Air Serbia plans to introduce additional new routes to its upcoming summer network. It comes as the airline opened its new premium check-in facility at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport yesterday afternoon, which will be followed by other novelties to its ground experience in the coming period. As EX-YU Aviation News learns, the Serbian carrier intends on adding a further one or two routes to its existing line-up of new short-haul destinations this summer season, with one likely to be announced in the coming weeks. The carrier has already scheduled new services to Florence, Alghero and Mykonos for the 2025 summer season, which begins on March 30. While it initially planned on adding operations to Ibiza as well, the carrier was unable to secure suitable slots at the Spanish airport, however, the route remains in play if circumstances change.
Air Serbia previously said it was considering new regional destinations and potential services to the Caucasus, while it was also tipped for a potential return to the Middle East and North Africa region, where it used to serve Beirut, Cairo and Tel Aviv in the past. “In the coming period, Air Serbia will continue improving its services and expanding its network of destinations in line with the needs of its passengers”, the airline said in a statement yesterday.
Air Serbia opened a new premium check-in facility at its Belgrade hub on Monday afternoon (pictured). The new area features a partitioned area, four dedicated check-in counters, customer assistance, refreshments and a seating lounge, aimed at reducing waiting times and providing additional comfort for business travellers. The carrier’s CEO, Jiri Marek, said, “Understanding that our business class passengers often need to use their time more efficiently, we decided to create a separate check-in zone, fully tailored to modern lifestyle trends. This way, their customer experience will be different from the very start. We are confident that the new service will be appreciated by our business class passengers".
Over the coming weeks, the Serbian carrier is expected to open a new modern ticketing office at the airport, which will be located on the ground floor of the terminal, across from the check-in area, while work is continuing on its new Premium Lounge in Belgrade. The airline will expand the size of the new lounge by over 100 square metres on its initially planned 630 square metres of space. Located near gate C10, the new facility will be more than double the size of the existing lounge. Featuring a rectangular layout, it will include a glass wall with views of the runway. Air Serbia is also expected to break ground on its new headquarters, located next to the airport, in the coming months.
Interesting. What could the new route (s) be? New check-in looks good.
ReplyDeleteMy guess one of two routes that can be operated by ATR considering they have a lot of them now. We will see.
DeleteAgree, Chisinau or Cluj have most sense to me.
DeleteI would love for them to resume CAI. I think it would be perfect with Embraer. Although I don't think they ended this route because of loads.
DeleteI would say CAI.
DeleteIt was announced last July when the President was there.
https://www.exyuaviation.com/2024/07/president-air-serbia-to-restore-cairo.html
CAI would make sense for sure. TLV too.
DeleteCAI was full with A319 in 2023. It’s a perfect route for night turnaround.
DeleteEjets may be used to Caucus, Baltucs, Helsinki, Bergen, Marseille, Nantes
I think it will be routes dependent on transfers traffic. I don't think it will something like Mykonos which is mostly for point to point holiday traffic. So suggestions made above all seem likely.
DeleteDefinitely
Delete@09:23
DeleteAbsolutely! Also TLV and if the situation stabilizes further BEI too.
They could all arrive in BEG early morning and offer a lot of feed to the network.
CAI was not a good route with night schedule. Many transfer options were not possible as the rotation was very long. Such route needs better schedule.
DeleteSo the aircraft would just have to depart BEG for CAI a little earlier.
DeleteThey need to return to Caucasus, Middle East and finally ATR expansion into Romania/Moldova.
Delete@09:52
DeleteIdeally the flight would need to be back around 05:00-05:15 am to catch the full morning wave. That means fully missing the European arrivals on the outbound. These kind of departures would work.at around either roughly 10 am or 9 pm, however JU needs more Western European frequencies in the 10am - midday period.
@09:52
DeleteIt cannot depart earlier because then it would not have connections from night vawe.
Very good developments
ReplyDeleteJust in time to launch Maribor with Slovenian subsidies (I am delusional)
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing they would have used one of the previous 7 tenders if they were interested in MBX. But never say never.
