Air Serbia launching six new routes including Miami

Air Serbia will introduce six new routes next summer season including flights to its latest long-haul destination - Miami. The carrier's CEO, Jiri Marek, announced this evening on the "RTS" public broadcaster that Air Serbia will add Yerevan in late March, Helsinki from April, two weekly flights to Miami from May, Cluj in Romania in late May, as well as Chisinau in Moldova and Menorca in Spain in June. As a result, the airline will now serve nine destinations in Spain and three in the United States, while entering the Moldovan market for the first time. Tickets will go on sale tomorrow, October 20.

Air Serbia has been considering nonstop flights between Belgrade and Miami since 2023. Miami could benefit from several sources of demand, including the sizeable diaspora from the former Yugoslavia in Florida and the wider southeastern United States. Miami's position as a major gateway to Latin America and the Caribbean would also provide opportunities for connecting traffic, particularly through an existing interline agreement with American Airlines, which operates an extensive network from its Miami hub. The city is also one of the world's leading cruise ports, offering potential demand from passengers travelling from Southeast Europe to join Caribbean cruises.

Air Serbia launched flights between Belgrade and Helsinki on June 1, 2019, marking its entry into the Finnish market. The route initially operated three times per week using Airbus A319 aircraft and was intended to cater to both point-to-point demand and connecting passengers travelling between Finland and Southeast Europe via Belgrade. However, services were suspended in March 2020 following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and have not resumed since. 

The Serbian carrier first announced plans to introduce nonstop flights between Belgrade and Chisinau in February 2020, initially scheduling four weekly services to the Moldovan capital as part of a wider network expansion that summer. However, the launch was cancelled following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting restrictions on international travel. Although the route subsequently appeared in the airline's future schedules, services never materialised.

The Serbian airline has previously confirmed the launch of Yerevan flights. It will face direct competition from FlyOne Armenia, which plans to introduce operations between the two capitals this December. FlyOne recently extended its initial schedule past the winter season into next summer. Air Serbia will now serve three capitals in the Caucuses with Yerevan complementing Tbilisi and Baku.

Menorca will become Air Serbia’s ninth destination in Spain. The Spanish market has been one of the airline’s best performers this year. The second largest of Spain’s Balearic islands will join Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, Alicante, Seville and Tenerife. On the other hand, Cluj becomes Air Serbia’s second destination in Romania after Bucharest.