Air Serbia plans to introduce flights to China’s sixth largest city of Tianjin in just over a month, with services expected to be scheduled in the coming weeks. The airline was granted a permit by Chinese authorities to operate a one weekly passenger and cargo service to the city. “In the long haul sector, China is one of the three most important markets. And it is forecast to grow much faster than already mature markets such as North America. In addition, there is great demand there for both passenger and freight. Another reason [for selecting the Chinese market] is that Chinese travellers do not need a visa to visit Serbia, and Serbian citizens do not need a visa to enter China. This is very rare in Europe. So, China was the logical choice for Air Serbia”, Air Serbia’s CEO, Jiri Marek, told “Aero Telegraph”.
The airline remains committed to launching operations to Beijing and Shanghai once pandemic-related restrictions in China are lifted. “We would have preferred to start with Beijing and Shanghai. However, there are very strict restrictions in China due to the pandemic and also with regard to market access. So, you can't just fly wherever you want. Tianjin was the best alternative. Even if we get the opportunity to introduce the Belgrade - Beijing and Belgrade - Shanghai routes, we might keep Tianjin. The city is connected to Beijing with a thirty-minute bullet train and is one of the largest cargo hubs in the country. So, for now it's an alternative but has the potential to become a permanent Air Serbia destination”, Mr Marek said. He added, “We are planning at least two weekly flights to Beijing and two to Shanghai with the possibility of increasing the frequency to three weekly and also serving Tianjin depending on the results”.
Commenting on the potential for Air Serbia to serve other markets in Asia, Mr Marek noted, “Our core strategic approach is to look for destinations that allow year-round operations. China offers that, and that is why we will develop the Chinese market first. However, in the long run, we could also envisage other goals, perhaps more distant or closer”. Besides cities in China, the busiest unserved destinations in Asia out of Belgrade during the pre-pandemic 2019, when the entire continent was still open for travel, included Bangkok, Delhi, Tokyo, Seoul, Singapore, Phuket, Denpasar (Bali), Male (Maldives), Ashgabat and Mumbai.
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If they plan to operate all three cities it means a third A330 is coming.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely. If next summer they start Beijing, Shanghai, keep Tianjin plus launch Chicago, New York goes daily and use wide body on popular European routes like they said they would then we will definitely see a third A330 next summer season.
DeleteThey barely have enough people to work on one A330, two is going to be impossible, 3 is fairytale...
DeleteThey are currently training all their cabin crew on the A330 and some pilots.
DeleteThey should be starting ticket sales soon. It's almost mid September.
ReplyDeleteI'm really interested to see what will be the fares like.
DeleteWonder if it will be similar to JFK or if the fares will be outrageous because the flights are limited to one per week.
DeleteHainan Airlines is quite pricey on the BEG route.
DeleteFares will probably be cheapish for transfer passengers. As for point to point, I'm not so sure.
DeletePity there are no plans to serve other markets in Far East Asia for the time being.
ReplyDeleteSo they plan to start PEK even though Hainan Airlines is operating the route?
ReplyDeleteSeems like it. Maybe they cooperate
DeleteStupidness .
DeleteRoute can sustain two airlines. The route had huge numbers even when there was no nonstop service.
DeleteAnother big step in the development of Air Serbia.
ReplyDeleteGood luck.
ReplyDeleteStill laughing about the fact that Ashgabat is highlighted as one of the main unserved routes!
ReplyDeleteSerbia-Turkmenistan trade:
Delete2019: $457.000
2020: $6.06 million
2021: $15.172 million
'Serbia mainly exports military goods to Turkmenistan. Turkmenistan exports potassium chloride, urea-fertilizer, polypropylene in primary forms and toilet plastic products to our country. These four imported products account for 100% of total imports from Turkmenistan.'
From the MFA website.
Hmmm, I heard their potassium was inferior.
DeleteYes, Air Serbia should completely throw out any future plans of flying to Turkmenistan because of bad potassium.
DeleteIt's true. Kazakhstan number one exported of potassium, all other countries have inferior potassium.
DeleteOk, fair enough. In that case Air Serbia can just replace Turkmenistan flights with Kazakhstan ones. ;)
DeleteThey should get the government to force the Serbian Tour Organization to form a marketing strategy for Tianjin. It's a large enough market to sustain 2 weekly flights if they get tourists to start coming to Serbia. One weekly flight is useless especially in terms of overall connectivity for transfer passengers.
ReplyDeleteOne weekly comment is obviously referring to the post-pandemic period.
Turkey is a fantastic example of how well you can develop a certain market. Arrivals are through the roof right now. Good luck finding a ticket to IST in the next 30 days that's under $300. The other day I saw SAW-BEG flights for €900 one way. Unfortunately airlines are restricted by a bilateral otherwise there would be more flights.
"They should get the government to force the Serbian Tour Organization to form a marketing strategy for Tianjin"
DeleteConsidering who is leading it and who works there, don't expect miracles.
