Belgrade Airport seeks to develop long haul network

Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport believes its ongoing multi million euro expansion will provide new opportunities for the development of its long haul network and further boost its number of transfer passengers. Serbia is currently the only market in the former Yugoslavia with nonstop long haul flights throughout the year. Air Serbia has maintained services from Belgrade to New York since June 2016. The government has made attempts to secure additional long haul operations by renegotiating Air Service Agreements with Canada and the United States, as well as conducting talks with Chinese and Indian authorities over potential services. In 2017, Chinese carrier Hainan Airlines introduced flights from Beijing to the Serbian capital via Prague, however, those were short-lived, with the service terminated after one year.

During the pre-pandemic 2019, China (excluding Hong Kong) was the largest long haul market from Serbia based on OAG data, just outperforming the United States, which was followed by Canada, Australia, Hong Kong, India, Thailand, Japan, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, South Korea and Singapore. Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport’s operator VINCI recently noted, "Finding new markets and improving existing ones is of utmost importance if we want Belgrade Airport to become a point of reference in our region. We need to provide Air Serbia with the tools to offer new routes - especially long and medium haul routes - as part of its hub strategy”. It added, “We are also convinced that the significant development of the airport will support the growth of passenger traffic, especially transfer traffic. The expansion will allow us to transform the airport into a new regional hub and will provide new opportunities for launching long haul routes, such as the one we have to New York”.

Largest long haul markets from Belgrade Airport, 2019

Serbia and China have finalised a mid-term cooperation agreement until 2025 which outlines when individual projects between the two nations will be implemented. Among them is the introduction of nonstop flights, which has been slated for the second half of this year. However, China’s zero-Covid policy and entry restrictions continue to hinder the possibility of potential services. On the other hand, work on establishing flights between Serbia and Canada is advancing according to the Canadian Embassy in Serbia, noting it is now up to airlines to announce when they will commence operations. Canada’s Ambassador to the country, Giles Norman, said, “In May 2018, the governments of Canada and Serbia signed an Air Transport Agreement that put in place the framework in the cases that the aviation sector begins direct flights. The decision on when to launch direct flights is now a business decision, in the hands of the airlines”. He added, “The introduction of a direct flight between Canada and Serbia would be highly welcomed by the large Serbian and regional diaspora in Canada and the midwestern United States, as well as by businesses from both countries”. Air Canada has considered launching operations to Belgrade, however, a restrictive Air Service Agreement, limiting carriers to two weekly flights, is considered a deterrent.

Last month, the Serbian Minister for Foreign Affairs held talks with Rahul Bhatia, the founder of India’s largest airline IndiGo, over the potential introduction of flights to Belgrade after the number of Indian arrivals into Serbia increased 168% last year compared to the pre-pandemic 2019. The Foreign Minister noted the launch of nonstop operations from Indian cities to the Serbian capital would further improve business and tourism ties. He added that Air Serbia is interested in cooperating with IndiGo, particularly in regard to flights to third countries.