Air Serbia commences major network expansion

NEWS FLASH

Air Serbia has launched the first of 22 new routes to be added to its network over the coming months, with the introduction of flights between Belgrade and Budapest. The service, which will initially run ten times per week, and gradually increase to seventeen weekly from mid-April, is being maintained with the ATR72-600 aircraft. It marks the airline’s return on the route following an eight-year hiatus. Air Serbia’s CEO, Jiri Marek, recently told EX-YU Aviation News the service is primarily targeting transfer passengers. “It is not natural that an airline with our ambition does not serve Budapest. Yes, it is heavily penetrated by low cost carriers [LCCs], amassing over 100 destinations, however, LCCs are typically operating few frequencies, hence, it is logical that our strategy on the Budapest route should target connecting traffic”. He added, “Our biggest competitor will be the Lufthansa Group, namely Austrian Airlines, and we see a lot of similarities on this route with Zagreb. It is a destination which can also be easily reached by car, however, travelling to Budapest is much more challenging than to Zagreb due to border crossing queues and control in the summer which can take up to several hours. Our primary goal is not the point-to-point market because once the fast-speed train [between Belgrade and Budapest] is established, it will become the most convenient travel option. However, at the moment, the heavy schedule is there to have perfect connectivity and point-to-point is pure increment. We decided to go heavy because there is no reason why Budapest should not work and develop as well as our Zagreb route”. Last week, Air Serbia, together with Budapest Airport, hosted a B2B event for Hungarian tour operators. Budapest Airport's Airline Development Director, Balazs Bogats, noted, “Hungary has always had a good relationship with Serbia, so it is fantastic to once again see Belgrade on our route map. I am certain that the new flights are destined to succeed and will quickly become popular with Hungarian and Serbian travellers alike. This is the highest number of seats we have offered to Serbia and testament to the considerable market demand we are experiencing”.