Air Serbia plans to introduce a new long-haul service in 2027, with the carrier’s CEO, Jiri Marek, confirming that another intercontinental route is in the pipeline. “What I can reveal is that there will be a new long-haul route, but I will not yet reveal which one”, Mr Marek said in an interview with the Serbian public broadcaster RTS. The comment came after Mr Marek was asked about the possibility of further expansion in China, where Air Serbia currently serves both Guangzhou and Shanghai. However, he did not indicate whether the new route would be in China or another market. The airline is expected to disclose its new destinations for 2027 by the end of the month, alongside planned frequency increases on parts of its existing network. A new long-haul service in 2027 would result in a sixth consecutive year of long-haul expansion for the airline.
The airline has previously been in negotiations or expressed interest to serve Miami, Beijing and, most recently, an undisclosed seasonal long-haul route as well. Air Serbia is also tipped for flights between Belgrade and Tashkent in Uzbekistan. The route is expected to be among the topics discussed during Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s official visit to Serbia today, with transport identified as one of the priority areas of talks between the two countries. Mr Marek noted that Air Serbia maintains both five- and ten-year development plans, which are continuously updated. “When a destination becomes profitable, we certainly open it”, he said. The CEO added that the airline also reacts to opportunities created by changes in the market, citing its decision to introduce flights from Niš to Vienna and Malta after Ryanair withdrew from the two routes.
Commenting on the upcoming year, the CEO said, “We have a lot of news for next year. Of course, the biggest opportunity for us is Expo. Expo represents a huge opportunity to promote Belgrade, Serbia and Air Serbia. We will also celebrate our centenary next year, and there are some other anniversaries as well, but more on those later. There will also, of course, be new destinations, which we will announce towards the end of September, as well as increased frequencies across the network. We have a lot of news, but I wouldn’t reveal everything just yet. For now, I think Expo, the centenary and the new destinations are certainly the main things”.
Miami, no doubt
ReplyDeleteMost likely. Question is if it will be seasonal or year round
DeleteIt would also be quite dependent whether the code share with American would include their Miami base and destinations in the Caribbean, Central and South America. Then it could generate a lot of transfer market as well
DeleteTrue👍
DeleteNo it won’t. You need US visa to use transit flights
Delete@09:12 although more likely the transit is on the European end. For Russians holding US visas to get in. Western Europe is very well connected to Miami via Heathrow and Madrid etc, so i can see Miami being a very logical route for JU. Not sure its gonna be a cash cow, but certainly i seems logical.
Delete*it seems logical.
DeleteSmell like Beijing. Journalists asked him about Chinese tourists and China
DeleteMiami would be my bet. It has been mentioned too many times over the years for there not to be something behind it.
ReplyDeleteIf the new route is seasonal, Miami is probably the strongest candidate. If it is year-round, I would say Beijing.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I would rather see Bangkok than Beijing.
DeleteIt has already been said that yields are low for Bangkok
DeleteBut it’s not anymore. Actually not last few years. And ME3 are not an option now.
DeleteI deffiently think an opporutnity has opened with the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.
Delete^ doesnt stop it being a low end destination in terms of return.
DeleteIt is already proved it’s not smart to compete Chinese airlines on their turf. Bejing should be skipped
Delete@09:49
DeleteBangkok was mentioned as being low yield long before the problems in the Gulf. In aviation things can change overnight.
@Anon 09:49. While BKK is a low yield market, most EU carriers tend to fly at odd times and depart BKK in the middle of the day. JU can codeshare with PG or TG and capture islands/regional market, plus do an evening service that would capture the morning onward connections to other Europe and US transfer passengers. Low yield + high LF is better than high yield + low LF. Plus with the BKK transfer there’s TG to connect the single stop itinerary from Australia and NZ. BKK also has a population of almost 6 million, and Thailand as a whole over 70 million.
DeleteGreater Bangkok is 17million. 'Capture onward travel' you sepak like it would be a daily service. Most of the above doesnt work in reality.
DeleteFly to DMK, codeshare with Air Asia and capture whole region
DeleteLol, joke of the day.
DeleteFunny how terrified commenters pointing low yields is for JU, but not for LH, LX, OS, KL, AF, AY, BA, LO. I am wondering how they didn't went bankrupt so far.
DeleteThose airlines have extensive long-haul networks and in many cases massive high-frequency intra-European networks and yet have often have struggled with routes into Bangkok and similar destinations in south east Asia themselves. Calm down. Seriously.
DeleteActually the DMK idea is not stupid at all.
DeleteIt is. Because the airport does not permit 'legacy' airlines.
