Air Serbia is considering expanding its operations further eastward as its recently launched service to Tbilisi continues to show promising performance. The carrier, which inaugurated flights to the Georgian capital last month, is monitoring the route’s development and has signalled that its success could serve as a springboard for future network expansion into the Caucasus and Central Asia. Speaking to “Bloomberg Adria”, Air Serbia’s CEO, Jiri Marek, said, “So far, we are very satisfied with initial bookings and data. If this positive trend continues, it’s only natural that we’ll look at Yerevan, Baku, and more towards Central Asia as well”.
Discussions over potential flights between Belgrade and Baku have been ongoing for over a decade. In late June, Serbia’s Minister for Construction, Transport and Infrastructure, Aleksandra Sofronijević, held talks with Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to Serbia Kamil Khasiyev, with the two sides also discussing “cooperation between the two countries in the field of air transport”. On the other hand, Armenian carriers are currently on the European Union’s blacklist, meaning they are banned from operating in European Union airspace due to safety concerns. The ban, which has been in place since June 2020, was updated last month to include all airlines certified in the country.
Air Serbia recently said it plans on introducing five to six new destinations each year over the coming period. In Central Asia, which was last linked to Belgrade with a scheduled air service over twenty years ago, Kazakhstan’s SCAT Airlines has announced plans to introduce flights between Astana and Belgrade by the end of the year. Based on indirect traffic flow, Almaty has the most point-to-point traffic in Central Asia with Belgrade, however, any route in the region would be highly dependent on transfer traffic. Destinations in Central Asia, while geographically distant, could be well-positioned for development thanks to Serbia’s simplified travel arrangements with several countries in the region, as well as increasing trade
Good to see Air Serbia looking beyond the usual European network
ReplyDeleteBravo Air Serbia 🇷🇸🇷🇸🇷🇸
ReplyDeleteAnd Wizz is using the EU ban in Armenia to open a base in Yerevan.
ReplyDeleteAnd whats connection with todays topic?
Deleteit's connected because they are using the opportunity to establish flights to EU cities from Yerevan. So there is an opportunity there for airlines like JU to transfer passengers through BEG.
DeleteI fully agree with you, but please what does topic about Wizz establishing a base in Armenia have to do with opportunity JU flying to Yerevan..
DeleteThink about it.
Delete@Anonymous 15:27
DeleteWizz Air received funds from the Armenian government to establish a base and increase the number of destinations it serves from Yerevan. In total come October it will serve 17 destinations.
JU can probably also request some assistance from the Armenians to launch flights to BEG.
Growth in EVN is huge and over the last decade it has increased well over 150% without having a proper national carrier.
So I see great opportunity for JU serving both the local demand and offering connections to the region, Switzerland, Albania, Greece, Bulgaria, Italy and Malta.
Just my2cents
Idemo dalje...
ReplyDeleteThese are great news. But JU need more planes or keep all A319. Those legs are awfully long
ReplyDeleteWhy not keep couple of A319 for few years. They must be very cheap to lease and three of them are owned.
DeleteYes, I am talking about two that are planned to phase out by the end of the year. A319 seems like a perfect fit for Caucus routes
DeleteJU's main issue with its inability to significantly expand its network and especially increase its frequencies on current destinations is lack of flight crews, not aircraft.
Delete"JU's main issue with its inability to significantly expand its network"
Delete6 new routes launched this year, countless frequnecy increases. Expert.
^^^
DeleteHave you bothered to check increase in the number of flights?
And then compare the size of the fleet?
JU does have spare fleet capacity but the need for year round wet leases probably means they do not have enough personnel to fully utilize it.
DeleteThey already explained why the wet leases are year round. Because they can get a much better deal financially if the contract is annual than summet seasonal.
DeleteU prilog tome, na današnjem letu ostalo još par mesta u biznisu a takođe i na povratnom još par praznih mesta. Tbilisi je izgleda bio pun pogodak.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely room for more destinations like TBS.
