Air Serbia will restore operations to the Russian and Israeli markets at the start of August as its number of operated flights increased by 100% over the weekend. The carrier has tentatively scheduled the resumption of daily services to Moscow and two weekly flights to St Petersburg starting August 1, while three weekly operations to Krasnodar will be reinstated on August 3. Russia’s aviation authority last week said it had extended its ban on international flights until August 1 due to the pandemic, however, in the past few days, Russian health officials have recommended the resumption of international services at an earlier date.
Operations to Tel Aviv are scheduled to resume on August 3 and run three times per week. Israel plans to lift a ban on international arrivals from August 1. Changes remain possible. Air Serbia has been rebuilding its network in the past few months, with the carrier recently returning to the Spanish market and resuming seasonal operations to Nice on the French riviera. This week will also see the Serbian carrier introduce a new service to Oslo, on July 16, while it is also increasing frequencies on its flagship route to New York from three to four weekly flights. The Serbian carrier has, at this point, confirmed the launch of its new seasonal service between Kraljevo and Thessaloniki on August 1. Flights were initially due to commence in late March.
Over this past weekend, Air Serbia was among the forty busiest carriers in Europe based on the number of operated flights when compared to the last weekend in June. However, the base number of operated flights was low. The list, compiled by Eurocontol, was headed by Ryanair, followed by Turkish Airlines, Wizz Air, easyJet and Lufthansa. Air Serbia positioned itself just behind Aegean Airlines and Brussels Airlines but ahead of Belavia and Emirates. Air Serbia has recently also reopened its premium lounge at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport which was shut on March 18 due to a slump in demand and usage resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. As the airline restores more services, lounge access is provided to Air Serbia’s and Etihad Airways’ business class passengers, Etihad Guest platinum and gold members, as well as all travellers who purchase a lounge pass online, at the airport or through the airline’s contact centre or website.
The share of Air Serbia flight tickets sold online in June increased to 34% of the overall number of tickets sold, by 9% year-on-year. It is estimated that due to the coronavirus pandemic and the importance of maintaining social distancing, a change in passenger habits occurred, therefore, instead of every fifth, now one in three Air Serbia passengers purchased their ticket online. “The growth trend when it comes to online sales is not surprising at all, considering that it is a method of shopping that is available 24/7 and is completely contactless and safe, which is a major advantage during the coronavirus pandemic. Air Serbia is quickly innovating and digitalising its operations, aiming to improve the efficiency and quality of service. It is my pleasure that I can announce a nice surprise for our passengers during this week already, specifically in the domain of digitalisation”, Air Serbia’s General Manager for Commercial and Strategy, Jiri Marek, said.
Departing Belgrade
| Destination | Resumption date |
|---|---|
| Frankfurt, Zurich | May 21 |
| Vienna, London | May 24 |
| Ljubljana | May 29 |
| Paris, Amsterdam | May 31 |
| Sarajevo | June 4 |
| Banja Luka | June 5 |
| New York | June 6 |
| Sofia, Tirana, Dusseldorf, Stuttgart, Copenhagen, Athens, Prague, Bucharest, Istanbul | June 15 |
| Zagreb, Brussels, Berlin | June 16 |
| Stockholm | June 17 |
| Split | June 28 |
| Milan, Zagreb | July 01 |
| Thessaloniki, Rome | July 02 |
| Venice, Larnaca, Dubrovnik | July 03 |
| Madrid, Barcelona | July 11 |
| Nice | July 12 |
| Skopje | July 14 |
| Oslo | July 16 |
| Moscow, St Peteresburg, Zadar, Pula | August 01 |
| Krasnodar, Tel Aviv | August 03 |
Departing Niš
| Destination | Resumption date |
|---|---|
| Hahn, Nuremberg | June 16 |
| Salzburg | July 01 |
| Hanover | July 02 |
| Baden Baden, Friedrichshafen, Gothenburg | August 01 |
| Bologna | August 03 |
| Ljubljana | August 04 |
Departing Kraljevo
| Destination | Resumption date |
|---|---|
| Vienna | June 30 |
| Thessaloniki | August 01 |
And someone said here in the comments the other day how they wouldn't resume Krasnodar.
