KLM returns to Belgrade after three decades

NEWS FLASH

KLM has restored flights between Amsterdam and Belgrade after over thirty years, replacing its low cost subsidiary Transavia on the route. The Dutch carrier operated its inaugural service with the Boeing 737-700 aircraft, however, flights will usually be maintained by the 100-seat Embraer E190 jet. Services will initially run three times per week, increasing to daily from June 11. Speaking at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport, KLM’s General Manager for Alps, Balkan and Central Europe, Thijs Komen, said, “I am delighted that despite existing circumstance we are launching new services to Belgrade today. It demonstrates KLM’s confidence in the Serbian market. I hope this new nonstop service between Belgrade and Amsterdam will serve as an optimistic symbol for the future and will offer the public additional opportunities to visit the world and meet with friends and family that live in other countries. I also hope that these flights will strengthen business ties between Serbia and the Netherlands”. The Dutch Embassy in Serbia noted, "These flights come at a time when our two countries are becoming increasingly interlinked. This includes almost one billion euros in bilateral trade, 2.8 billion in foreign direct investment,  and over 17.000 people employed by Dutch companies. With KLM as a bridge, we are looking forward to seeing these numbers go up - the sky's the limit". 

KLM’s new Belgrade service will offer good transfer opportunities to Madrid, Dublin and Edinburgh. The carrier will complement Air Serbia on the route, with the two to continue codesharing. KLM last operated flights to Belgrade prior to the collapse of the former Yugoslavia. The airline initially commenced services to the city on October 1, 1931 when it served as one of the stops on its route from Amsterdam to Jakarta, then known as Batavia in the Dutch East Indies. In the pre-pandemic 2019, a total of 176.461 passengers travelled between Belgrade and Amsterdam.