Belgrade targets new Central Asia routes as Astana flights launch

Kazakhstan's SCAT Airlines inaugurated flights between Astana and Belgrade this morning, restoring air links between Central Asia and the Serbian capital for the first time in 21 years. The launch comes as Belgrade Airport looks to further expand its reach across the region. To mark the occasion, SCAT Airlines held a press conference in Belgrade today, attended by Talgat Lastev, Kazakhstan's Deputy Minister for Transport, as well as the airline's President, Vladimir Denisov. Flights between the two cities will operate twice per week using a 189-seat Boeing 737-800, although a B737 MAX 8 was deployed for the inaugural. There were 92 passengers on the inaugural flight, which the airline said it was “very pleased” with for a first service.

Prior to the service launch, Viktor Kortokov, Route Management Department Head at SCAT Airlines, said, "We want to offer passengers a comfortable travel experience. We are not only strengthening the link between Kazakhstan and Serbia, but also connecting Kazakhstan with the entire Balkans and Central Asia, as well as other countries we serve with direct flights." The Regional Manager of TAL Aviation, SCAT Airlines' General Sales Manager, Veljko Marković, noted, "There is potential, primarily in terms of business travel and cooperation between Serbia and Kazakhstan. There will also be efforts to develop the potential of our people traveling to Kazakhstan for tourism. Kazakhstan has a lot to offer, especially in relation to other countries such as Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan."

The last time Belgrade was linked to Central Asia with a scheduled air service was in 2004, when Uzbekistan Airways operated flights between Tashkent, Belgrade and New York with its Boeing 767 aircraft. There are now efforts to restore flights to the country. State officials recently noted that Air Serbia is undertaking feasibility studies into launching services either to Tashkent or Samarkand. Belgrade Airport's revised incentive scheme, introduced last year, also targets routes from the region.

Kazakhstan is the second-largest republic of the former Soviet Union, after Russia, and the ninth-largest country in the world by territory. Demand for travel from the central Asian nation has increased significantly over the years with a growing middle class and two strong carriers - Air Astana and SCAT. "We are still in talks with the Serbian national airline to have them involved in this route as well. Unfortunately, Kazakhstan hasn't been talked about much until now, but we are working to change that," Abzal Imankulov, Kazakhstan's Consul General to Serbia, noted. Serbia has also recorded a strong increase in immigration from the Central Asian republics in recent years, as workers who previously sought job opportunities in Russia are now moving to Serbia in greater numbers instead.