Indeed though it makes you wonder if JU has people in the commercial department who could/would push through such a proposal. Serbia positioned itself well in China and Turkey in the past but probably because it was a high priority national project (and a good one).
DeleteJU will need to do a lot of work to make these flights work and sustain passengers. I hope they have put a lot of planning into it, not just in terms of marketing but also stuff like having announcements in Chinese on the plane, Chinese options on IFE and so on.
DeleteJU needs to make sure good employees come back to the HQ and that people stop leaving.
Delete@9.29 +100
DeleteHope they have a good GSA in China. They will need it to make a market like China work. Also they will need Weibo and other Chinese social media accounts for marketing. They will have to alter catering and introduce Asian meal on these flights and make sure to have Chinese markings in the plane, on the IFE system etc.
The Minister for Tourism in Serbia is quite a nice and smart lady. In actual fact, one the rare ones with brains in the government and she did some great work in the last few years. I don't know if she will remain in government now that a new one will be formed or if she will retain her ministry but I really hope so.
DeleteINI - IST, 9.000 RSD on Sep 20th... there you go :)
DeleteI think it's a good strategy.
ReplyDeleteI expected Tianjin will only be a temporary move. Although I don’t think it’s a bad idea at all.
ReplyDeleteIt’s good that they will start China soon and use the current opportunities of being basically the only airline able to fly over Russia, cutting down on travel time compared to other European airlines and making themselves more competitive.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteSerbia will probably be one of the first countries Chinese authorities will let their citizens travel to. There is likely to be a huge increase in demand when that happens.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how all of this will impact Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, Flydubai which carry a lot of transfers.
ReplyDeleteNeither of those three are currently carrying transfers from China so they will be fine.
DeleteAir Serbia’s blessing is that Aeroflot can no longer fly to BEG. They were the main transfer airline for Chinese passengers.
Delete^ It turned out to be a blessing for them in more ways than one.
DeleteAir serbia needs to start Lagos flights. Mega potential!
ReplyDeleteYou already said it a million times. Don't think Lagos is in any of their plans.
DeleteLagos must be in their plans! Africa is the future and lets start from the capital of Africa!
DeleteOk...
DeleteOk??? Wdym?
DeleteI agree that Africa is 2nd market with the biggest potential they should look at. However, without Non-allied movement and links formedćr Yugoslavia had with Africa, I doubt it will come soone. Maybe in 5-10 years some perspectives will open there. Here I am talking about subsaharian Africa, as North Africa as the Euromediteranian region should be "attacked" ASAP.
DeleteHey man you forgot to mention that you fly there 10 times a day and that the flights are full!
DeleteCapital of Africa? I would rather put that in Cairo or Johannesburg.
DeleteThere is no need for JU to launch flights to that part of Africa. They are in bed with TK right now so they can conclude one of their expensive code-share agreements and cover the entire continent via Istanbul.
DeleteOther option is to see if their future Cairo flights will connect nicely onto MS' African network.
Very nice. Well done JU.
ReplyDeleteDone what?? Planning to, hoping for, getting ready to...
DeleteFinalised lease for second A330, got permit for China flights and will launch China flights in 50 days. So yes, well done JU.
DeleteNego sta nego Well Done JU!!!
DeleteIs there any indication when China might ease these Covid restrictions which seem really crazy?
ReplyDeletehttps://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2022-08-02/china-s-covid-zero-strategy-could-last-years-under-xi
DeleteI believe they will lift most restrictions next year.
DeleteI believe they'll do it after party congress in late October.
DeleteHope so
DeleteHope their fares will be competitive.
ReplyDeleteAnyone know the schedule for these flights?
ReplyDeleteHopefully they have a good partner there who can help them cover domestic market as well as regional destinations.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if they will cooperate with Hainan Airlines.
DeleteFlying to Tianjin is hardly the destination to make things work
ReplyDeleteIt's an outstanding and strategically located destination during this temporary bridging-period of China being closed.
DeleteWouldn't it be smarter to launch this in summer 2023 instead of winter 2022/23?
ReplyDeleteThe opportunity is there now to profit from the current situation in the world.
DeleteIt looks like a good opportunity for JU, especially with many European airlines still not flying to China and especially since European airlines have to avoid Russian airspace, adding a lot of flight time.
DeleteCommercially, it makes sense.
DeleteApparently they have also managed to get overflight discounts from the Russians and airport discounts from the Chinese.
DeleteI think this route, at least in the early days, will have a lot to do with cargo.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely. Cargo will probably bring in more money than the sale of tickets.
DeleteOne week from today they start Kazan <3
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting Kazan was not presented at all through media as new destination, not even news here on this portal.
DeleteI have some feeling JU asked press not to release these information as Russia is sensitive topic these days.
Can't wait for the flights to start!
ReplyDeleteWith good pricing, they could get all sort of transfers across Europe.
ReplyDeleteThey should work towards having a codeshare with one of the Chinese carriers on this route.