ReplyDeleteThe good thing is that all the Caucusus routes can be operated by E195s too.
ReplyDeleteAll of JU's non long haul routes can be operated by the E-jets.
DeleteRoute and network planning in Air Serbia did great job as usual.
ReplyDeleteYerevan has the potential of being even more successful than Tbilisi with all the connections to Russia it could offer.
ReplyDeleteTBS, EVN I would work only because JU is a stable airline, p2p =0. And despite the fact that Armenia and Georgia have more European connections, JU succeeds! bravo
DeleteWithout I. 😅!!!!
DeleteWho told you there is 0 P2P?
DeleteAnd who are they? Two Georgians decided to visit Serbia or three Serbs from Belgrade to Tbilisi? And two on official duties.
DeleteIf you don't know, there is no need to write absolute nonsense. In fact it was reported here that based on indirect connectiivity, there were several thousand passengers flying bewteen Georgia and Serbia via connecting flights last year.
DeleteAnons 09:54 reasoning (if we can call it that) is that if I or the people I know don't want/can't afford to visit a foreign country then nobody else does either...
DeleteYes, it's full of Serbs who want to visit Georgia and Armenia. I can barely find a seat on the flight to TBS. The flight is entirely transfer, Italian destinations are very popular with Georgians.
DeleteFirst you need to learn to read. I didn't say it was " full of Serbs", I said you wrote absolute nonsense that there is 0 P2P demand. You are aware you wrote complete nonsense and in the inability to write anything smart you colntinued with your nonsense.
DeleteHe is a zama academy graduate.
DeleteThere is absolutely P2P demand, even the Serbian travel influencers are pushing the visit Georgia narrative and it's renowned for being affordable and having monasteries.
DeleteNo need to be sarcastic about BEG TBS P2P demand as it exists. After all there's a significant number of Russians residing in both countries in need of travel between two countries. In past they were using TK mostly.
DeleteHave there ever been flights from Belgrade to Yerevan or any Central Asian destination in the past under JAT or a foreign airline?
ReplyDeleteYou could read the article
Delete" In Central Asia, which was last linked to Belgrade with a scheduled air service over twenty years ago,"
Uzbekistan Airlines operated Tashkent-Belgrade in 2004
DeleteWith conitnuation to New York JFK.
Delete@9.30 you must be knew here. 90% of commentators don't read past the headline.
Delete@Anonymous 09:57
Delete+1000
Baku: I have been waiting for Belgrade flights for over a decade!
DeleteToronto: Hold my beer.
Did Uzbekistan Airways also sell tickets on Tashkent- Belgrade sector?
DeleteYes
DeleteWhile SFRJ existed, during the strongest and original JAT Yugoslav Airlines times, it was the time of Soviet Union. At that time, except Moscow, Kiev and Leningrad, there was close to ZERO flights "behind" to the East, from Europe or anywhere else. Aeroflot used to do stops in Tashkent for few asian flights originating in Moscow, usually on TU154, but there was NO foreign airline and no Aeroflot international flights from/to Baku, Tbilisi, Yerevan or any other central Asian ex-soviet republic, except before mentioned few Tashkent flights
DeleteInteresting.
DeleteReally glad to see Air Serbia thinking strategically. The Caucasus and Central Asia are still underserved from Europe. Belgrade could fill that gap.
ReplyDeleteI read somewhere that Uzbekistan was the fastest growing aviation market in the world last year.
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of it is being generated by Russians. Lots of new airlines in Central Asia in the past year.
DeleteWell, they start from a very low base so growth percentage wise will be big for a number of years till the market finds its equilibrium.
DeleteSame thing happened to TIA.
10:10 Incorrect as Uzbekistan was the tourist destination with a biggest rise in arrivals in the world for the last 3 years. 2024 had around 10M compared to 2023 with 5 and even 2019 with 6M. Khiva, Bukhara, Samarkand and others have been exploding more than Albania has.
DeleteSerbia has visa-free travel with a lot of Central Asian countries, so this actually makes a lot of sense.