DeleteThere is a reason why no airline flies to Maribor.
DeleteMaribor is probably the only remaining EX-YU route that Air Serbia could launch out of Belgrade. BEG-TZL and BEG-OSI don't make sense. Graz could be an alternative for Maribor though.
DeleteI know Graz has been chasing them for a while.
DeleteTZl and OSI make sense just like TSR or INI. Every day twice with smaller plane
DeleteI like the new premium check in. Looks bright and comfortable.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteUnique for airlines in this part of the world.
DeleteIndeed!
DeleteImpressive
ReplyDeleteYes very...
DeleteI think it is. New premium check in, new premium lounge, new offices, new airport hotel, new destinations, expanded fleet. Ok, for you obviously not enough.
DeleteI have a higher ceiling at home
ReplyDeleteWow! You must be so rich and powerful! All that size!
DeleteThis year they actually seem to have more than enough aircraft to expand their network.
ReplyDeleteYes, since the 2024 they have some excess capacity. This is very good as they have more flexibility.
DeleteThey need to have enough crews too.
DeleteAnd better rostering schedules.
I want that YU-ARB model!
ReplyDeleteYou can actually buy it in the lounge at Belgrade Airport or at one of their city offices in Belgrade.
DeleteThose are 250 euros btw. The plastic ones are 34 euros. They also have Pupin livery and Expo livery models.
DeleteThank you!
DeleteŠmekerski, definitivno...
ReplyDeleteLooking at the screens on the photos, it seems they have now separated business class check in (the premium area) and priority check in which you can purchase online.
ReplyDeleteWhen will they obtain the rest two FB E190 planes?
ReplyDeleteOne should come next month and the fourth in June
Deletehttps://www.exyuaviation.com/2025/02/air-serbia-to-wet-lease-more-bulgaria.html
It is still too early.
DeleteThey need to have enough type rated pilots first.
^ these are wet leases. It is Bulgaria Air crew.
DeleteCAI & GYD
ReplyDeleteExcellent news
ReplyDeleteWhy are they leaving it so late to announce new routes?
ReplyDeleteBecause the new routes probably start in June or July. So it's not that late.
DeleteActually for people in the rest of Europe it is. Quit a few arrange their holiday travel many months in advance.
DeleteAnd quite a few don’t.
DeleteGood think that JU is focused on serving only the last minute part of the market.
DeleteWho needs the rest, right?
You don't even know when the flights will start or to where yet you are already complaining and having a meltdown. Some people here...
DeleteThe only one having a meltdown here is you every time someone does not praise the company decisions.
DeleteSo you are saying the flights will start in the autumn? Cause if they are starting in the summer then still not having tickets on sale in the second half of March is late.
No. I'm saying you have absolutely no idea when the flights will start. Summer season lasts until 30 October. What is the appropriate time for tickets sale to start for you to be satisfied? 2 years in advance? 3 years in advance? Let me guess, if they started them then you would say it is way to early and that they won't exist by then.
DeleteManchester please😃
ReplyDeleteNot before the Visa situation is resolved
DeleteThey should launch a route to Vilnius, Lithuania
ReplyDeleteA route to Morocco please
ReplyDeleteI predict one regional ATR route and one longer short haul route with A320 family.
ReplyDeleteLove the premium check in!
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteExciting times ahead :D
ReplyDeleteI have never seen an airport with a lounge placed at the very end of the terminal
ReplyDeleteIt won't be at the end here either. JU almost exclusively uses C gates which are going to be expanded by another four gates this year.
Delete@10:52
DeleteNew lounge is near C10 gate. Concourse C has 14 gates now, but it will have 17 after expansion. So, it is nearly in the middle of the concourse. Most Air Serbia's flights depart from this concourse.
Any idea which cities in the Caucasus might be on Air Serbia’s radar? It would be amazing to have direct flights from Belgrade to places like Tbilisi or Yerevan.
ReplyDeleteBaku would have most sense to start with. Eventually, Air Serbia should have flights to Baku, Tbilisi and Yerevan.
