Plans to introduce flights between Belgrade and Tashkent are advancing, with services expected to launch in the coming period, the Uzbek and Serbian foreign ministries said yesterday. Following a period of deliberation, the two sides confirmed that operations between the capitals would be introduced, although they did not identify the airline involved. They noted that the new route would strengthen economic cooperation, tourism and people-to-people ties. Last October, Serbia’s President said Air Serbia was examining the possibility of launching flights to either Tashkent or Samarkand, with the final destination to be selected following a commercial and economic assessment. Discussions advanced in February, when an Uzbek delegation met Air Serbia’s CEO Jiri Marek and Serbia’s Minister for Construction, Transport and Infrastructure in Belgrade to explore the introduction of flights and potential cooperation between the two countries’ airlines.
Air Serbia’s CEO recently said the carrier would increasingly focus on Central Asia as part of its future expansion plans. However, Mr Marek noted that destinations in the region formed part of the airline's five-to-ten-year strategy. "The challenge with these destinations is that they occupy an aircraft for a very long period because of the flight time involved. When you operate routes of that length, you effectively lose the aircraft for the entire day. At the same time, we still see significant opportunities to increase frequencies on shorter routes, where the same aircraft can perform two or even three rotations per day. That is why our current focus remains on maximising the utilisation of our fleet and developing markets where additional frequencies can generate the greatest returns. These destinations will come in time, but at this stage I cannot say exactly when”.
Air Serbia previously said that Central Asian carriers had expressed interest in launching flights to Belgrade following SCAT Airlines’ introduction of services between the Serbian capital and Astana last year. “These discussions usually take time, as you need to convince them and clearly explain the benefits of flying to Belgrade and of using a secondary, niche hub”, Mr Marek said. He added, “With SCAT’s move, you can now see airlines in Central Asia beginning to view Belgrade differently and recognising its potential. For us, any carrier from that region that wants to fly to Belgrade will have our support and full access to our network. These are routes where capacity is already fully utilised on a single daily rotation due to long block times. We have many other markets we would like to open but lack the capacity, so we would prefer someone else to operate them. These markets are predominantly connecting rather than strong point-to-point”. Belgrade was last linked to Uzbekistan by scheduled flights in 2004, when Uzbekistan Airways operated between Tashkent, Belgrade and New York using Boeing 767 aircraft.
It should have been JU
ReplyDeleteYou don't know that it won't be
DeleteNothing has been launched yet...read it.
DeleteThe picture speaks like a 1000 words.
DeleteWell only because it shows a beautiful 767. But i do hope HY launch it. It would be a natural route for them.
DeleteThey can also launch it as a one stop to somewhere else in Europe or the US.
Delete@09:53 why would they do that? They already fly to point in Europe directly. Can't see what that would achieve for them in the slightest except extra cost and undesirable flight times.
DeleteWell, that concept of theirs failed some 20 years ago.
DeleteAnyone know how SCAT is doing?
ReplyDeleteThe prices seem astronomical (if one can make the website work). Certainly its not a mainstream airline lets say.
DeleteNot good. They are reducing to 1pw during winter.
Delete^ it was one weekly last winter too.
DeleteWith huge amount of Russians on both end, have to do fine. Tashkent as well
DeleteI flew with SCAT to Astana and onwards to Almaty a month ago. Flight was quite busy, the connecting opportunities in Astana are limited to domestic Kazakhstan. Uzbekistan Airways have a lot on their plate, and very poor link ups with other airlines so if they could arrange something with JU then it could work as they have a very strong network ex-Tashkent.
DeleteFor Serbian passengers is makes more sense for Uzbekistan airways because they offer good onwards connections to Asia. I hope they launch it. Their aircraft are also slightly better tbh.
ReplyDeleteTrue, but Uzbekistan itself is becoming a major tourist destination with 12 million annual arrivals and P2P demand itself would work in shoulder season (spring and fall). I do guess Uzbekistan Airways would love to have Tashkent as a hub and compete with others in the region.
DeleteHow many of these 12 million tourists originate in Europe though?
Delete@09:29 'Uzbekistan Airways would love to have Tashkent as a hub and compete with others in the region' I mean they already do. They have 45 aircraft.
Delete@anon 9.35
DeleteI live in Paris and I can tell you that Uzbekistan is definitely making waves in France amongst the more adventurous middle-class profiles. It's not Mauritius but it's definitely starting to be more visible in travel agency campaigns and the like.
09:36 and others
Delete12 million entries into Uzbekistan by foreign nationals does not equate to 12 million tourists. This distinction must be kept in mind to avoid confusion. The best indicator of the number of foreign tourists is the count of those registered at accommodation facilities. This is the most accurate metric, and I believe that Serbia is a more visited country than Uzbekistan (even though it receives relatively few visitors ).
