The Serbian Minister for Economy, Adrijana Mesarović, has held talks with the Chairman of Xiamen Air in China, Zhao Dong, over the potential introduction of flights between Xiamen, on China’s eastern coast, and Belgrade. According to Mr Zhao, the airline is looking into potential services to the Serbian capital and how it could benefit from the recently implemented Free Trade Agreement between Serbia and China to increase demand between the two cities. Xiamen Air, a member of the SkyTeam alliance, boasts a fleet of 170 aircraft and close to 100 destinations. In Europe, the carrier maintains flights only to Amsterdam and Paris.
It comes as Air Serbia prepares for the launch of its new Guangzhou service in just over two weeks’ time. Speaking to EX-YU Aviation News, Air Serbia’s CEO, Jiri Marek said, “Going two weekly to Guangzhou, along with China Southern’s two weekly is the optimal schedule. There are currently only two European carriers flying to Guangzhou - us and Turkish Airlines. On the other hand, we see other carriers like British Airways reducing China because the backtracking via the southern route makes a significant difference between Chinese and European carriers. We will also fly the southern route, but Belgrade is much closer to it, so for us it does not have much of an impact”.
Mr Marek noted that connectivity will be the key to making the new Guangzhou service a success. “Guangzhou is now the busiest airport in China. However, these flights are not just limited to that city. You have Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Macau which are easily accessible. We are also targeting a lot of connectivity towards Australia”. China Southern Airlines, which will become the second Chinese carrier to serve Belgrade after Hainan Airlines, will commence flights on the same route on September 25.
Would be great to have another Chinese carrier.
ReplyDeleteIs there really demand from Xiamen?
DeleteWell, they fly to AMS and CDG, there are millions of Chinese who want to visit Europe and could be enticed to come to Belgrade.
DeleteWe can do a lot better on the city tourism front. Showcase our landmarks and other palaces of interest.
There will be if you promote Serbia over there.
DeleteMarek announced several surprises for this winter. Let's see what they are.
Nemjee so is JU interested in flying to Xiamen?
DeleteI am sure JU would be interested in flying pretty much anywhere. It's a whole different matter if they have enough pilots (and planes) to do so.
DeleteSince I work in tourism, I can tell that before covid, around 40% of my guests was from China. There were commercials on their national TV about Serbia, Montenegro, BiH and Macedonia where they could enter without visa and they knew upfront about biggest attractions in all countries. So the demand was huge and they were coming by Aeroflot via Moscow 3 times a day at BEG. Surely with the right price, flights would be packed from anywhere in China
DeleteI wonder who got most of the Aeroflot traffic. Looking at the overall performance I would say flydubai as they had the biggest post-covid increase in BEG.
DeleteTK as well.
DeleteFlydubai's growth was mostly related to P2P demand. They capitalized on the fact that they were open and relatively safe during the pandemic. You could travel for leisure purposes to Dubai from Belgrade already in June 2020. That's when P2P demand exploded because Dubai was also relatively cheap in terms of hotels back then. I have flown a few times on this route in the last 2 years and did not see many Asian passengers (other than Indians) on this route. Not saying there aren't any. I think it got distributed between Flydubai, Turkish and Qatar. What I am noticing is that a lot of Chinese passengers are now transferring via European cities.
Delete@nemjee
DeleteI think nobody yet. That number of tourists is not achieved yet. Chinese numbers are still very small in Belgrade. Flights from China is still too extensive for mid class tourists. It takes frequencies and price to come back fully
Yes but Chinese numbers have been growing rapidly this year. I think we will reach pre-covid numbers this year.
DeleteAnon 09.32
Many thanks, it makes sense.
Would love that, but these are just the crumbs of 2019
DeleteWith nonstop flights from Chinese cities, I am pretty sure next year the figures will explode.
DeleteXiamen is more than 5mil people. Within 150 km there are 5 more cities, total more than 10 mil souls. More than enough for all year demand
DeleteYes, good catchment.
DeleteAnon 12.12
DeleteFrom what I remember there were around 150.000 Chinese tourists back in 2019. I think we will either reach that number or surpass it this year.
Zijin HQ is in Xiamen.
DeleteI’ve been there, interesting place.
Belgrade airport will be surely very well developed!
ReplyDeleteBravo Vinci!
Delete^^^
DeleteVinci should have insisted that the new runway was built further afield from the old one so that they were able to be used at the same time.
I don't think you can due to the Radiofar 'neighborhood'
DeleteThe second runway is supposed to be behind Aviation museum with the taxiways over local road.
DeleteOver local road as in you mean the road will be removed?