ReplyDeleteExperts
DeleteIn fact they plan the same frequencies as last summer.
DeleteI'm surprised they are going ahead with Kraljevo-Thssaloniki.
ReplyDelete*thessaloniki
DeleteThey are getting paid for it so it work out for them to fly it even empty.
Deletewhat a waste of money and CO2 emissions...
DeleteHonestly who cares about CO2 emissions, it's far more important to help the local economy and to make the sea more accessible.
Deletetrue dat !
DeleteMake the sea more accessible via empty plane with 0-10 passengers? Don't get it. Explain.
DeleteYou mean just like flights KVO-VIE are empty? ;)
DeleteWaste of CO2 emissions?
DeleteHahaha, you are so funny!
Haven't the Greeks closed the borders to most countries in the region and Balkans because of Covid-19?
DeleteI don't think anyone knows for sure, Greeks change their mind all the time, quite literally. The other day they closed the Bulgarian border but after a few hours they let those who were there to cross into the country. It's a very hectic situation there as the government isn't sure what to do.
DeleteSo is that true for airports as well?
DeleteCause you could buy a ticket and then not be allowed to fly.
Flights to Greece are operating normally.
DeleteIf land borders with Macedonia and Bulgaria are closed that could prove a big boost for air travel demand!
Delete"Honestly who cares about CO2 emissions"
DeleteAnybody who doesn't wish this planet to become uninhabitable in the future?
Al Jazeera Balkans said in this article "Greece has decided to close borders with most countries in the Balkans such as Serbia. They will not be able to enter the country unless they are Doctors or Nurses working at Intensive Care units".
DeleteSo who is flying on JU and A3 flights between BEG and ATH?
DeleteAs of this morning people arriving from Serbia to Cyprus have to go to a 14 day quarantine. I guess BEG-LCA on both JU and W6 will be terminated until further notice.
DeleteThey didn't stop flights to Greece so I doubt they will stop them to Cyprus.
DeleteWell let's see but I'm not holding my breath. On top of that Austrian banned flights from western Balkans, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova and Egypt.
DeleteBosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro. So every coutry expet Slovenia from where you have no flights and Croatia.
DeleteHungary also banned flights form a great number of countries. All of Africa and all of Asia except Japan and China who would need to go into quarantine.
DeleteAlso complete ban for Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Belarus, Montenegro, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Portugal, Sweden and Romania.
People from Serbia, US, UK, Norway, Russia would have to go to 14 day quarantine.
So things are getting worse for the tourism and airline sectors.
Slovakia, Greece and Hungary are the three countries with the lowest number of infections in Europe.
DeleteSource: www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries
I don't expect them to be very loose and relaxed with whom they allow to travel and they will try to protect their populations.
So better to book a ticket and a hotel really close to your departure dates to make sure you do not get banned from traveling there.
Just my2cents
The flights from New York are currently packed.
ReplyDeletei wonder if they still have in plan to launch YYZ, that would be perfect ( ofc with potential second A330)
ReplyDeletePlans are always there, but, will they realize them, well that's a question
DeleteThere was no money for launching YYZ when aviation was normal so i dont see from where they will get money after this money losing year for every airline after because of travel restrictions. I really hope that JU management is smarter than people here who are proposing megalomanic unprofitabile ideas.
DeleteIt would be a very smart move to start YYZ now as airport has reduced landing fees up to 50% to attract new airlines and some like QR took advantage
Deleteof it started YYZ right away as those low fees are in contract for the next 5 yrs
Do you understand that there was NO MONEY for launching flights to YYZ or leasing new aircraft and now situation in the aviations is even worse so now you have even LESS MONEY for launching these operations.
Delete@ LaneHotLane
DeleteUnlike QR, JU doesnt have large numbers of widebodies and surplus crew to venture out in new long haul routes. YU-ARA between JFK rotations is also operating cargo flights, so that capacity isnt available.