By the way, I would also add something regarding the statistics from Serbia. It has the best data representation, as the public figures reflect the actual data (registerd at accommodationestablishments). For instance, the claim of 12 million visitors to Albania or Uzbekistan is an absolute lie.
DeleteSo many visitors to serbia dont register
DeleteWhy ?
DeleteSerbia also have more beds than Uzbekistan.
DeleteIts like Albania, they measure border entrance. If Serbia done like that, it would have 30mil considering how many Turks, Polish etc transit through it. Also diaspora visiting home several times a year is counted as tourists.
Delete+10000
Delete@12:05 yeah right lol
Deleteaccording to official Uzbek numbers for 2025/Jan-Sep: Turkey 50,976, Italy 32,635, Germany 29,632. https://hurma.uz/en/articles/travel-news/uzbekistan-top-tourist-countries
DeleteBut are they tourists in hotels or bnbs? Or visitors ?
DeleteVisitors
DeletePeople that stay overnight are counted as visitors and Uzbekistan has more of those than Serbia. They might mostly be from the surrounding countries, but if you don't see Uzbekistan all over social media and Balkan tour agencies, you must be living under a rock. It used to be even cheaper while Wizz Air Abu Dhabi existed, 10 day tours from the Balkans costed under 1000 euros, now it's closer to 1500.
DeleteDo we know LF od SCATs flights? Their arrival time in BEG is not perfect and prices are relatively high
ReplyDeleteIf the prices are relatively high it would mean the planes are relatively full.
DeleteRussians are using it a lot to get to Russia. Often cheaper option than nonstop or via IST.
Delete@09:17 not always. But as a point to point flight its prohibitively high. Also one-stops via Turkey are not at all cheap. Certainly not significant traffic flows.
DeleteTaškent može, a za Banja Luku 2x sedmično - izvan bilo kakvog smisla....???
ReplyDeleteBanja Luka doesn’t want to give money for flights.
DeleteBanja Luka can also be served by car and bus and there are transfer opportunities only beyond BEG, not beyond BNX.
Delete@09:17 you do realise that Tashkent is larger than Bosnia and Hercegovina in population?
DeleteThis would be a very welcome addition to Belgrade’s network. Central Asia remains poorly connected to this part of Europe.
ReplyDeleteAir Serbia’s transfer network could make this route viable, but two airlines sharing the risk through a codeshare would probably be the best solution.
ReplyDeleteFor now.
DeleteAir Serbia should concentrate on increasing frequencies across Europe and allow Uzbekistan Airways to serve Tashkent. Both sides would benefit.
ReplyDeleteJU has for the past couple of years gone after longer routes (more than the 5-6 hours needed to fit into their waves). We have GOJ, SVQ, TFS and TOS just this year alone. TAS is slightly longer than TFS.
DeleteThese longer rotations could lower the risk of attaining more aircraft for frequency increases across Europe. Tuesday and Saturday afternoons tend to be quieter for JU. Sending ac out on 13 hour rotations would make good use of aircraft that would otherwise sit on the ground. 2-3pm departure would catch the full morning arrivals from the EU and arrive back by 5 am to catch the full morning departures. 6 A320's aren't needed for the the midday regional wave (4 were used today, 1 to LIS) and especially not for the late afternoon EU wave (2 out of 6 aircraft are being used).
I see the Ejets being used more and more to increase frequencies across Europe as more enter the fleet rather than A320's. If JU isn't doing much increase on the A319's they certainly wont on the A320.
It is surprising that Belgrade has not been connected to Tashkent for more than twenty years, considering how much both aviation markets have developed since 2004.
ReplyDeleteIf there hadn't been further flight from BEG to New York, Tashkent and Belgrade would have never been connected.
DeleteI know but things have changed over the past 20+ years.
Delete@09:24 although they require a visa for Serbia and despite it being relatively cheap once there its not a 'natural' tourist market for Serbs. However more and more people have the money and the desire to explore. Also they have a sizeable middle class with Schengen visas plus the Russian population make this a natural link nowadays.
DeleteWasn't there visa free for Uzbek people to Serbia?
DeleteMaybe back in the day
DeleteCould you operate the flights with an A320, or would you have to use an A330? Because if we had to use an A330, the flights would be less of a problem in terms of staff and ...
ReplyDelete*+
DeleteWould be more problematic than with the A320
@09:25 There is 0 chance JU would use an A330. It would be a massive loss maker. This is VERY niche route if JU was to open it. Its far better for Serbian origin passengers that HY operate it and provide onward connections to Asia. JU brings nothing to game in my opinion. They would attempt to get transfer passengers from elsewhere in Europe but for Belgrade originating passengers the prices would remain astronomical and easily undercut by TK who operate multiple times a day.