DeleteThe land for the second independent runway is there, protected in spatial planning, and also in reality (mostly, minor illegal construction). However, the cost to build it would probably be double compared to the inserted one, due to extensive network of completely new taxiways that would be required to serve it. At the same time, the single runway in Belgrade is still operated well below 50% of capacity. In other words, building an independent runway now, and possibly for the next ten years would be a waste of money.
DeleteOverall capacity might be less than 50% but that includes night traffic and slow periods. In peak times planes have to make large circles before landing. Separating arriving and departing planes would make BEG a hub more efficient.
DeleteYeah, better to build two runways within the period of ten years, than one... Jesus.
DeleteThey blew this big time.
Nope, that (50%) refers to peak hour. A single runway with the taxiway layout as in Belgrade (frequent and high-speed exits) allows more than 50 operations per hour. Belgrade still does not have a sustained load of more than 30 operations per hour (“sustained” here means “often and for several consecutive hours”, not “it can happen once or twice in August”)
DeleteAnonymous 11:17
Delete+1000
Above all other aspects, further expansion possibilities of the present terminal building are very limited - for next important step to happen, they`ll need to build the very "extensive network of completely new taxiways" mentioned and also new appron - and as it is going to be needed soon, very soon, it is clear now that their forecasts were wrong, and that they should`ve done it at the first place, skipping entirely the step with the dumb inserted runway as unneccesary, effectively saving loads of money. Nothing can be dumber then the fact that we`ll need to have a two and a half runway airport soon.
DeleteLGW 40.894.242 PAX (2023), 253.047 movements (2023) - two rwy, used one at the time.
DeleteBEG 7.948.202 PAX (2023), 65.644 movements (2023) -two rwy, used one at the time.
SHJ 15.300.000 PAX (2023), 132.786 movements (2023) - single rwy
Terrain flat as a pancake around all three AD.
Nobody cares about stupid Gatwick argument: they would`ve built 4 runways decades ago, but they`re not allowed to! Noone lives in "-iposoban" appartment if he/she can have a proper room.
DeleteI don't see why C gates wouldn't continue spreading same direction another 400-500 meters away. No other obstacles in that direction
DeleteBTS has two runways and they have the fraction of BEG's traffic.
DeleteThe good thing about the new Guangzhou flights is that it gives a lot of connection opportunities. Hopefully Air Serbia and China Southern sign a codeshare.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteI believe they will
DeleteIt might even be a bit more than a codeshare ;)
DeleteWhat do you mean?
DeleteJV?
Delete^^^
DeleteNo, he is hoping for JU flights to Xiamen and tries to sound like an insider!
Not at all. I am not hoping for JU flights to Xiamen and they are not starting flights to Xiamen. You will see soon enough and it has nothing to do with new routes. Also I don't think it is coincidence admin published this story today. Adjust your foul attitude a bit.
DeleteCodeshare to Australia would be good.
DeleteExcellent news
ReplyDeleteWe also have to keep in mind that when it comes to Chinese economic expansion in Europe, Serbia plays a key role.
ReplyDeleteFirst thing first, Chinese nationals do not require a visa to enter Serbia.
Second, in terms of infrastructure, Serbia has done a lot to facilitate regional distribution of goods (highways, railway...).
Third, with the free trade agreement, China can actually place goods in Serbia much easier than it can in other parts of Europe. That means that Serbia has the potential to become a distribution center for them. Goods can be stored here until all permits have been secured for the EU. This can speed up delivery times especially these days when we are facing many geopolitical shocks such as the Red Sea attacks, war in Ukraine, war between Armenia and Azerbaijan etc.
If Serbia plays its cards right, then BEG could profit big time from all these developments. Chinese arrivals to Serbia are growing nicely this year:
January-July 2024: 79.761 (+72.1)
July 2024: 15.962 (+82.7%)
It's pretty impressive that in July this year Chinese arrivals almost doubled.
Nemjee yes but that would be goods that are transported by plane. 99% of goods from China to Europe arrive in shipping containers so they need to clear customs in some other country first. In our case probably Greece I think?
Delete@09:33 you would be surprised that most of containers arriving to Serbia are coming from the port of Rijeka and not Thessaloniki or Bar. When we moved from Canada our container went also through Rijeka to my surprise and when I spoke to the mover logistics person they told me that 80% of container traffic to Serbia uses Rijeka as port of entry. I was quite surprised by that and therefore sharing the info I got.
Delete@09:54
DeleteThat is very interesting!
