. The Serbian carrier is due to take delivery of two Airbus A330-200 aircraft this year, previously operated by Etihad Airways and Air Belgium, with the first likely to arrive in July and the second in either September or October. The aircraft will feature Etihad Airways’ cabins, with the airline noting it plans to refit the two A330s it already operates with the same seats to achieve product commonalty across its wide-body fleet.
The airline is also looking to expand its existing partnerships with other carriers to improve its connectivity to far-away markets. As a result, it will add extra codeshare capacity between Belgrade and Toronto as of next month in cooperation with Italy’s national carrier ITA Airways. Starting May 10, Air Serbia will place its flight number and designator code (JU7532/7533) onto ITA Airways’ new service between Rome and Toronto, which will be inaugurated on the same day. The codeshare flights will be available on a daily basis with a convenient transfer onto Air Serbia’s Belgrade - Rome service. Air Serbia added its first codeshare flights to Toronto last summer in cooperation with Turkish Airlines from Istanbul.
Nice. Any idea what they will do with the additional A330-200 which arrives in July until these flights are launched?
ReplyDeleteThey may increase JFK. It may also act as a reserve plane until winter. I remember Marek mentioned something along those lines a few months ago.
DeleteIf they were going to add more flights to go more than daily this summer, they would have put them on sale by now.
DeleteThis is Air Serbia we are talking about, they do everything last minute.
Delete^ Not when it comes to US market. They put tickets for Chicago on sale a good 6 months before launch and last year put the added frequencies to JFK also some 6 months in advance.
Delete@anon 09:30… why ruin the JU bashing lol.
Delete@anon 09:29 - if JU od doing everything last minute, then they’re doing a fine job at that, especially considering how every other airline in ex-YU is planning ahead… oh wait there’s only 2 others that are realistically struggling…
Well Air Serbia has now confirmed Miami meaning Toronto flights are dead for the time being.
ReplyDeleteTrue, that is why they are just adding codeshare flights to Toronto.
DeleteDOA
DeleteAnother wrong move by Air Serbia. If codeshare via IST didn't work, what makes them think it will work via FCO? Toronto passengers want nonstop service, not another transfer option. They will go for the cheapest transfer option for now, not the option offered as JU codeshare.
DeleteWhat on earth are you talking about "codeshare via IST didn't work"? Do you know how codeshares work? Airlines can have multiple codeshares to the same destination. It is about offering more choice and getting more connecting passengers.
DeleteExactly especially since JU codeshares are generally overpriced and make little commercial sense.
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DeleteSo if things escalate and thr problems between East and west. Then JU will be the only carrier flying east from europe since they can use Russian airspace.
DeleteIf western airline wants to fly to Japan, South Korea how do they do it. Do they fly thr narrow line over Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan to get to Asia?
It's not just about where they fly it's also about flying times which create scheduling problems. When Iran attacked Israel many KLM, Lufthansa... planes had to refuel along the way. Four KL widebodies ended up landing in Vienna. Asian flights created major delays which in their own turn delayed other flights which had to either wait for transfers or wait for that plane to operate the next flight.
DeleteThat is why airlines hope Israel will not retaliate as it would result in yet another air space closure.
“… the Serbian capital is Shanghai’s fifth busiest unserved destination in Europe based on indirect passenger flow, after Dusseldorf, Venice, Hamburg, and Berlin. Overall, Belgrade is Shanghai’s seventh busiest unserved destination globally.”
ReplyDeleteWow. Just wow! 🤩 I cannot believe Belgrade—Shanghai flights are sought this much.
It's a surprise some Chinese airline hasn't started them yet. But glad JU will finally do it.
DeleteIt's a surprise they got permit for ONLY two weekly.
DeleteI am not surprised. The relationship between Serbia and China has cooled down a bit the past year or so. This was primarily driven by Serbia turning slightly more towards the US. However given the recent political developments with the West, Serbia has once more turned towards China. Best proof of this is XI's upcoming visit to Serbia.
DeleteThis switch never made much sense especially since the Chinese economy is booming. Hopefully Serbian companies profit even more from this as well as from additional air links with China.
One major advantage for JU and BEG when it comes to China is that the flight path is immune to geopolitical shifts in the Middle East. Imagine how much fun it was for Lufthansa and others to plan their flights to China, South Korea, Japan... when the the Iranian air space closed.
