Air Serbia will introduce flights between Belgrade and Nice from next month. Flights between the two cities will commence on September 19 and run twice per week, on Thursdays and Sundays, with the Airbus A319 aircraft. The airline will compete directly against Wizz Air on the route, which also maintains two weekly flights from mid-September, on Tuesdays and Sundays. Further flight details for Air Serbia’s new Nice service can be found here. Tickets are now available for purchase through the airline's website. The city becomes its third destination in France, complementing Paris Charles de Gaulle and Lyon.
Air Serbia has already served Nice in the past. The city was introduced as part of its 2019 expansion as a summer seasonal destination. Following disruption during the coronavirus pandemic, the carrier scheduled its return to the city in the summer of 2022, however, shelved those plans after Wizz Air introduced the same route. As a result, the Serbian carrier will return to Nice after five years. Over the majority of the summer months, Wizz Air maintains three weekly flights to Nice and the service has proven popular. This winter, Air Serbia and Wizz Air will compete head-to-head from Belgrade on nine routes, including Nice, Barcelona, Berlin, Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Hamburg, Larnaca, Lisbon, and Malta.
Commenting on the new route launch, Air Serbia's General Manager for Commercial and Strategy, Boško Rupić, said, "Air Serbia introduced nonstop flights between Serbia and Nice in June 2019, as a seasonal service. Today, I am pleased to announce that scheduled flights to this destination will launch on September 19. Nice is one of the most attractive cities on the French Riviera, and a very popular tourist destination in Europe. Bringing this city back into our growing network of destinations enables a fast and comfortable link, as well as good connections from Nice via Belgrade to a large number of cities around the world".
Air Serbia’s CEO, Jiri Marek, recently said the carrier would introduce new routes to its network this winter. “There will be some positive surprises when we decide to keep some summer routes over the winter. We also plan to introduce new shorter destinations during the winter”, the CEO said in June. Although the Serbian carrier has made no confirmation so far, the CEO of Mostar Airport has said the seasonal route, which was launched this summer, would be extended into the winter months. Air Serbia has already upgraded its flights to Ankara, Hannover, and Naples for operation throughout the upcoming 2024/25 winter season. The three were suspended mid-way through the winter of 2023/24 and restored this summer. Further afield, the Serbian carrier is expected to schedule its new service to Shanghai shortly, which is expected to launch before the end of the year.
Well was not expecting Nice!
ReplyDeleteWell was not expected, Nice.
DeleteLOL!
DeleteSurely not in winter. I would not consider going there between Nov to Mar! South of Spain, Faro, AGA, Canarias, Cyprus, maybe even HER/CHQ or CTA/MLA make all sense but not this one at all.
DeleteI guess there is enough demand in winter since Wizz is flying the route in winter.
DeleteWhy not Dublin already?
ReplyDeleteEverlasting story of visa for Serbian passport holders.
DeleteI heard it from a colleague who went on business trip to Cork, you cannot enter anymore with UK visa, you need Irish visa.
Irish visa is not difficult to get. Unlike UK visa.
DeleteIts not difficult to us whose companies are solving all those paper work, but for an individual whose preparing himself/herself, its pain in the bottom.
DeleteIt's not just the procedure, unless people *really* wanna go to the UK/Ireland, why would they bother with the visa? The cost is not minuscule, and although both countries have immense histories so do many others that do not require visas. Until visas are abolished there won't be any flights to Ireland and the new routes to the UK will be minimal.
DeleteDon't forget that Ireland is only this year opening their embassy in Belgrade.
Delete@anon 10:10
DeleteAbsolutely not true, you can still enter Ireland with a UK short-term visa as long as you've entered the UK before entering Ireland (it can even be on separate trips).
As Vlad said, absolutely not true - I recently went to Cork, and entered Ireland with a Serbian passport and a UK visa. Please check the facts before you post.
DeleteOfficial info: https://www.irishimmigration.ie/coming-to-visit-ireland/short-stay-visa-waiver-programme/
Does anyone have any insights if something is being done between our and UK government to solve the visa situ???
Delete12:13
DeleteNothing
Anon @10:55
DeleteWhere can one read about opening of the Irish embassy?
It was in the news some months ago, try Googling it.
Deletehttps://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/2b55f-government-to-open-five-new-overseas-missions-under-global-ireland-programme/
DeleteService to Dublin would be met with retaliation by Ryanair.