Anon 09.33
DeleteGoods are clearing customs in Serbia, they are just in transit on their way here. They need to be properly packed and not opened before reaching their final destination.
Once they reach Serbia they will be placed in special warehouses. Customs no longer place them in their own but they have agreements with both private or government warehouses (like the fantastic Parking Servis warehouse next to Kvantash/кванташ).
Anon 09.54
I think this might change in the years ahead especially once the railway to Thessaloniki is upgraded. With the Open Balkans project it means goods just need to clear the Greece-North Macedonia border and they are basically already in Serbia. From what I understood there is next to no bureaucratic restriction for transit of these goods between Serbia and North Macedonia.
Well, railway to Rijeka is also being upgraded, and that upgrade is substantial in terms of operating costs (bringing down the highest tracks from 800 m to 400 m above sea-level).
DeleteActually, Chinese government is trying to take over port of Bar, due to government debt to Chinese roar construction companies for 40km of Monetenegro highway. That would be great, because then they would probably finish highway completely towards Serbia in no time. And reconstruct railway probably
Delete@Nemjee
Delete"when it comes to Chinese economic expansion in Europe, Serbia plays a key role."
I wouldn't say Serbia plays key role. Important yes, but looks like HU is China's main hub in Europe.
That is actually not correct info, most cargo comes via Albania 42%,, Bar 28% and the rest is mixed Ploče and Rijeka .
DeleteRailway to Rijeka is useless because once you leave Istra average speed is like it was 60 years ago.
DeleteAnon 12.46
DeleteIndeed but don't forget that Hungary is in the EU so there is always the risk of Brussles getting in the way as was the case with the railway from Serbia or more recently with the tariffs on electric vehicles.
Even though Hungay is way ahead of Serbia when it comes to exports to China, Serbia isn't doing so badly.
Over the last 5 years, Serbian exports to China have increased by 59% on an annual basis. We went from $126 million in 2017 to $1.3 billion in 2022. Hungary stands at $2.8 billion. It's worth noting that Hungarian manufacturing (especially their automotive sector) is performing really badly. For example, in Q2 2024 Hungarian GDP shrank by 0.2% and its industrial sector contracted by 1.5%.
Hungary isn't doing all too well right now. That said, the Serbian economy (though much weaker) is having much better results with Q2 growth of 4%. Serbian industrial activity is stagnating once you factor in all the monthly fluctuations.
If such a trend continues in Serbia then the market will become increasingly popular for future Chinese investors.
Interesting. I remember Xiamen Air operate 2-3 charters to BEG over the years, I believe for construction workers. Would be nice to see Xiamen added to BEG's route network alongside Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and Guangzhou.
ReplyDeleteYes they did
DeleteYes, they sent the Dreamliner once
Deletehttps://www.exyuaviation.com/2022/02/five-airlines-to-deploy-wide-body-jets.html
It would be fantastic to have a SkyTeam connection to the Far East. Xiamen Air is often the cheapest for East Asian destinations from CDG.
ReplyDelete+1 not many Sky Team operators in BEG.
DeleteI believe KLM and TAROM are the only two.
DeleteI can't believe with Vinci operating the airport AF can not be bothered to fly here.
DeleteAt least BA can have the excuse that LHR is slot constrained. AF has no excuse.
It's not a high-yield route and AF gets feed from the JU codeshare for their long-haul operations.
DeleteI too would love to have at least a daily flight on AF but I don't think it's likely in the near future.
JU does the job for them with 2 daily flights. They can better use their metal on another route.
DeleteSmall correction but JU has more than 2 daily flights on some days. BEG-CDG had 16 flights per week this summer. Issue with JU is their on time performance and the plethora of wet leased aircraft they are using on this route.
DeleteI flew XiamenAir from Amsterdam to Tokyo in 2016. It was very decent and very, very cheap (€350 return at the time). They could be really good for connections. They have a smaller hub in Fuzhou too.
ReplyDeleteI read some recent reviews about Xiamen Air from Amsterdam and all were very positive.
DeleteWhy is Serbia so focused on China, did they sign an agreement between countries?
ReplyDeleteWell for political reasons Serbia is traditionally closer to countries such as Russia and China than say the US or Britain.
DeleteAlso they have no visa requirements for China and can fly over Russian airspace
DeleteChina was also willing to help out when it came to infrastructure and Serbia was in desperate need of a nationwide development in this regard.
DeleteFurthermore, China has also taken over the mine in Bor and fixed almost all environmental problems. They also tookover the perpetually loss making steel mill in Smederevo.
I hope the market does not get over-saturated.
