Air Serbia flights to Seoul anticipated “within two years”

The Serbian Ambassador to South Korea, Nemanja Grbić, has held talks with the Meebang Air Agencies, Air Serbia’s recently appointed General Sales Agent for the South Korean market, where the two sides agreed to jointly work towards promoting the country and creating conditions for the launch of a nonstop service between the two capitals. “Ambassador Grbić praised the initiative to establish a representative office and expressed hope that a nonstop flight between Belgrade and Seoul will be introduced within the next two years. He offered the Embassy's support in presenting Serbia as an attractive tourist destination and proposed organising seminars about the country’s tourism offerings”, the Serbian Ministry for Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

Air Serbia previously announced that after completing its expansion in China, set to conclude with the launch of its new Shanghai service on January 11, 2025, the airline would shift its focus to North America for its third destination on the continent. The carrier has also said it would consider flights to Seoul and Tokyo in the future, though it emphasised that further expansion into the Far East remains a part of its long-term strategy. Meebang Air Agencies will represent Air Serbia on the South Korean market by providing sales, marketing and PR services to the airline.

Earlier this year, Serbia’s President, Aleksandar Vučić, noted, “We are reviewing the possibility of a new quick service to Seoul too. It is difficult to source wide-body aircraft which are affordable, but it is our duty to find those aircraft”. Air Serbia operated a charter flight to Seoul in May 2020 carrying medical supplies during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. Although tourism flow between the two states remains modest, economic ties have grown significantly, with South Korea becoming Serbia’s third-largest trading partner in Asia. Serbia is among the leading suppliers of goods such as cereals to South Korea, providing almost 30% of the country’s total corn imports. On the other hand, South Korean companies currently employ over 9.000 people in Serbia. The two sides are negotiating an Economic Partnership Agreement, which would further boost trade between the two countries.

Flights between Belgrade and Seoul have been floated several times. JAT Yugoslav Airlines planned to introduce services between the two capitals in 1991 after the two countries inked a Bilateral Air Service Agreement the year before. However, the outbreak of war saw those plans cancelled. In late 2017, South Korean long-haul low cost operator Jin Air announced it would introduce services to Belgrade in 2020. However, the airline was subsequently banned from expanding its fleet and introducing new routes by the Korean regulator due to issues with the make-up of its board of directors, after which the coronavirus pandemic was in full swing. The airline now operates exclusively within Asia.