DeleteAs long as racist visas are in place we don't need the flights to Dublin or more flights to the UK.
DeleteLooks like they are finally going after Wizz Air.
ReplyDeleteYes, even one of the days is the same.
DeleteReturn of the Jedi.
DeleteWizz hit them in LCA with a morning flight on Friday and a late flight on Sunday so JU is responding by attacking them on BEG-NCE.
DeleteJU flights are perfectly timed both for locals and transfers.
Shame they could not react earlier to all the Wizz cuts. But better later than never.
DeleteWizz will have to react otherwise they will continue to lose marketshare. JU is slowly recovering and they are in the mood to fight. Mind you, they are not the only one, just look at the Lufthansa Group in BEG. They keep on boosting capacity from all of their hubs.
DeleteI would assume airlines don't attack each other? They likely see market opportunity that they can capture with their product. Airserbia thinks they can offer a competitive product at their price point and expand capacity in France. From Airserbia point of view, there is an unmet need that they think they can fill. Never flown on wizzair, but I avoid Frontier, Spirit in US, I gladly pay extra $200 for Delta, Jetblue or American
DeleteThey attack each other all the time because they want to kick out their competition and takeover the market. Then they can incrwse prices like Wizz did when they crushed JU in NCE the last time
DeleteIf that's what customers want, then get it. They pay, airlines provide a service.
DeleteI as a consumer hope there will be more and more competition between the two. It's working just fine in Beograd
DeleteBravo Air Serbia 🇷🇸🇷🇸🇷🇸
ReplyDeleteExcellent news
ReplyDeleteDoes this actually make sense, Nice in winter? Not much of diaspora in Southern France.
ReplyDeleteWizz operates it year round
DeleteI know. Air Serbia has connecting flights, too. Maybe some Russian owned real estate is a contributing factor. I hope it might work.
DeleteIt might have something to do with China expansion too.
DeleteThey probably would have added it from the start of summer but were unable to because of lack of aircraft. Since some seasonal routes end in middle of September, like the Greek holiday destinations, then they probably had spare capacity.
DeleteIt is a great news, so many Serbs lives in the French Riviera coast :)
DeleteDo you think Serbs would be the only ones using this route?
DeleteWho else?
DeleteTake a guess.
DeleteMy guess is Hungarians and Romanians
DeletePlus Balkans
DeleteWow so they launch it in just a month!
ReplyDeleteGreat fares available at the moment. Just 100 EUR return
ReplyDeleteSo it begins :) hope we see some more routes added.
ReplyDeleteInteresting they choose A319 over E195.
ReplyDeleteI think they put A319 by default and then they might change it.
DeleteIs it cost per seat on A319 similar to the one on E195?
DeleteNo because the E95 is much lighter and has 25 less seats.
DeleteBut E195 does not carry as much cargo as A319 can.
DeleteYes but very few markets have enough cargo to make a difference.
DeleteLet's goo
ReplyDeleteWhile it's great they added a new route I would have preferred if it was unserved.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteToo bad they don't ask you for your opinion before launching a new route...
DeleteYou should see if they have opportunities at their corporate office and apply. Maybe you can then have better understanding of how they plan their routes and share the details with us on this wonderful blog 😀
DeleteI'm actually very curious how these decisions are made and much time they spend to determine what routes/services to pursue
JU has many openings at the HQ since many people quit
DeleteNow all they have to do is restore Marseille :D
ReplyDeleteMaybe if they add more E90s. That route was perfect for the E75 when they had it.
DeleteHope it comes back
DeleteSure, Marseille is second largest city in France. Also one destination is needed in western France, like Nantes, Bordeaux or Rennes
DeleteE195’s are postponed again… DCV needs serious punishment
DeleteDefinitely attacking Wizz
ReplyDeleteLet's see who wins
DeleteI think both can coexist, although my guess is JU will out E195 on the route in the end.
DeletePassengers win for the time being. <3
DeleteThat's true. Looking forward to the pricing war
DeleteI’m based at Cannes and I need to take Wizz from Nice to Belgrade, Wizz’s price are too expensive, you can it for 500€, imagine
DeleteNow thanks to JU they won't be able to charge that much.
DeleteHow many weekly flights do they have to Lyon?
ReplyDelete2 weekly
DeleteSo in total 18 weekly flights to France by Air Serbia.
