Air Serbia enters hotel business forty years after predecessor

Air Serbia has begun construction of a new hotel opposite Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport, adjacent to its new headquarters building, which is also under development. The airline recently obtained a permit from the relevant authorities, with work on the foundations of the future hotel already completed. The project represents the second phase of a wider complex being developed by the carrier, which includes its new headquarters and an additional office building planned for a later stage. Valued at 9.3 million euros, the five-storey hotel will cover 8.396 square metres and feature 152 rooms. The ground floor will comprise a lobby and reception area, retail space, a gym for hotel guests, administrative offices, storage facilities and technical rooms. The upper floors will accommodate the hotel's 152 rooms, providing a total capacity of 304 beds.

The hotel project also includes the construction of an energy facility, internal access roads, landscaped areas and an outdoor car park with 75 spaces, six of which will be reserved for people with disabilities. The development will also incorporate geothermal heating technology. Air Serbia is the project's investor, while Belgrade-based Delta Rest, part of one of Serbia's largest business groups, Delta Holding, is providing financing. Delta has an extensive hotel portfolio, including several properties in Belgrade, such as the Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, Radisson Collection and Holiday Inn, as well as the InterContinental, which is scheduled to open by the end of the year. The group also owns the InterContinental hotel in Ljubljana. Air Serbia and Delta Rest concluded a financing agreement for the project this June.

The development comes exactly four decades after Air Serbia’s predecessor, JAT Yugoslav Airlines, first ventured into the hotel business in 1986 with the acquisition of Hotel Slavija in central Belgrade. The eighteen-storey property underwent a major renovation, completed in September 1987, after which the airline opened a new ticket office, a duty-free shop, a casino and a dedicated bus terminal providing transfers between the hotel and Belgrade Airport. In July 1988, JAT expanded its hospitality portfolio further by opening the newly built, seven-storey Hotel Slavija Lux across the street. The airline also acquired the Sunny Peaks Hotel on Kopaonik Mountain and the Duga Uvala Hotel in Pula, both of which were renovated and incorporated into package holidays offered through its tour operator, Air Lift. By the end of the 1980s, the airline had identified additional hotel acquisition opportunities in Zagreb, Ljubljana and Skopje, while also considering the purchase of several hotels outside Yugoslavia to accommodate its flight crews and passengers.

Work on Air Serbia's wider complex at Belgrade Airport is also progressing, with much of the airline's new headquarters, scheduled to open next year, already completed. The building is now awaiting connection to essential utilities, including water, electricity and sewage services. The four-storey headquarters will cover 7.985 square metres. The ground floor will feature an entrance hall with an exhibition area, training rooms, meeting rooms and a café. The upper floors will accommodate the airline's offices, which will predominantly feature an open-plan layout. The building will also include an accessible rooftop area designed as a bar and terrace, with seating for approximately fifty people.

The third and final phase of the development, which will follow the completion of the hotel, will involve the construction of an additional office building identical in size and design to Air Serbia's new headquarters. The building is scheduled for completion in 2030.