They got 2 and 3 because that is what they asked for! Has nothing to do with relations.
DeleteWhat are you talking about? Xi Jinping is coming only to Paris, Belgrade and Budapest in Europe this year, Serbia concluded a free-trade-agreement with China??? Air Serbia is going to have 3-5 flights to Shanghai weekly in the middle term...
DeleteWhen is this visit btw? Next month?
DeleteGetting 2 and 3 has everything to do with Chinese protectionism.
DeleteSerbia and China relations cooled down? This is incorrect.
DeleteSpeaking of Chinese carrier, why does Hainan Airlines keep filing schedule for 3 weekly Belgrade flights but never goes through with it and keeps it at 2 weekly. Is it a bureaucratic issue? They can't ger rights?
DeleteThey did indeed cool down and you can see this from the media and from overall activities here in Serbia. It all started when they lost the contract for the Belgrade-Nis railway. There is a reason why Christopher Hill is everywhere.
DeleteAll positive developments (visa free regime, free trade...) were negotiated and implemented before the cooling down began. Like I already wrote, this cooling period is officially over and things are slowly returning to where they were.
Anon 10.00
DeleteMy guess is that they are still rebuilding their network after covid. Since last August they were requesting a third weekly flight but ended up not going ahead with it. Meanwhile they kept on resuming destinations (like Boston) or boosting those they restarted after covid (Brussles and Manchester).
I suppose BEG is planned for an increase but is not their top priority right now.
@9.41 He is arriving in Belgrade on 7 May
DeleteThank you! I guess we will again see Air China's B747 parked in BEG :)
DeleteDoes anyone remember where they parked it the last time? Was on the B ramp or where the terminal extension is currently located?
DeleteIt was at the de icing platform. There was a really nice view of it from the highway. Not sure where they will park it now but my guess is around there too since it would take up much of the B platform.
DeleteIf they park it at the B platform then it will be problematic for overall airport operations. I am sure the plane won't be moved for security reasons. Could they park it at the deicing stand again? It's not like they need it now.
DeleteYes it will probably be at deicing stand. That is where they parked all aircraft from foreign governments in the past few years when they arrived in summer.
DeleteAnon 10.54
DeleteNot 1x E195 in JU livery, but 2x ;).
Very nice pic!
ReplyDelete+1 any idea of what they are building just in front of those planes. This must be a very recent photo because I was at the airport a few days ago and they were doing construction there.
DeleteIt's the area where the bus parking used to be. You can see the sign B8 (remote stand). Hopefully they are adding more remote stands, those are definitely needed.
DeleteCan more aircraft fit there even if they pave the grass area?
DeleteWell there is room now that they cleared the area. Some of that 'junk' was moved elsewhere. Best solution would be to make an identical set of remote stands on the other side. Like that they could double the amount of ramp space.
DeleteThey definitely need more space. With Air Serbia having 10 ATR72s soon, there is a high likelihood there will be 7 on the ground at the same time. The other day there were 5 lined up on those B stands.
DeleteIf they expand the remote stand area then we might see more and more regional jets being parked there, not just JU. In summer when gate space is limited KL, OS... end up being boarded on the remote stand.
DeleteDon't forget that JU is adding more widebodies meaning they will be using two gates instead of one. This will further limit operations.
Really seems Vinci did very little long term planning. I can bet they will be parking planes on the de-icing stand this summer (next one most definitely). I can only imagine what it would have been like if JU didn't pull those Marathon Embraers and Wizz Air kept full fleet in BEG.
DeleteThis not the first time BEG is in this situation. A similar scenario was supposed to happen in summer 2020 but then covid hit. That summer was supposed to be an absolute mess. Luckily Vinci used the covid period to expand the terminal which enabled BEG to keep on growing.
DeleteLuckily now it's easier as they need additional remote stands which are easy to add. We will see what happens this summer especially when charters are factored in.
Expansion of C wing begins next year and will be completed by end of 2026.
DeleteIs the expansion confirmed? Do we know how many airbridges will be added?
DeleteYes, it was announced by the government during the EXPO 2027 project presentation in January and it is in line with what VINCI announced before. If I remember correctly it is addition 4 jet bridge gates and several bus gates but can't remember precisely.