DeleteAnon 13:58. BKK is a gateway to the rest of Thailand (HKT/USM/KBV/CNX/UTP) - primarily leisure market, or VFR. It doesn’t need a daily service. It just needs proper scheduling to be frequent enough to be viable, 3-4 flights per week. The flight would be approx 11 hours in each direction, add an hour turn around the aircraft would be gone for say 24 hours (BKK-IST is ~10 hours, BKK-ZRH ~12 hours).
Delete@Anon 14:55 - do you have inside info on why it won’t work and you find it to be a joke? So discussion doesn’t suit your agenda and it’s a joke? Loser.
@17:44 calling people losers is not cool due. As people stated. DMK is not an airport that a legacy airline offering connections can nowadays use. The Thai authorities would not want that and want BKK to be utilised. 3 to 4 flights a week a massive commitment and although its all theoretically possible i cannot see the financial returns. So calm down.
DeleteI hope they surprise everyone with something completely unexpected :D
ReplyDeleteAddis Ababa.
Deleteor Lagos :D
DeleteJohannesburg via Lagos and Addis Ababa 🙂
DeleteI guess Ethiopian will start BEG in the near future.
DeleteWanna bet?
DeleteActually Addis-Ababa makes prefect sense and a cooperation with Ethiopian (both passenger & cargo) is one of the best strategic moves JU could make.
DeleteDidn't you suggest flights to Australia too?
DeleteWe don't even have CAI, TUN and TIP (MJI) yet we have suggestions for ADD, LOS and JNB.
DeleteAdd to that LFW!
DeleteADD isn't significantly further than some destin they're flying to already.
Delete@10:29
No, i never mentioned Australia, makes no sense.
@11:51
I was hearing the same comments when i was suggesting Baku/Tbilisi years ago.
If we're going with something unexpected, then my guess would be India :D
DeleteSounds like 2027 could be one of Air Serbia’s biggest expansion years yet.
ReplyDeleteThey need at least 20 new destinations and 7-8 new planes
DeleteLOL. indeed.
DeleteWe’ll know soon
ReplyDeleteMy guess is the reason they are announcing the new routes so early (by their standards) is precisely because of this new long haul route.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteBetter announce in September, then you have much time for marketing and some adjustments if necessary.
DeleteIt was the same case last year which resulted in the YYZ announcement. The new long haul route will likely be for H1 2027.
DeleteNew short haul routes for the past few years have had earlier launches. Santorini started in late April this year, Lisbon is also another example. If I were to guess, 2-3 of the new routes will have an April 2027 launch giving a ~6 months advance for ticket sales.
Miami would be the logical next step, especially if they are looking at something seasonal.
ReplyDeleteBut Miami, if its going to be seasonal, has to be winter seasonal.
DeleteYeah, winter 2027
DeleteWay too early to announce it right now then.
DeleteWhy? Better earlier for a route that might prove tricky.
DeleteNot really. In December 2025 they announced Tromso for December 2026. So why not announce Miami in October 2026 for October 2027?
Delete+1
DeleteIt will start in May because of Expo. But that first summer will be a good test if it can sustain year around ops
Delete@09:59
DeleteTromso announcement was unusual for JU. I believe that was the first route announced 12 months in advance.
Tromso tickets seem relatively cheap given the distance and location. I was tempted to book but places to stay up there are beyond silly-money.
DeleteI wonder why they're cheap
DeleteWell 'relatively' its definatly not bargin prices. Would be great to see a trip report. Lovely region of Norway.
DeleteIt's going to be an interesting bunch of new destinations.
ReplyDeleteIncreasingly 'exotic' for an airline of JU's size and location.
DeleteExciting times ahead
DeleteIf they were to start Tashkent, what equipment could they use. Doubt it would be a widebody.
ReplyDeleteWell A319 or A320.
DeleteOr A220.
DeleteA220 for sure.
DeleteTashkent would be an interesting addition. There is very little connectivity between the Balkans and Central Asia.
DeleteHistorically thats for a reason. But its increasing a pace.
DeleteCan the A220 fly there?
DeleteOf course.
DeleteWhile there are Russians circulating, there is a business. Also, I think Riga or Villnus would make sense
DeleteVilnius? Have you any idea how tiny the economic links are with that region. I doubt that JU could fill an ATR even if it could make it.
DeleteTravel between the Baltics and the wider region is fairly decent, especially in the summer. 3 airlines serve VNO-TIV for example. VNO also has seasonal flights to TIA, ATH, LCA, CFU and more, all of which are JU routes. Even Wizz has year round TGD-VNO. Plus Vilnius isn't too far from Minsk, a destination previously served by Belavia. No reason JU couldn't pull it off on the Ejets.