ReplyDeleteNot to mention that there are a lot of worked from Central Asia in Serbia now. Mostly working in construction and food delivery.
DeleteSerbia does not have visa free travel with lots of Central Asian countries. It has only with Kyrgyzstan and kazakhstan. You need a visa if you are from any other country in Central Asia.
DeleteLots of cargo too.
Delete@13:09
DeleteThat's why A319 fits perfect.
Agree. It would be smart to coordinate cargo too, not just passenger flights. Central Asia has a lot of trade potential.
DeleteYerevan is the next obvious step.
ReplyDeleteBaku too
DeleteTBS is going 4pw as I heard
Delete2 weekly Baku and 2 weekly Yerevan with E195.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteMaybe both can work 3 weekly from the beginning and to start them as soon as possible (like from September)
DeleteIf Tbilisi is already doing well, Yerevan should be next.
ReplyDeleteYerevan has surely less p2p traffic than Baku, but with a larger diaspora it should definitely have a stronger transfer demand. However, JU already has a strong LF on its existing routes, so a push in transfer traffic needs to be followed with the growth of frequencies in key markets.
DeleteThe challenge will be making these routes work year-round. Summer might do okay, but winter could be a struggle.
ReplyDeleteBaku and Belgrade are both potential hubs. A direct link could open up travel options on both ends especially for business travel.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if flights to Bishkek or Tashkent could work in the future too.
ReplyDeleteTAS 100% yes. FRU maybe.
DeleteIf Tbilisi is running so well, why not increase frequencies?
ReplyDeleteThey started the flights 2 weeks ago. If you think they have countless planes and crew ready to increase frequnecies radnomly in peak season on one of their longer routes you might want to think again. And you might want to read more carefully what he said before making things up in your head
Delete“So far, we are very satisfied with initial bookings and data. If this positive trend continues///"
They will increase TBS to 4 weekly soon.
DeleteAir Serbia needs to make sure these new routes don’t drain resources from existing ones.
DeleteAnonymous @12:49 they started 3 weekly flights from the beginning. On Mondays, Thursdays and Sundays.
Deletehttps://www.airserbia.com/Air-Serbia-launches-Belgrade-Tbilisi-service~1887084
The Caucasus and Central Asia are logical next steps
ReplyDeleteI still think flights to India or Southeast Asia should come before Central Asia. Bigger markets, more demand.
ReplyDeleteFive to six new destinations a year is ambitious.
ReplyDeleteIt’s a necessity in order to support long haul routes. More long haul demand more short haul. Since they acquired two new widebodies, no time to waste. They need 10 more transfer routes ASAP
DeleteWould love to see more eastbound routes that avoid having to transfer in Istanbul or Doha all the time. This is a good move.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteAs an Armenia who works in the field, I can assure there's a significant p2p traffic, because Serbia is one of the only visa-free countries in Europe for Armenian citizens. And many people do a trip combining Serbia, Montenegro and Albania. Serbia has small minority of Armenians and Russians who have connection to Armenia. The problem would be as Wizz and Flyone Armenia are expanding their European p2p network, there's less potential for transfer pax. Starting January, all airlines with an aircraft based in Armenia will get financial support for each pax brought to Armenia for each new route opened. In last decade TAROM opened direct routes to TBS and EVN, they failed miserably, hopefully JU has a better planning strategy .
ReplyDeleteInteresting. Thank you
DeleteAnd as a former employee of Belavia's network planning, I would say that nowadays it is very difficult to maintain an airline like Air Serbia, LOT, airBaltic (a transfer airline). Unfortunately, you saw what a crisis of an airline like Belavia can lead to.
DeleteI don't understand how Belavia is related to this
DeleteOpen you mind just a bit. It's for comparison purposes, and I for one appreciate it.
DeleteI mean during COVID and a year after that Belavia was carrying a massive chunk of EVN to Europe transfer when no other airline was basically operating in the market.
DeleteLove it
ReplyDelete