DeleteGood, this expansion should be enough for the next five years ... at least.
DeleteAnyone else notice the E195 in Air Serbia livery parked behind those A330s? :D
DeleteAnon 10.54
DeleteNot 1x E195 in JU livery, but 2x ;).
I think BEG should have concourse C be able to park aircrafts on both sides. Like in Vienna and other simmilar airports?
DeleteFinally
ReplyDeleteIf they know they are going to start these flights in winter, why don't they schedule them? Why do they always wait until a few weeks before the launch to schedule flights?
ReplyDeleteOther than Shanghai, what other airports are on unserved list from Belgrade?
ReplyDeleteThere is a list of long haul destinations here
Deletehttps://www.exyuaviation.com/2024/01/belgrade-airport-eyes-long-haul-network.html
ExYu Admin, is that list based on 2023 numbers? Thank you.
DeleteSo the Miami plans are in line with what we heard before. Tickets will go on sale at the end of the year and flights will start in May 2025 probably, like Chicago.
ReplyDeleteThey could even start MIA earlier than that as it's a popular winter destination.
DeleteAgree. Isn't the high season in Miami during winter?
DeleteI believe that this winter we might see some long haul charter/leisure flights.
DeleteSince they are going to be replacing the cabin of the A330s I hope they invest a bit more in modern IFE. Current one is outdated and more often than not screens do not work.
ReplyDeleteNow that they are expanding their long-haul network they need to think of their onboard product in broader terms. In other words, what do they offer compared to their competition.
I agree. The problem with IFE is that they purchased the cheapest package from provider with just a few movies. Screen issues are a different story since its aircraft related, but completely agree with you.
DeleteSo will now all aircraft have 268 or 254 seats?
DeleteThe ones that are coming have 262
DeleteThis will be the layout
Deletehttps://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6wk5wMksmZeikueo2yblsIV7cy2tJfnSpRG5j75hfUdQW6Tr20beEX6cTw3bJdWkmZ0oc19absKaS3yAhKVsY3A8qY2X2fu1gAY79FYlGBdqpuOoL7fX-TrRTiRhrq5bimxZbfwfvsdplUXlIGFgya1F1VVPs-nwmmpRKYydoUoqFFpwfYkJxlfsa_rTg/s7407/seatmap.png
Interesting observation is that their business cabin will have another small growth. YU-ARA only had 18 business class seats, ARB 21, so ARB and ARC taking on the configurations of the next 2 to enter the fleet is a positive development.
DeleteAs for the IFE, its not bad not great either, for a small airline I guess it's ok. I'm surprised they haven't expanded on the selection of local tv shows and series as they tend to be relatively inexpensive to add compared to the latest releases of Hollywood productions. Some Serbia promo tourism material would be great, such as trip reports from various spots around the country. The airline info section is quite outdated as well and could do with a refresh, perhaps some information about their destinations could be added.
Tesko da ce ARB i ARC imati istu konfiguraciju kao dva aviona koja dolaze.
DeleteDva sadasnja imaju drugaciji layout galley-a i wc-a a da bi bili isti kao ovi sto dolaze morali bi sve to da izmene sto nije realno jer je to velika modufikacija za avion cak i ako kiupe celu kabinu sa drugog aviona mora dosta da se modifikuje sam avion da bi se to ugradilo.
Heard Marek say this yesterday. I was surprised he knows Serbian well.
ReplyDeleteDude is Czech and has been living here for years. Why are you surprised?
DeleteThe Czechs i work with are extremely anglocentric.
DeleteThey speak English even with their Polish collegues.
Marek speaking Serbian is exceptional and i respect him for that.
Why would you respect him for learning the language of the country that is employing him? It's basic courteousy for that money.
DeleteYou must be fun at parties. Majoroty of people in the comments are downright awful.
DeleteDude if I was earning €15.000 a month like he is I'd learn Sanskrit.
DeleteCan't wait to see the third A330 lined up like the ones in the photos :)
ReplyDeleteI'm way too interested to see who they put on the tail of third and fourth :D
DeleteMy guess is Milankovic though there was a render with an Expo livery.