DeleteBut travel between Belgrade and Vilnius is next to none. Having a decent(ish) demand between two points is also part of the process. Whilst Vilnius is 'near Minsk' crossing that border is not for the faint-hearted both in terms of waiting and paperwork.
DeleteIt would be interesting to see where your facts are from. Firstly, Belarusians travelling to Lithuania last year increased and not decreased, and make the top 5 nationals visiting Lithuania. Border controls and paperwork don't seem to hamper that. On that note, Serbia has registered a 12% increase in Belarusian tourists as of April 2026 according to RZS.
DeleteSecondly, according to RZS, roughly 6.500 Lithuanians visited Serbia in 2025. Not amazing but not bad either. Lithuania unfortunately doesn't have separate statistics for Serbian nationals visiting Lithuania. Let's assume in total the number is around 10.000 travelers between the 2, thats roughly 27 travellers per day. Fairly ok for Ejet ops a couple times per week especially considering the large amount of transit options of interest to Lithuanians.
Well by your logic they will start the route then. Well done, you nailed it.
DeleteTry to understand that there is a significant Russian diaspora in all Baltic, as well in Serbia, and all other Caucasus and former USSR republic in Middle Asia. Belgrade is a real hub for all those people, directly connected to 5 different Russian Airport, probably at least another one next year.
DeleteTashkent is an extremely potent leisure route as well even in Balkans, surging tourism and almost all agencies offering cheap 10 day trips
DeleteIndeed that is true. Therefore by your logic we can expect Vilnius, well done.
DeleteI Riga OR Vilnius would make sense, but also Talinn. Especially since BT is seasonal only and in bad shape. It wouldn’t be the first time JU to step in when competition is withdrawing. I am sorry they missed AUH. It was a zicer
DeleteSingapore?
ReplyDeleteSingapore would be amazing, although I’m not sure the market is big enough. It would create excellent connections into Southeast Asia though.
DeleteThat would be a useless route. Very limited p2p travel and a destination served heavily from Europe. Wouldn't work for JU.
DeleteOk, It’s Delhi then
DeleteLOl. Delhi boy enters the chat.
DeleteMiami has probably been studied to death by now. If it still has not launched, maybe the numbers are simply not good enough.
ReplyDeleteAnd it will be LAX at the end.
DeleteCan the A332 make it?
DeleteSure
DeleteThen it's not out of the table.
DeleteLAX westbound could make it, but with payload restrictions. Without JU taking on an aircraft with better range, it's not happening.
DeleteThe A332 is an ancient beast for that kind of flight. I cannot see it ever happening.
DeleteDo not make thing up. No restrictions are needed, range of A330/200 is 13500 km.. With typical payload it can reach with significant reserve of fuel. Distance between BEG and LAX is about 10.000km.
DeleteSo it's absolutely possible.
DeleteHow was DC-10 able to reach?
DeleteIt can reach but with significant cargo penalties, making it a deal-braker.
DeleteThere are also perhaps other cities on the East coast they could fly to.
@17.33
DeleteThe flight to Los Angeles was operated via Chicago.
Restricting would be needed with Sardina pack configuration with 400 pax. With JU typical config, no restrictions at all
DeleteThe biggest restriction is it would loose money like hell.
DeleteThey should do like they airlines in North America do where they give clues on social media for people to guess the new destinations.
ReplyDeleteWe'd have Cluj on A330s winning.
DeleteIs it true that BWK will start even earlier—some say as early as mid-May?
ReplyDeleteThe Embraer to Brač fan will be pleased.
DeleteI am not sure that the e-190 will fly to Bwk, I believe that the number of flights will increase rather than the type of aircraft.
DeleteMakes sense.ATRs are less and less utilized during summer
DeleteAfter the September announcements, could they announce anothers new routes in December?
ReplyDeleteNo, it's against the law to announce routes in December.
DeleteIf it's in North America,, it could as well be Miami.
ReplyDeleteOtherwise i see the likes of Bangkok, Beijing, Tashkent or Delhi being introduced.
I wote for all five
DeleteVote*
DeleteLucky aviation fans don't get to vote on business ideas. Cos it would be ruination.
DeleteNew Delhi made sense before introducing visas for Indian citizens.
DeleteCompetition between Western Europe (where most of Europe's people of south Asian and Indian descent live) and India is massive. I cannot see what JU would ever bring to that game, so i do not believe it was realistic even when Indians could enter visa free. Imagine the prices JU would have to charge to tempt a passenger from say Heathrow to connect via Belgrade, rock bottom without the flexibility of multiple daily fights offered by TK and Mid east cohort.
DeleteTK is having issues getting more rights to India so TK isn't really an issue. TK serves India 2 daily (1 daily DEL, 1 daily BOM). To compare, TK serves Pakistan 5 daily on 3 routes.
