Air Serbia registers growth on US flights

Air Serbia's flagship service to New York will enter its fourth year this Sunday with the airline improving its operational results on the route. The carrier handled 79.657 travellers to and from New York in 2018 with an average annual cabin load factor of 80.8%. The figures represent an overall increase of 10.2% in passenger numbers compared to the previous year and a 5.2 point increase in its average cabin load factor. During 2018, August was the busiest month, while April and July saw almost all flights sold out in both directions. However, seasonality remains an issue on the route. The airline addressed these problems last year by decreasing frequencies during the slower winter months down to two flights per week. On the other hand, up to six weekly operations were maintained over the peak summer travel period. There were more passengers originating from Belgrade, a total of 41.278, compared to the 38.379 travellers starting their journey at JFK Airport and either disembarking or transferring through the Serbian capital.

Month	Passengers carried	Change (%)	Load factor (%)
JAN	5.086	▲ 1.6	69.0
FEB	2.660	5.3	52.4
MAR	4.399	▲ 7.0	86.6
APR	5.089	7.5	96.2
MAY	5.195	5.1	85.4
JUN	9.415	▲ 11.7	72.0
JUL	11.058	▲ 28.0	92.5
AUG	11.992	▲ 28.1	87.4
SEP	9.222	▲ 8.3	78.9
OCT	6.629	▲ 76.8	76.8
NOV	3.800	19.0	83.1
DEC	5.112	14.2	83.9

Data provided by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics of the United States

Cargo also played an important role on the route. A total of 3.949.689 kilograms of freight was uplifted on the service last year, representing a significant increase of 87.8%. "JFK Airport is important due to long haul capacity and the capability of covering cargo transportation across the Atlantic to the United States, Canada, and countries in South America”, Air Serbia previously said. The airline has transported a wide variety of cargo to the United States, including fruit and vegetables from Serbia, mozzarella cheese and textiles from Italy, garments and machine parts from Turkey and Romania, mail from Russia and Greece and safety glass from Croatia. From the other direction, there are regular shipments of cargo from Ecuador, Argentina and Brazil being sent to Serbia and the region. In addition to its nonstop flights to New York, Air Serbia provides road feeder services to 53 cities across the US and Canada.

Air Serbia has previously said its JFK service is a “long-term investment”. "The introduction of flights to New York is a long-term investment for Air Serbia. Such routes usually take three to five years to achieve optimal results. What you get from the service to New York is an important air bridge between the United States, Belgrade and other destinations”, the company noted. The Serbian government has publicly stated it provides subsidies for the route. "As part of our tourism development strategy until 2025, the Serbian government has decided to extend its support to whatever contributes to tourism growth. In this case, it is flights to North America. Without that support there would be no service to the US. However, Air Serbia's financial performance would remain unchanged", the Serbian Finance Minister, Siniša Mali, said last year. The annual incentive is believed to be some twenty million euros.

Since launching operations from Belgrade to New York on June 23, 2016 until January 1, 2019, Air Serbia handled a total of 197.078 passengers between the two cities. The total number of US visitors entering Serbia last year stood at 39.020, up 14.2% on 2017.

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