DeleteNothing out of the ordinary to what JU is currently doing in TBS, GYD, GOJ, KZN and AER for example. JU brings alot for TAS with alot of European connections missing from the market where TK has a practical monopoly (if we don't include LOT). TAS-TGD was also attempted last year which didn't seem to go too well but certainly some interest was there that JU could easily take on.
DeleteJU previously had a codeshare agreement with HY. The same could be arranged again.
I would still prefer Samarkand as a tourist destination, but Tashkent is undoubtedly the safer commercial choice.
ReplyDeleteThey're close by train.
DeleteUzbekistan is a relatively developed country, by far the most developed in central Asia, they have very good infrastructure.
Indeed. Their railways would make many a European state blush. Not to mention EXyu railways...
Delete09:52 Uzbekistan or Kazakhstan?
DeleteYou can go to Samarkand from Tashkent either by train or by taxi, it is relatively cheap
DeleteTashkent is much better option for first destination, from there you can take a cheap flight to Astana or Bishkek (bus rides takes 15+ hours)
Who is even talking about Kazakhstan?
DeleteKazakhstan railways are quite bad, one of worst from Ex-Soviet countries. Uzbekistan is incomparable.
When all is said and done, Kazakhstan is the most European of them all. I’ve been there. It’s hardly any different from Russia. It even resembles Serbia to some extent.
DeleteYou stupid? Where have you been? Center of Almaty?
DeleteThe most European of them if you want to talk that way is Tajikistan. It's extremely organized and half of their ancestors are from Europe. You really love talking nonsense.
DeleteThe most European of them if you want to talk that way is Tajikistan. It's extremely organized and half of their ancestors are from Europe. You really love talking nonsense.
DeleteSorry, where have you been? Center of Almaty?
DeleteAlmaty yeaa 2018
DeleteWell, that's not Kazakhstan, at all, especially the manicured upper part visited by foreigners. Half of Almaty has even no canalisation.
Deletecanalisation...
DeleteReplace the Z and don't play dumb.
DeleteKazakhstan is the most developed Central Asian country by far, both by raw data, wealth distribution, HDI and naked eye test. Uzbekistan can come second there for sure thanks to the trains and great effort to invest in public sustainable infrastructure, pedestrian zones and highways, but the salaries and living standard are nowhere near Kazakhstan.
DeleteSince SCAT didn't launch Shymkent and had other priorities in mind, this sounds like a natural development.
ReplyDeleteThere are several ways this could be done:
- Uzbekistan Airways launches Belgrade
- Air Serbia launches Samarkand
- Together they sign a codeshare and offer tickets that can "land in Tashkent but depart back from Samarkand" and vice-versa
- Air Serbia could use this to open a new China route 'ala Zagreb model with one stop', eliminating the aircraft utilization issue
- Cargo is already relatively strong on this route
Btw Uzbekistan Airways could also use this as a one way stop to a market in North America/Africa and Europe.
Delete@09:45 its a natural route for HY. See cooperation with JU would be a great move. HY already fly to North America and i cannot see them opening a one-stop to any European Destination. They have aircraft that could fly non-stop to almost all parts of Africa already, and via Belgrade would not many geographical or economic sense.
DeleteIf we enterntain the idea that Tashkend Belgrade fligt would have continuation somewhere, where would they actually connect further? Any real ideas?
DeleteIf its operated by JU i assume to key western european markets. I hope its HY in which case China and India
DeleteHY's China routes operate at 2-3 pw with almost all destinations served by 3 airlines direct from BEG. Numerous other airlines such as QR, EK/FZ, TK, LH, LX, OS also offer the same routes with one stop connections multiple times daily. HY would need to specifically time for those connections, which is not possible as flights operate on different days of the week. The odd flights that do operate on the same days operate at significantly different times.
DeleteSame with India. The only exception being DEL served daily but again with an inconsistent schedule.
A Tashkent service would complement Astana nicely
ReplyDeleteLet Uzbekistan Airways operate the long sector and Air Serbia feed it from the region. That appears to be the most practical arrangement for everyone involved.
ReplyDeleteUzbekistan Airways has been expanding internationally so Belgrade would fit well into its broader European strategy.
Delete@10:03 agreed totally. This is a route for them, not JU.
DeleteWhich aircraft would realistically operate this route?
ReplyDeleteA320neo.
DeleteThere is probably limited demand between Serbia and Uzbekistan alone, but the connecting market could make the route sustainable.
