Air Serbia has announced the launch of three new routes, which will see the airline maintain four destinations each in Spain and Italy. Starting April 21, the carrier will inaugurate new scheduled flights between Belgrade and Valencia, as well as seasonal services to two new destinations in Europe - Bari and Palma de Mallorca, while summer operations to Rijeka will be restored after two and a half years. Flights between Belgrade and Valencia will operate twice per week, each Wednesday and Saturday, during April and May, and then on Thursday and Sunday from early June. The national airline will deploy an Airbus A319 aircraft on its third route to Spain. From June 5, until the end of the summer season in late October, Air Serbia will deploy its ATR72 aircraft on the Belgrade - Bari service with three weekly rotations planned, each Monday, Thursday and Sunday. The airline had previously operated charter flights to Apulia’s capital city, prior to the pandemic.
Starting June 11, the Serbian carrier will run flights between Belgrade and Palma de Mallorca twice per week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Air Serbia will deploy its Airbus A319 aircraft to its fourth destination in Spain, after Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia. So far, the airline has only maintained charter flights to Palma de Mallorca. During the 2019 summer season, a total of twenty charters were performed between the two cities, carrying more than 5.000 passengers. On the other hand, Belgrade and Rijeka will be connected twice weekly, each Wednesday and Saturday, from June 15 until September 17. Air Serbia introduced flights to Croatia’s biggest port city in June 2019, with the last flight operated in December of that year, after which they were suspended until further notice. The route will be served by an ATR72 aircraft.
| Destination | Launch date |
|---|---|
| Valencia | APR 21 |
| Bari | JUN 05 |
| Palma de Mallorca | JUN 11 |
| Rijeka | JUN 15 |
Click on link for flight details
Commenting on the new network additions, Air Serbia’s Head of Sales, Boško Rupić, said, “We are happy that we are significantly improving and diversifying our network by carefully choosing new destinations, in line with passengers’ wishes and strategic plans for future expansion. With the latest additions, we are further strengthening our position, primarily in Italy and Spain, offering our passengers from the entire region greater choice when planning their trips and summer vacations. We are convinced that reactions will be positive, considering that some of the new destinations are becoming directly available from Belgrade for the very first time. In the following period, we will continue to develop in that direction, and we look forward to introducing more new routes”.
This was to be expected. Wondering which new routes we might see
ReplyDeleteIn 2020 they announced their planned new routes at the start of February so I think we will know soon :)
DeletePerhaps we see some regional routes. Ohrid, Mostar...
DeleteYes, ohrid and varna/burgas might be very busy
DeleteLike the article says, new routes are Valencia, Palma, Bari and Rijeka.
DeleteI think they will add also Varna, Krakow, Lwov, Chisinau...
DeleteI don't think Lviv will be launched considering the looming crisis (threat of war) in Ukraine.
DeleteBari should be year-round.
DeleteHow many new destination will they introduce?
ReplyDelete3-4
DeleteAfter all Air Serbia will be the only air carrier in ex-Yu.
ReplyDeleteHow? There are still OU and Air Montenegro.
DeleteBut if that happens people will complain that the name is too aggressive and nationalistic for only functional airline in the ex yu 🙄
DeleteTaking in consideration how agressively they open new markets OU will lose any chance (actually they have lost long time ago) to compete with them and YM2 is anyhow lost case.
DeleteIf happens what? If you think about OUs bankruptcy you are very naive.
DeleteI am sure there were many who thought exactly the same about Malev, Cyprus Airways, Estonian...
DeleteIm really sure you dont know what are you talking about.
DeleteI guess they will also add some Airbuses to the fleet too
ReplyDeleteThey will have to if they want to avoid wet leasing a plane like last summer.
DeleteNew A320 would be a nice addition this summer
DeleteHaha, they don't want to avoid, new CEO likes cooperating with his ACMI company
Delete@12,21
DeleteWhats wrong with that? They needed short term capacity due to a short lived spike in demand. If they didn't make money from it they wouldn't of done it.
You would also know that they are 2 aircraft down this winter compared to summer 2021. Had they leased additional aircraft long term this summer they would be sitting in BEG this winter decorating the airport for 6 months, which obviously is cheap? lease rates, maintenance, 0 income and additional staff, nothing really. Even better since maintenance is no longer done in BEG.