ReplyDeleteAgree. That way we can get access to their domestic and international networks
DeleteI'm interested to see if any of their European codeshare partners will codeshare on these Chinese flights. Like for example Aegean, Bulgaria Air etc.
DeleteI doubt it. Does anyone codeshare on their flights to New York?
DeleteMontenegro Airlines and Atlas Global used to but both went bankrupt. I think Etihad still does.
DeleteIt was reported on here that they are working on a codeshare with a US carrier so soon enough I suppose we'll get a B6 code on BEG-JFK which is more than enough.
DeleteEtihad made few days ago agreegment with JetBlue and increased their flights to JFK. I hope Air Serbia will follow the example
Deletehttps://www.businesstraveller.com/business-travel/2022/09/12/uae-carrier-etihad-outlines-us-growth-plans/
Great news about these flights. I can't wait until they are finally loaded into the system.
ReplyDeleteWhat about Hong Kong? I think it has big potential for flights from BEG.
ReplyDeleteYes, I remember reading it is one of the top unserved routes from BEG.
DeleteHong Kong has a lot of passengers because many people from China use it as their starting point for travel to BEG from other cities. Now that there are nonstop flights from mainland, doubt there will be that much demand from Hong Kong.
DeleteIs Hong Kong visa free for Serbian citizens too? I know they have a different visa regime to China.
DeleteYes it is visa free for Serbian citizens. Actually it became visa free even before China introduced visa free travel for Serbian citizens.
Delete@ Anon 10.30
DeleteYes, Hong Kong will be used further, no matter of this flight. Maybe numbers will be a bit smaller.
For some regions flying via HK will still have advantages.
About time to put these flights on sale.
ReplyDeleteOnly serious airline in ex-Yu with some kind of plan and vision.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteYou are totally wrong. It's Croatia Airlines, for sure. Plan : feed Cartel. Executed :hundred percent. Vision : place as much as possible tax money into private Kradeze pockets and fill even more offices with highest class Uhljebs. Executed : hundred percent
DeleteThere would definitely be more O&D traffic if they started Shanghai.
ReplyDeleteThey will have to have a very good sales network in China and marketing to make these work. Chinese prefer to use Chinese airlines. Also they need to find a codeshare partner in China to offer flights beyond Tianjin/Shanghai/Beijing.
ReplyDeleteWho would have thought that Belgrade would have nonstop flights to Tianjin of all places :D
ReplyDeleteI believe there is also a big opportunity for Chinese passengers to use JU's European network to reach their final destination via BEG.
ReplyDeleteChinese passengers can come to Serbia but they need visa to reach their final destination through Air Serbia network !
DeleteSeems like there is a lot of political involvement in this route.
ReplyDeleteAs is the case with most things having to do with China.
DeleteI'm sorry but where do you see political involvement here?
DeleteDon't you ever get bored of singing that tired old tune? In your little world, every intercontinental JU flight is "politically motivated". And even if they were, the current one is profitable and the future one will be too, so politics or no politics, its great that Belgrade is connected on a year-round basis with global megalopolises. A breath of fresh air when compared to cyclical, and often dismal, connectivity in the region.
DeleteTianjin is not global megalopolis, that's where you see the political momentum. It's completelly unknown destination to Serbian population. Why rushing to start flying there in winter if not because of politics.
DeleteIt is being 'rushed' because now is the chance to capture a huge number of Chinese passengers that still regularly fly home but have significantly reduced options. Now is the chance because Air Serbia is the only European airline that can fly over Russia, cutting down travel time. Now is the time because of significant cargo.
DeleteBy the time Serbian citizens can enter China, Beijing and Shanghai will be launched.
If it were politics, flights would have been launched years ago.
I think this route to China could be more profitable than New York. You tick all the passenger categories - business, leisure (tourists), O&D for Chinese diaspora and workers, transfers plus lots of cargo.
ReplyDeleteWe have to stop considering "China" as market - there are hundred different markets in China and the success for sure will not be the same at Tianin and Shanghai.
DeleteAnyone know what flight numbers will these flights have?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI don't think Tianjin will work, nothing tells me it will work. It would be good if there's at least some cargo secured. But just the second JU long haul destination shouldn't be experimental.
ReplyDeleteAs long as nothing tells you... they should give you a call from Air Serbia for your advice.
DeleteI'm sure they don't need my advice and I wish them all the best on the route. Peace bro
DeleteAnon 13.25
DeleteThis is a forum and people are free to express their opinion even when they disagree with you or me. I find that your kind of comment brings down the overall quality of debate. You should use your arguments to convince the other person why he is wrong.
+1
DeleteI think that Bali and Bangkok would work out for Air Serbia if they introduce them, maybe even the Maldives.
ReplyDeleteAlways pleasantly surprised by Air Serbia news. Looking forward to more details in coming days and weeks, wondering what else is there for us to discover? A gift that keeps on giving, that interview.
ReplyDelete