ReplyDeleteThe market is small indeed. But with the right prices a twice a week HY flight with good onward connections to Asia sounds realistic. Also the Serbia-Russia market will see that flights work.
DeleteHave you seen HY's network and schedules across Asia? What exactly on the Serbia-Russia market does HY bring other than extreme backtracking on routes already served by JU and 2 pw flights at best to other routes not served by JU?
DeleteThe same can be said for what JU brings to Uzbekistan when HY fly direct to many western cities.
DeleteThe many Western EU cities you speak of is actually 7. The most frequent destination is FRA at 3 pw.
DeleteHY doesn't really have a wave structure like that of JU and other European carriers. A hypothetical HY flight from BEG would at best have a handful of connections in TAS with most if not all to routes where demand is more of a statistical error. On the other hand, a hypothetical JU 5am arrival from TAS gets at worst 15 destinations to major European cities and hubs.
Well lets see who launches it. If at all.
DeleteI think it is difficult to say that this region would integrate with Europe. Currently, there is an influx of workers and new flights from Central Asia to China, South Korea, Japan, and even Malaysia and Thailand. These are Asian countries.
ReplyDeleteFras in analitichar den.
DeleteBilo bi interesantno da bude poseban članak sa zanimljivim info i fotografijama o tim letovima Uzbekistan airwaysa za JFK preko BEG.
ReplyDeleteGuys, I don't think it will be JU for the simple reason that they might not have the adequate plane or product.
ReplyDeleteIST-TAS takes 04 hours and 35 minutes so a flight from BEG would be well over 5 hours. Even though it's doable on the A319 it would be tight. JU would need A320neo for this route to work marvelously.
HY on the other hand has the A320neo which it could use on this route. They could cooperate with JU (even though their code-shares are useless but still) and offer connections to the Balkans. Add to this their connections in Tashkent and voila.
We all read that Lufthansa Group is making major cuts so JU should make the most of it. Just today Austrian Airlines announced a huge loss and major network cuts. Air Serbia should profit from this and hit them hard. These are the cuts:
Completely terminated this winter:
VIE-GRZ
VIE-TBS
VIE-OPO
VIE-KEF
Austrian Airlines is reducing the following destinations by removing overnight stops:
VIE-CPH
VIE-WAW
VIE-KRK
VIE-KLU
Hopefully JU hits them hard in these markets as their connectivity will be impacted.
I like your optimism that JU and Austrian are in the same league (they are not).
DeleteHow can JU hit Austria hard in WAW, KLU, KEF and GRZ when the don't fly there? Austrian have had significant hits from other carriers including Air Serbia.
But this is a topic abou Uzbekistan. I agree that this is better route for HY than it is JU because I just cannot see Air Serbia being able to compete on price or flexibility with Turkish carriers. Perhaps the growth in the market is so great they believe they can cut a niche for themselves. However almost every destination that JU operate to in the Balkans is also connected to places like Tashkent with one-stops via Istanbul.
Irrespective, I do hope one or other, or both (?) give it a shot. The most connectivity the better.
Can the A220 do BEG-TAS?
DeleteIstanbul is connected to hundreds of destinations yet JU carries transfers from IST. Why would TAS be any different?
DeleteAs for OS, their competitiveness and connectivity will be affected in many other regions from where they carried these transfers to these terminated destinations.
Because JU twice a week is hardly a match for the various Turkish airlines' offering. Far far Better that HY launch this one. JU has plenty it can do elsewhere than launch a long and thin route with minimal 2p2 traffic.
DeleteIndeed OS is not what is was, indeed mobilities in Europe are not what they were during the early 2000s when it ruled the roost in the east of Europe which will help in part strengthen JU's extensive transfer offering.
@16:40 indeed it can but we really are talking niche if that was the case.
Delete@17:05
DeleteThe same argument could be said for HY. What does HY bring to BEG that TK doesn't already and at greater frequency at both ends? Look at JU's schedules from BEG and then look at HY's from TAS.
JU has plenty it can do but there are limitations. JU has gaps where longer routes would benefit them with better ac utilisation that can't be done on shorter European sectors.
Well lets see what comes of it. My wish is for HY both from a Serbian passenger's perspective and for the variety at the airport.
Deletehttps://fr24.com/MFX7461/410538d2
ReplyDeleteYeah these cargo flights have been operating for a while.
Deletehttps://www.exyuaviation.com/2025/12/air-serbia-and-my-freighter-airlines.html
DeleteSo they're basically feeding Air Serbia's cargo operations.
DeleteHope it materialises
ReplyDeleteThere should be a list of 'routes that have been discussed and never happen' I'm still waiting for Skopje-Dublin!
ReplyDelete