The other issue is JU's finances were never good to begin with, along with their expensive aircraft leases and now issues with restablishing its short haul network that is further eating into its finances. I also assume that JU will have losses in refunding tickets to the planned new destinations that wont launch this year amongst others.
If there was no money pre-covid for long haul, how come there was money for new short haul routes and new narrowbody leases? Claim that there was NO money is bogus. There was, but they didn't want to go that way.
DeleteLaunching and adding long haul is expensive during best of times. There are only a handful of opportunites in a lifetime like the one expected during the recovery phase in the months ahead when competition is weak and shrinking, lease rates are low, airport incetives/slot availability is high, A-1 is affordable, demand is slowly coming back and governments are willing to sign the blank check. This is a byers market.
If they miss this opportunity, people in 2025 will look back and say: what were thinking back then? Now it's impossible to launch a new long haul route!
Excuse me but now it is immpossible to launch new long haul route. Because of travel restricions there is money only for recovering losses and it is expected that the goverment will recover most of the loses for this year. There is NO MONEY for new leases of widebodies or launching new routes. If JU launched couple new shorter routes and leases new narrowbody does that mean there is money for a new widebody? OU loses every year couple of millions and still it is leasing CRJ 1000s every year and this year they leased A319, so does this mean that there is money in OU? Still you forgot that we dont know any numbers about financial results of JU in 2019.
DeleteNo one cares about OU when the topic is JU. No one said to launch now! Summer 2021 is the earliest they could launch next long haul. It takes 2-3 seasons for a new service to develop, so by 2023 Air Serbia would have new, mature route, great new airport facilities and booming market. Take that, haters!
DeleteOMG again! If you say something about JU and it is not how JU fanboys will think you become a hater. How nice! Excuse me but nohody was here thinking about 2023. Nobody said that 2023. is a great time for new long haul route ( it probably is). People here were mentioning 2020. And really, can you just stop calling other people "haters" if they are saying something against JU?
DeleteReckless behaviour at all levels with country becoming more red listed this airline is planning to expand?!
ReplyDeleteMaybe time to keep quiet and just hope for the best since global depression is just about to start?
Shocking to see these delusions of grandeour!
Maybe they should just cease operations completely to make you happy.
DeleteWhat people don't realize is that JU is carrying a lot of transfer passengers these days.
DeleteWhat exactly represents the illusion of grandeur? The fact they are trying to normalize their operations? If anything, what we are seeing today is best proof that all those lockdowns we experienced were pointless so more of it won't be the solution to the problems we are facing now. We need to teach our people to behave responsible but life must go on.
Delete+1 Nemjee
DeleteWell in this case it is hugely dependant on other countries, wo decide to let people in. Domestic flights can go on as they wish.
DeleteBA888 are foreign airlines flying to Serbia the same, that they also suffer from illusion of grandeur :D :D
DeleteBA888
Delete+1000
The only delusion is the one that you are trying to process personally due to the fact that you are not a happy-chappy that JU is getting rapidly back on its feet. Cut the hysteria and embrace the facts.
DeleteOf course! If you say anything against Air Serbia or BEG you immidiately become a "hater", "troll", "jellous" , "neighbour" or something else bad. Only JU fanboys have right talking about Air Serbia or any kind of aviation category on the teritory of the Republic of Serbia, and only them can talk about new routes and aviation demand. I actually dont think that JU is fault for expanding but goverment which didnt close borders to coutries like USA, Russia or Belarus.
DeleteWho is stopping you from talking about new routes or aviation development in your own country?
DeletePostoje ljudi koji u svemu lepom traže ružno. I to su ljudi u srpskom jeziku zvani baksuzi i namćori. Namćore odnosno baksuze ne treba uzimati ni 1% za ozbiljno, već ono čuješ ga, pročitaš i ne trudiš se sa mu objasniš da je u krivu. Oni moraju da izbace svoje frustracije,oni žive od širenja negativne da ne kažem zle energije. Na žalost, kao i sa virusom Covid-19, ne možeš ih suzbiti već naučiš da živiš sa njima.
