Belgrade in talks over second China route

The City of Belgrade is negotiating the introduction of a second service from China, following the launch of flights between Beijing and the Serbian capital via Prague this September. The Mayor of Belgrade, who is also the Chairman of Air Serbia's Supervisory Board, Siniša Mali, noted last week that services from a second Chinese city are expected to be launched "very soon". The Serbian government has also expressed its hope to further boost connectivity with China through the introduction of flights from Shanghai. Initial discussions over the route began last year with Hainan Airlines, Air China and China Southern Airlines. Mr Mali has also previously noted there was room for another destination to be introduced from China to Belgrade, singling out the country's biggest city and financial hub.

Apart from Hainan Airlines, whose parent company, the HNA Group, has signed a Letter of Intent for cooperation with the Serbian government earlier this year, Air China has also expressed interest in serving the Serbian capital. "Air China flights to Belgrade are looking very promising at the moment. It all depends on an agreement between the Serbian Prime Minister and our Prime Minister. We hope to spread our wings to Belgrade very soon", the Chinese flag carrier said recently. According to Sabre Airline Solutions, most of the traffic flow between China and Serbia over the past few years has originated from Shanghai, not Beijing. This is partially believed to be because the largest portion of Chinese nationals residing in Serbia have their origins in two provinces south of the Shanghai region. The majority of passengers on this route are currently handled by Aeroflot via Moscow.

Chinese interest in the former Yugoslavia has been growing over the past year. Croatia expects to establish flights to China as the number of tourists visiting the country from the Mainland continues to grow. In July, the CEO of the HNA Group held talks with Croatia's President where the two discussed both investment opportunities and potential flights. Last month, the Slovenian State Secretary within the Ministry for Infrastructure met with the head of the Civil Aviation Administration of China to discuss the establishment of flights between the two countries. Furthermore, it has been proposed for Hainan Airlines to extend its Belgrade service to Sarajevo, while Macedonia and China are preparing to sign a bilateral Air Service Agreement, which would establish the legal framework for the potential launch of scheduled flights.