DeleteOne will definitely (unfortunately) be with Expo livery. So just one new "face".
DeleteThat's very stupid. After Expo, it needs another painting. Better to put Expo stickers aside every plane than to paint one plane fully
DeleteExpo is in three years so it's ok. Emirates also had special expo liveries on some of their planes.
DeleteWhat are they going to do with Tianjin? At 1 weekly, it is highly uncompetitive and my guess it's now mainly there because of high cargo demand.
ReplyDeleteAgree, commercially 1 weekly long haul makes no sense. Even more so with plane sitting in Tianjin for 24 hours. I think you are right that cargo volumes are high on this route and that is what makes it work financially.
DeleteTianjin will probably go back to 2 weekly once the 3rd A330 arrives.
DeleteWhat about Guangzhou? After Miami?
ReplyDeleteCAN will also launch when Shanghai I believe. He was just singling out Shanghai because Vucic asked him about Shanghai in particular.
DeleteGood move. Belgrade – Shanghai can be sustained based on just P2P pax. With a big transfer network to support it, these will be even more successful.
ReplyDeleteA lot of airlines flying to BEG will have to start sourcing passengers from elsewhere. I particularly think Qatar, Turkish and KLM could be impacted by Air Serbia expanding China ops. All of them currently have a lot of transfers from China.
ReplyDeleteMahan Air was the first causality. Remember in 2022 they were transferring Chinese passengers via Tehran. Literally all passengers were Chinese. They ended flights after Hainan Airlines launched operations.
DeleteWhat an odd routing that was but shows passengers use various combinations to get to their destinations.
DeleteDo remember that due to Covid and China being completely closed at the time there were not many options. And there were almost no flights to Europe.
DeleteDon't forget that the market between Serbia and China kept on growing over the years. You can see this from the number of tourists that come to Serbia. Mahan failed to capture this market but others like Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, flydubai/Emirates succeeded.
DeleteThen again with TSN reduced to just one per week makes you wonder if JU failed as well. I guess having Hainan from PEK down the road did not help.
Would be nice to have Mahan back though
DeleteWith the current situation in Iran it's better to stay out of it
DeleteTrue didn't think of that
DeleteMahan was kicked out from Belgrade because of massive pressure from our so called western friends. Flights from Iran to Belgrade with Mahan and Iran Air/Qeshm Air ( they both flew to Serbia too) were full. And dont forget that the passengers were the type of Iranians that are affluent and more liberal. These people have no problem to adapt to western culture.
DeleteNope, this was after. They returned and flew Chinese transfers well after the visas were introduced. If you can't remember don't comment please.
DeleteIf i couldnt remember i wouldnt comment.
DeleteThese Chinese flights you mentioned were just one or two flights.
But the visa free flights for Iranians were a whole summer,autumn and very profitable.
No they ran for several months. And I highly doubt you have insight into their route profitability.
DeleteIts hopeless to argue with you.
DeleteBut you should stop with your ad hominem attacks.
Its a sign of being stupid and having bad manners.
I believe that spreading misinformation is a sign of being stupid, more so claiming to know that Mahan Air was profitable on a particular route.
Delete^Here on ex yu there was extensive news about the iran flights.
DeleteWill you say this blog is also spreading misinformation??
No, they didn't claim whether the route is profitable or not because, understandably, no airline gives out information which particular route makes money and how much.
DeleteFlying for Iranians is a luxury. Prices are not cheap either.
DeleteAircraft on this route were fully booked.
All flights to Europe, if by Iranian airlines or by Turkish,Lufthansa or Austrian, are much profitable.
Demand is much higher than what is offered.
Its a logical conclusion.
Emirati lete 2x dnevo sa A380 za Bali, a za AS Bali nije ni 8. rupa na svirali...
ReplyDeleteKakav to ogroman demand postoji za Bali iz Beograda? Niti je major destinacija niti je DPS transfer hub - neisplativo. Eventualno samo poneki charter..
DeleteI da dodam, ako se negde isplati da se uvedu letovi u tom regionu to je Singapur - Changi je ogroman transfer hub za ceo region kao i Australiju.
DeleteAnd I plan on becoming a millionare in a day. Doesn't mean it will happen. JU is known for advertising things then not going through with them.
ReplyDelete