DeleteAnd 10 weekly by Wizz Air from BEG to France, but 6 weekly in winter.
DeleteFantastic news. So so far we are sure to have new routes for winter:
ReplyDelete1) Nice
2) Guangzhou
3) Shanghai
Mostar for sure will be in the winter schedule.
DeleteMaybe Baku and Cairo too
DeleteSo much for the doom and gloom scenario predicted by some experts.
DeleteThat's old news. New fetish are the wetleases and how the entire world hates them.
DeleteWet leases have been around for quite a few years, nothing new there.
DeleteOf course, that's how normal people reason.
DeleteSo why mention that wet leases are a new fetish, when people have been complaining about them for years? Nothing new there.
DeleteThey have not complained about them. No one cared in reality until a certain person and his friend started nagging about it online.
DeleteTrue dat.
DeleteWe had some people here announcing Cluj but that is yet to happen.
DeletePlease start MAN and DUB next.
ReplyDeleteCommenting on potential new routes, Mr Marek said, “Unserved destinations with the highest share of point-to-point demand are Dublin and Manchester but neither has been launched by a low cost carrier, which means that logically that can only be introduced if you have the hub behind. I am not indicating that those will be the destinations we will be opening but we are looking at them”,
Deletehttps://www.exyuaviation.com/2024/06/air-serbia-plans-new-romania.html
Yes. Please BEG-MAN (and return)
DeleteInteresting and surprising choice in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteGood luck JU
ReplyDeleteBravo JU! Kick wizz where it hurts xD
ReplyDeleteWinter is coming...and I can't wait.
ReplyDeleteho- ho! What expansion. Air Serbia is almost on the limit.
ReplyDeleteThe limit depends on how many aircraft they have.
Delete@10:41
DeleteAnd labor.
And maintenance of planes.
DeleteWhere to?
DeleteNice Has a significant Russian Diaspora. Not sure if this new route will connect well from Moscow.
ReplyDeleteThey will, they have a very good schedule to NCE and it's not tight in either direction.
DeleteNice.
DeleteNice is nice.
DeleteRegarding Nice, Bre(a)st:
Deletehttps://img-9gag-fun.9cache.com/photo/ajV3pNp_460s.jpg
Hahaha fantastic
DeleteThis is a lot considering Wizz Air's network size from BEG
ReplyDelete"This winter, Air Serbia and Wizz Air will compete head-to-head from Belgrade on nine routes, including Nice, Barcelona, Berlin, Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Hamburg, Larnaca, Lisbon, and Malta."
It is great for passengers to have competing airlines on the same route. Wondering why JU does not consider EIN where Wizz is rocking, upgrading BEG from 4 to 5pw this coming winter
ReplyDeleteWell, Air Serbia as a legacy carrier flies to AMS.
DeleteOMO, SPU, DBV nothing?
ReplyDeleteNope, not enough pilots
DeleteSPU and DBV should not be year round.
DeleteSPU & DBV could probably work twice weekly in winter.
DeleteSurely not.
DeleteNo demand in winter both airports barely have 20.000 passengers outside the summer
DeleteI want Geneva back :) I know they could not care less about what I want but it would just be perfect, having in ming dreadful schedule Easyjet is maintaining in winter.
ReplyDeleteGeneva would be great!
Delete+1. With normal schedule, on Friday, Monday and maybe Wednesday from Belgrade. It would be amazing. Prices on U2 or DS are close to legacy prices when all essential auxiliaries are included.
DeleteAlicante-Elche, when? It is a must.
ReplyDeleteAgree. I hope they add Alicante soon
DeleteI would like to see Baku, Cairo, Cluj and Shanghai by the end of the year, OMO and SPU all year round, Helsinki, Warshaw, Miami next year.
ReplyDelete100%
Delete+ MUC next year.
DeleteWith LH increasing MUC to 21 forget about JU flying there.
DeleteAgree, MIA and CAI should be next destinations..Personally would love to see one route to Canary Islands, but I'm not sure about seasonality, and the length of flight is about 5h...Also, BOM in India should be working well..
DeleteThey need to add Manchester or Birmingham..it's only London airserbia has in the whole UK 🇬🇧
ReplyDeletePlease not Baku!
ReplyDeleteYerevan (Armenian diaspora in USA)and Tbilisi (massive inbound tourism) are best in the Caucasus region.