In my opinion they will introduce central and east European routes like they have been saying as this can be done with new ATRs.
ReplyDeleteOut of the list of top unserved routes, they could easily start Bologna, Trieste and Krakow with ATR.
DeleteActually I think that all new introduced routes will be done with new ATRs.
DeleteWe had bologna from niš. Subsided.
DeleteI would love if they started Amman. The country has been open for quite some time, you only need a PCR test, visa on arrival for Serbian citizens without any need of registration, and good transfer potential via BEG to other destinations.
ReplyDeleteAnd they could also sell it in cooperation with tour operators for tour groups.
DeleteWhy?
Delete^ well he gave you a reason...
DeleteThe issue with AMM might be that it is a long rotation by JU standards.
DeleteSo? They can operate it during the night like they did Beirut.
DeleteShorter than MAD
Delete@09,15
DeleteAMM was to be launched in 2020 but was canceled with the rest of the destinations on that list.
AMM was still able to capture some Euro destinations but not all despite being a longer rotation. ROV and now VLC are another 2 examples of this as well.
To me it seems like it will be a good year for JU.
ReplyDeleteI hope they will also restore Tel Aviv. Israel has reopened for all tourists for all countries. You just need to have been vaccinated.
ReplyDeleteGreat news
ReplyDeleteI think they might start Lviv and Chisinau from their 2020 expansion plans. Possibly add Krakow.
ReplyDeleteAnd all will probably feed Montenegro their routes well too like Russians last year.
DeleteI also think Air Serbia is getting back to the original plans from 2020
DeleteNice. I doubt we will see something exotic although I would love to see them start Tbilisi, Baku or Yerevan.
ReplyDeleteNot this year but it's definitively on their agenda, as you can read the text above JU will focus mainly on European market and regional routes.
DeleteGood to see the expansion. I just hope it pays off.
ReplyDeleteLooks as if it will be a strong year for JU.
ReplyDeleteGreat news
ReplyDeleteLong haul seems to be about the only thing they are not developing.
ReplyDeleteMaybe in 2023.
DeleteAdditional long haul routes planned for September this year. Let's see if that plan still stands.
DeleteAir Serbia always has regional and short haul network changes as their priorities. By the time Air Serbia is ready to talk about long haul, A330 leasing prices will be higher and they will say: too bad, we really wanted to expand long haul but we can't afford it now.
DeleteARA lease cost was roughly double than what they pay now and they still launched JFK.
DeleteNice! Looking forward to expansion in 2022
ReplyDeleteEverything seems to be on the right track even with virus situation.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a busy summer coming up
ReplyDeleteNice way to start 2022 :)
ReplyDeleteGood start JU. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteChisinau would be a good choice. They have a massive diaspora especially in Italy so that's the market JU is going for.
ReplyDeleteThere is huge Moldavian diaspora in France as well, same goes for Ukrainian diaspora in Italy and France so Lviv as a new route also makes sense.
DeleteHopefully cheaper flights to Sarajevo
ReplyDeleteI would like to see Lisbon in their timetable
ReplyDeleteRotation is too long, but I would love to see it to.
DeleteWizz had it planned last year but nothing came of it.
Pandemic was a reason for cancelling LIS with W6 the same like TKU
DeleteIn 2020 three routes were shortlisted but didn't make the cut in the end: Valencia, Budapest, & Oslo. They went with Oslo later on. I wonder if Valencia or Budapest may be launched.
ReplyDeleteI know they tried to make a go of BUD before and failed but I think this time they have a stronger chance.
DeleteWell done Air Serbia!!
ReplyDeleteGreat expansion. Love it!
ReplyDeleteGreat to see Valencia become a year round route!
ReplyDeleteGreat!
ReplyDeleteWe are expecting more wesetern Europe and Italy destinations.
What are you waiting for Bologna/Florence/Pisa, central Italy is craving for flights. Very reasonable.
It's interesting that Bari has the most frequencies out of the new routes
ReplyDeleteAmman coming up for 2022 expansion, while for long haul I guess we`ll know more in the matter of weeks when Vučić goes to China
ReplyDeleteIt's not coming up. It's written in the article which destinations are launching in 2022.