DeleteSo if you are not citizen of some country you cannot talk about its aviation? Im often talking about Serbian aviation and im often stopped in doing it because i see it differently than JU fanboys. Yesterday I said how it would be great having BA,IB and OY in Belgrade so i was immidiately called to be "neighbour" and "jelaous because Serbian aviation is recovering" because having these airlines in BEG is great only for tourism and economic development, but not and for Air Serbia.
DeleteYou wrote it would be great after writing a number of insults about the market.
DeleteSo you cannot say that there is something wrong with the market because Serbian aviation is perfect? Does that means that you cannot say anything against Serbian aviation because everyone should think on the same way?
DeleteDoes that mean that you can constantly spit and trash about the market and expect everyone to applaud you and tell you how right you are? Get help.
DeleteConstantly spit and trash?!?! Are you serrious or what? I said couple of facts and you are calling that "constantly spitting and trashing about the market"? And please, can you find any other argument exept calling me for "constantly spitting and trashing about the market"? Maybe something like say that market is not small with some facts are arguments, maybe even find some statistics who will prove that im wrong? I would really love to see some normal conversation and not just defending market from facts with the way of calling me an "insulter"?
DeleteAnonymous 12:48
Delete+1
Skopje resumes today :)
ReplyDeleteWhat are the routes that still haven't resumed. And I'm not talking about the ones that they said the won't restart.
ReplyDeletePodgorica and Tivat
DeleteKRR
Delete^ Ummm
Delete"while three weekly operations to Krasnodar will be reinstated on August 3."
Ooops. Sorry
DeleteKiev
Deletei think they said they wouldn`t be flying KBP this summer
DeleteNo, they scheduled them first in late June, then early July but never launched them.
DeleteWhy is lounge not opened to EY silver members?
ReplyDeleteEY silver members don't get lounge benefits for more than a year now.
DeleteBut now it is a perfect moment to change that decision in order to attract more passengers
DeleteI believe decisions regarding the loyalty program are made by Etihad. There is not much Air Serbia can do.
DeleteWhich only shows how badly they need their own loyalty program. That said, it really wouldn't hurt them to create a more effective program for businesses, the one they have now is really not doing them any favors. I mean forcing businesses to buy tickets via tour operators is really not a wise business strategy in 2020.
DeleteDecisions regarding to loyalty program is not made by Etihad, but by Air Serbia.
DeleteIf you are Silver Member of EY FF and fly on EY flight you can have access to lounge and you have right to have one 1 piece of check in luggage free of charge.
All these benefits have been anulled if you fly on JU flight. It seems that only benefit of being Silver member comparing to the regular membership (so called Bronze card) is check-in prirority. There is no even boarding priority.
They could / should change it in order to attract passengers.
Well they just announced that passengers flying to Zurich that purchase Economy Comfort now get lounge access in BEG.
DeleteIt is not the same as being Silver member
Delete100% jump on what? What is the base?
ReplyDeleteIt says the base number was low. Same case for all airlines really.
DeleteWell I know that, I am rather interested in the absolute numbers. Even if they are low. All are talking about low numbers? Waht does that mean 10%? 20% on previous levels?
DeleteI think numbers are low everywhere. Wizz flies MXP-LTN with 10 to 15 passengers.
DeleteGuys, the article talks about the number of operated flights not number of passengers.
DeleteSo in the end we may have two new routes this summer from them Belgrade-Oslo and Kraljevo-Thessaloniki. Not bad considering the circumstances.
ReplyDeleteSeems the Russian market is quite important to them.
ReplyDeleteIt is not surprise at all taking in consideration that political relations are very good, economic ties are growing, Russian market is huge, there is no visa regime etc.
DeleteWhat were the frequencies to Moscow, St Petersburg and Krasnodar last summer?
ReplyDeleteMoscow was 10, St Petersburg 3 and Krasnodar 3.
DeleteWhere is the complete list of flights flying in Europe at the moment?
ReplyDeletewhat about Kraljevo - Ljubljana?
ReplyDelete^ Good job Air Serbia.
ReplyDelete