Summary

  • Air Serbia reportedly plans to expand its transatlantic route network by adding one or two more US destinations.
  • The carrier is awaiting two Airbus A330-200s to support the new routes, one to arrive in July/August and the other in October.
  • Air Serbia celebrates a successful first year of direct flights between Belgrade and Chicago with plans for future growth.

Air Serbia has set its sights on expanding the transatlantic route network even further. The flag carrier is reportedly considering one or two additional destinations connecting Serbia and the United States.

Transatlantic expansion

Currently, the carrier serves two US destinations, including New York (JFK) and Chicago (ORD). Earlier this year, Serbia’s president Aleksandar Vucic announced that the carrier has plans to open new direct routes between Belgrade (BEG) and Miami (MIA) in the United States. The new direct flight connecting Serbia’s capital and Miami is expected to launch sometime next year.

An Air Serbia aircraft parked at Belgrade Airport

Photo: Kagan Kaya | Shutterstock

According to a report by EX-YU Aviation, the carrier’s CEO, Jiri Marek, mentioned to Aviation Week the possibility of launching yet another destination in the US, adding that the destinations being assessed have a solid Serbian diaspora.

Simple Flying has asked Air Serbia for a comment.

Expanding with two additional transatlantic flights would require more widebody capacity, especially considering the airline’s current emphasis on adding more long-haul routes to China.

At present, Air Serbia operates just three long-range flights: two to the United States and one to Tianjin (TSN) in China. In addition to Tianjin, the carrier will add Shanghai (PVG) and Guangzhou (CAN) to its route network by the end of 2024.

Notably, all long-range routes are serviced by Airbus A330 widebodies. According to ch-aviation data, the airline currently operates just two A330-200s at an average age of 14.3 years.

To achieve its network growth plans for acquiring additional widebody aircraft are already in place. Further moving into 2024, Air Serbia is expecting to take delivery of two Airbus A330-200s.

An Air Serbia Airbus A330 taking off

Photo: Leonard Zhukovsky | Shutterstock

The airline’s CEO told Aviation Week that lease agreements have already been signed, and both A330s are currently undergoing maintenance. The national carrier anticipates receiving the first A330 at the end of July or the beginning of August. The second one will arrive in October.

Growth in Chicago operations

In May 2024, Air Serbia marked one year since the launch of direct flights between Belgrade and Chicago. The airline accommodated a total of 40,000 passengers and carried almost 750 tons of cargo between the capital of Serbia and Chicago.

It is worth noting that the airline accommodated 372,638 passengers on scheduled and charter flights in May 2024. This was the best May performance since Air Serbia was founded in 2013. Commenting on the first year of operations, George Petković, VP of Americas at Air Serbia, said:

“The establishment of a direct service between Belgrade and Chicago was a very important step in the development and improvement of our company’s services. After a hiatus of more than three decades, we were able to delight passengers and enable them to easily reach their loved ones living in the wider Balkan region.”

The Serbian airline is now confident that the demand for these flights will only increase in the years to come.

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