Delete^ There will be more new routes announced soon :)
DeletePlease refer to the last sentence in the article which leaves the opportunity for further expansion in 2022.
DeleteCongratulations Air Serbia on the expansion. Good choice of routes, focusing on leisure destinations which were very successful for JU in 2021.
ReplyDeleteGood to see at least one ex-Yu airline expanding.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteSafe choices for summer.
ReplyDeleteNice. I just wish they included Lisbon!
ReplyDeletePerhaps they will. Be patient :)
DeleteSplit schedules for all routes
ReplyDeleteExcept Rijeka :)
DeleteCongratulations JU! And shame on you OU!
ReplyDeleteYou must be happy RJK is back!
DeleteI am happy with any new service at any ex-yu airport. I am also happy when any ex-yu airline grow. I would be happier if OU is developing the same way JU does. That's why I say congrats to JU and shame on OU. It has nothing to do with the new RJK service and me being happy or unhappy about it.
DeleteSo 4 destinations in Spain, 4 in Italy and 6 in Croatia. Nice
ReplyDeleteIs SPU going to grew in frequencies this summer vs 2021?
DeleteIs ZAD going to be given a chance again?
No wonder Spain is being added. Serbian citizens are welcome.
ReplyDeleteBut it's completely opposite in Italy. Wonder why they opted for Bari and are restarting Venice and increasing Rome and Milan.
DeleteIf RJK struggled 2 years ago, why return it?
ReplyDeleteIt did not struggle in peak summer, which is when they will be operating it this year.
DeleteRJK will pay JU to fly there as before.
DeleteRJK has barely money to pay wages to its employees. It was paying to JU before, when situation was much better, for year-round, precisely winter flights. Peak season flights are full and do not require to be subsidized neither RJK has money for it.
DeleteI also don't think RJK is paying them. From what I saw the schedule was revised and fares are not that cheap. What Rijeka did was to give them massive discounts which is ok. RJK will now connect onto JU's entire network which is cool.
DeleteThey should focus more in Greece , schedule flights to HER,RHO,CFU,JTR even VOL which has many Serbian tourists during summer in the Thessaly region .
ReplyDeleteGreece is a bit more challenging since there is a lot more competition. You have both Wizz Air and Aegean which are going after the leisure market with their A321s. What JU could do is introduce nighttime flights to HER. After all Crete is home to some 600.000 people and has a massive diaspora.
DeleteWith exception to Rijeka, I think these are the first time these routes are being operated out of BEG.
ReplyDeleteOn a scheduled basis yes
DeleteFinally Spain! VLC is becoming quite popular, similar to AGP. Even CNN recently claimed it is better than Barcelona!!
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/33204/why-cnn-thinks-valencia-is-one-of-the-best-destinations-for-2022
From what I have heard, it is also becoming popular among digital nomads and is still cheaper compared to Madrid or Barcelona.
Mallorca is the second Germany for years now. I love the island but way too many Germans in some places. I prefer to see locals but with 30 million arrivals in 2019, I cannot blame them and this is only by air. There are thousands of visits by boat.
Bari is very nice, I have been there and also Lecce and its surroundings. There is a lot to see in the area. I was staying in a small guesthouse in Bari run by a very friendly Serbian lady. She told me that there is a Yugoslav community over there.
Launch fares are good
ReplyDeleteRijeka from 89 EUR
Bari from 129 EUR
Valencia and Palam from 159 EUR
Great to see that they are moving some destination from just charter to schedule service like Palma. Hopefully JU will do the same with Rhodes, Crete, Corfu... before they lost that market completely and for charter too
ReplyDeleteThey could launch Portoroz with ATR. It has landed in Portoroz before.
ReplyDeleteUnexpected but absolutely exciting !
ReplyDeleteNow JU will have four destinations in Spain, i dont know what i can wish more .
It even is perfect for round trips to the Balearic islands.
Flying into Valencia then taking the ferry to Ibiza (absolutely gorgeous!) .
From Ibiza with ferry to Mallorca and flying back to Belgrade.
Or flying to Barcelona and taking the ferry to Mallorca .
My goodness Ibiza is such a wonderful place.
DeleteMuch recommended!!!