DeleteThe biggest competitors are the ME3 but the geopolitical issues in the Gulf has created opportunities for other carriers, where in the past few months we have seen Euro carriers increase flights and destinations to India. Even nearby Aegean has intentions on launching flights to India.
Indigo has previously expressed interest in working with JU on a hypothetical BEG-India route as Indigo is looking at expanding their European presence.
@11:44 if Indigo can't make Manchester work for them then cannot see Belgrade even with JU working. But we live to be surprised...
DeleteAnd with what aircraft? Frequency? Target group? With what connections on both ends? Did they have any partners in MAN?
DeleteI bet quite a few routes out of BEG today were not on people's bingo cards yet here they are.
@13:53 a mega indian population in the UK mate. Which Serbia does not have.
DeleteUK doesn't mean Manchester only. Tens of daily flights between the UK and India yet nothing to Manchester speaks volume of how large the community is. Quick online search shows that the Indian community in Manchester originates from Punjab and Gujarat provinces, both of which DEL and BOM are not in or are major hubs for Indian airlines. What you also emitted was that IndiGo returned their damp lease B787's used for the route and have no adequate aircraft to serve the route.
DeleteIndians also do not only travel to the UK. Some top destinations for 2025 include Germany, France, Switzerland, Netherlands, Italy, Austria - all of which have multiple daily flights from BEG.
BEG-DEL flights would catch the JU hub on one end and IndiGo's hub on the other end. IndiGo did not have that in MAN.
IndiGo doesn't really have many options for European partners for their European expansion plans. JU wouldn't be an insignificant partner for them.
^ Nicely argued as you have done with frequency. Still is very unlikely to happen irrespective of the eloquence of the position put forward. But you might live in hope.
DeleteSurely it is not bad to connect to 80 million passenger airport and country which is largest manpower exporter in the world. Maybe not this time, but Delhi makes much more sense than Seoul or Tokyo
DeleteTK struggles to get more flights to India as the Indian government makes it difficult for them intentionally. Turkey has poor relations with India.
DeletePlus it's a shorter flight.
DeleteIt does not have much to do with relations as it has to do with market regulations. Even airlines like Emirates have frequency resttictions in India.
DeleteWell they certainly have a spare plane for that.
ReplyDeleteTokyo or Seoul? Are they off the table? Haven't heard anything anymore into that direction....
ReplyDeleteNot saying Admin is hinting at something, but… vintage EX-YU + Johannesburg? 👀
ReplyDeleteSure. Sounds very viable for JU.
DeleteThailand might be worth considering, given the Middle East uncertainty and hundreds of thousands of Russians in Serbia, lots of them would definitely use the route.
ReplyDeleteDoes the Admin have the numbers for their new Brač route in August?
ReplyDeleteGoing back to BKK after 35 years!
ReplyDeleteenjoy your trip mate.
DeleteI was referring to JU.
DeleteJAT flew there for 4 years between 1988 and 1992 once a week. Its not a market that has much 'history' lets say. Miami remains the most likely i think.
DeleteFrequnecies increased actually to 2 per week from 1989
DeleteThirty Seven years ago.
DeleteImpressive tbh. Saw a youtube video filmed in 1990 where they were doing some street interviews in Belgrade and noticed a shop window from a tour operator behind some lady with big posters for trips to Thailand and Singapore.
Delete^ It really was. Those were the days my friend, i wish they'd never end..
DeleteBKK ended in 1992 with sanctions but used to continue on to Singapore in the final version of the route.
DeleteExpecting extending the season of Toronto service, starting earlier and ending later. Four months is too short.
ReplyDeleteThat would be a good move.
DeleteIdemo dalje...
ReplyDeleteI am in Miami in next 10 days. I go every 2-3 months and i stay there 3 days. LAX and Las Vegas are also interesting. With Air Serbia to Miami, why not.
ReplyDeleteLas Vegas, impossible. LA very difficult. Miami is a sound guess. Going there for 3 days every 2/3months puts you, however, in a very very tiny bracket of mega-frequent flyer.
DeleteYou would fit perfectly to 2pw frequency
Delete2pw from Europe to the West Coast, hardly screams reliable connection. Far better to try three times per week to Miami and utilise connections to Russia.
DeleteThey don’t have ability to increase Russia flights so Miami would cannibalise Russian transfers to EU destinations in Europe - which are more profitable at the moment because of fuel costs.
DeleteI am dying to go to Tashkent but someone has to tell me where that s11thole is.
ReplyDeleteBangkok? I live in Bangkok 6 months a year, 6 months in Tokyo.
ReplyDeleteBangkok has been seeing 3,000 Serbian passports a year, out of 60 million passengers a year. That is the level of a statistical error.