DeleteI think Tbilisi has a lot more transfer potential than Baku, especially to places like New York and I think Air Serbia will go after that. We will see. Both cities are beautiful though and I recommend anyone to visit them :)
DeleteEmbraers are perfect fit for those routes in the beginning
DeleteDisappointed about Ibiza, but it's understandable given the slot issues. Hope they find a solution because that would be a popular summer route!
ReplyDeleteOver 730 square meters for the lounge sounds impressive. The view of the runway is definitely a cherry on top :)
ReplyDeleteThank god they are finally going to open the JU ticketing office at BEG. The reason I say that is because it will completely open up space in the "maze of corridors" on the ground floor with all the closed up areas where shops are supposed to be. I remember this site wrote before it will be kind of an open space on all sides so it should really help open the area.
ReplyDeleteYes. That will actually be a huge lounge.
DeleteFingers crossed they return to Beirut.
ReplyDeleteOr alternatively start Amman which they planned a few years ago.
Delete+1
DeleteBoth are destinations with great potential for strong transfer traffic.
Absolutely. All of them could be night flights, when most of the A319s are not in use. Amman, Cairo, Beirut, Tel Aviv, Tripoli, Damascus, Marrakesh, Algiers
DeleteNo, those flights cannot be in the classic night wave as they are way too long and would not catch all necessary connections. All of those flights need to be in various waves, similar to routes to Moscow, Larnaka, Lisbon, etc.
DeleteNice surprises. Both that more new routes are coming (wasn't expecting it at all to be honest) and the new premium check in looks very nice.
ReplyDeleteSevilla or Tenerife if one of routes is Spain more sense in my opinión in Summer is Sevilla
ReplyDeleteSevella is very close to Malaga...so ? Faro...?
Delete*Sevilla....is very hot in summer..
DeleteIt is deserted city
New premium chek in looks great...Very fancy...Regarding other "news" I'm a bit fed up with reading that we are "expecting" new routes in following weeks..Every few weeks same story..Exactly like when president starts is announcing pension increase in January, for the next december, which is, btw, not even an increase but regular adjustment by law, considering inflation..
ReplyDeleteAnyways, where are announcements of new long haul routes? Some people here were writing- wait to see! I'm still waiting...Guys, 4 planes on 7 ( seven) weekly flights...Come on, this is rediculous, and would be hilarious, if not paid from our money..
Which week was it written before that a new route is coming in the next weeks?
DeleteRegarding long haul, you just got Shanghai two months ago. That means that 6 weeks ago a new long haul route was launched. 2 weeks ago it was published here that Miami and JU are negoatiating and that flights could be announced at the end of the year or early next year.
So you are unnecessarily making things up.
Shanghai was announced 2023, and we were waiting for more than a year and a half...One route ( Tianjin) canceled, one ( Chicago) extremly cut..7 ( seven) flights weekly left, and 4 wide body aircraft...What is not clear for you, what you need to be explained?
DeleteI am referring to your made up claim that it was announced here that something would be announced in the next weeks and that it didn't materialize. So you made it up.
DeleteSimilar as you make up that Chicago is "extremely cut". Your "extremely cut" is reduction from 2 weekly to 1 weekly for a grand total of 4 weeks.
Again you give these exaggerated claims and expect people to take you seriously and go along with it.
I know it’s easy to start long haul route on your Airline manager game, but in reality it’s a big deal for airline size like JU. So be patient please
DeleteTreshnja is right. Marek anounced in september that they would upgrade some seasonal routes into year round and it did not materialize
DeleteHe isn't right. He claimed that this site said that some new routes would be announced in the next few weeks and that it didn't happen. I found that whenever this site writes something like "as EX-YU Aviation News learns" it actually happens. This isn't a public announcement from CEO or airline.
DeleteI am waiting for WRO or GDN
ReplyDeleteIdemo dalje...
ReplyDeleteWhen is Air Serbia planning to bring back Toronto Canada direct flights to Serbia?
ReplyDelete