ReplyDeleteThe Chinese market is huge and with the closures of Russian and Iranian airspace for almost all European airlines BEG can became Europe's gateway to the far East.
DeleteIranian airspace is closed to European airlines?
DeleteIt's going to be closed soon after the new sanctions imposed against Iran Air.
DeleteWell, they finally understood they need to catch up with freaking Budapest. Good job 👍.
ReplyDeleteHow many China routes does Budapest have now?
Delete5 or more.
DeleteThere are currently seven routes from Budapest to China, although one of them, Ningbo, is not in free sale and is operated for the purpose of a Chinese company building a battery plant in Hungary. Nevertheless, it does run on a regular basis. In total, there are 20 weekly flights from Budapest to China at the moment.
Delete6 actually.
Deletehttps://dailynewshungary.com/china-aviation-hub-budapest-airport/
They keep pushing and pushing so Serbia needs to step up.
At the moment, seven routes are in operation:
DeleteShanghai (Shanghai Airlines), Guangzhou (China Southern), Beijing (Air China), Ningbo (Shanghai Airlines), Shenzhen (Hainan Airlines), Chongqing (Air China) and Xi'an (Shanghai Airlines).
Impressive
DeleteEX-YU Aviation 11:02: Ningbo flights are bookable
DeleteLet's see what happens with BUD now that the government tookover
DeleteThey'll be pushing even more so Serbia (BEG) needs to realize where its №1 competitor is.
DeleteThey need to develop the China network and cargo facilities as soon as possible.
Thank you ExYu for the insight. I believe we should also expand on this as Chinese companies are flying all over Europe preparing for expansion... while everyone is watching only the "big three" Air China, China Eastern and China Southern, here are a few examples of "smaller ones".... Shenzhen Airlines services to Barcelona and London, Juneyao Air to Brussels, Athens, Milan, Istanbul and Helsinki... and suddenly, when Europeans wake up, the Chinese Airlinese are already here, in full swing.
DeleteBelgrade, Zagreb, Sarajevo, Ljubljana, anyone... should grab Xiamen Air and lure all those others to come. Xiamen is an amazing city by the sea, worth the visit.
Also, fares on Chinese airlines are entertaining, to say the least. One can find tickets anywhere to Asia for less than 500EUR which is insane.
Anon 17.36
DeleteWell, coincidence or not but the moment Vinci stepped in, Wizz Air announced the closure of their Debrecen base. Seems like they want to further centralize the Hungarian market around BUD.
One major advantage Serbia has is JU. Hungary has to rely on foreign carriers to secure growth and connectivity while we have Air Serbia which does it 'naturally.' It will be even better one day when they iron out all the problems they have.
Is Xiamenair a full service airline?
ReplyDeleteYes
DeleteThey are most definitely full service
Deletehttps://samchui.com/2019/12/21/review-xiamen-air-b787-9-business-class-amsterdam-xiamen/
Cheap and cheerful does not comes from China in the aviation business... shopping apps perhaps, but not in the airline business. They came and they are here to stay.
DeleteWould love to see more widebodies in BEG :)
ReplyDeleteAnd another B787 operator.
DeleteIs the B787 their only wide body type?
DeleteYes
DeleteHope it materializes. Would be nice to see Air China too.
ReplyDeleteAgree
DeleteLetovi za CAN se izgleda lepo prodaju. Neki su gotovo pa rasprodati,ostao samo biznis. Biće ovo pun pogodak.
ReplyDeleteOdlicno!
DeleteAir Serbia or China Southern?
DeleteUrumqi-Belgrade with China Southern Airlines would be an interesting route.
ReplyDeleteActually CSA has a base in Urumqi Diwopu and could offer unlimited transfer connections to basically every big city in China.
They used to fly this one from Tbilisi if i remember.
DeleteTbilisi, Yerevan, Istanbul, Moscow and Saint Petersburg have Urumqi flights.
DeleteIts mostly (95%) transfers.
Everywhere from Anywhere in China is for transfers and some local traffic. It is their way of business. Prior to covid, most of my chinese colleagues used Helsinki or Amsterdam as a stopover for Tibet Airlines to somewhere and then home, or Amsterdam to Guangzhou on A380 at that time, despite decent connections all over Europe, and detours. I witnessed some random chitchat on the WeChat and my chinese collegue she got 3x23 suitcases to Shanghai connecting via Helsinki and Chongqin (I hope I remembered correctly) at no extra charge. China is a different world. Europeans used Lufthansa, no questions asked.
DeleteChina Eastern would also be good. Hope they consider BEG in the future.
ReplyDeleteThey're the worst carrier by far.
Delete