Serbia targeting flights from Asian markets
Serbia is looking to attract more flights from Asia in an effort to improve its tourism industry and overall connectivity. It has identified several Asian markets which hold potential to generate inbound or outbound travel in the form of seasonal or charter flights, including China, Japan, India and South Korea. Earlier this month, almost forty tour operators and agencies from twelve Asian countries, including China, South Korea and Kazakhstan, took part in a workshop co-hosted by Turkish Airlines and the Serbian Tourism Organisation. The Turkish carrier is benefiting from an increase in visitors from the aforementioned countries to Serbia and carrying a large portion of these travellers.
The Serbian Ministry for Construction, Transport and Infrastructure noted that a new bilateral Air Service Agreement with Japan will be signed soon in order to facilitate the introduction of new services. The operator of Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport, VINCI, holds a concession, as part of a consortium with Japanese partners, for two airports in Osaka, as well as Kobe Airport. VINCI has said it plans to link Belgrade with a number of its other airports across the world. The state also hopes to secure new flights to China after Hainan Airlines suspended its two weekly service between Beijing and Belgrade via Prague in 2018 following a year of operations. Despite the route suspension, the number of Chinese arrivals to Serbia has not been dented and continues to grow at a record pace. Currently, Belgrade is the eleventh busiest unserved route from Shanghai and the seventh busiest European market lacking flights to China's most populous city.
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| Belgrade Airport's existing connectivity |
Korean low cost carrier Jin Air previously announced plans it would launch flights from Seoul to Belgrade as part of its expansion into Europe. The airline's CEO, Jung-ho Choi, noted services to the Serbian capital would be introduced in 2020. The budget airline, which commenced long haul operations in December 2015, is a subsidiary of Hanjin, a holding company which also runs the national flag carrier Korean Air. The Ministry for Construction, Transport and Infrastructure noted, "In the coming period we expect even more new flights from Belgrade Airport, which will link us with previously unserved markets and in turn boost tourism". The President of operator VINCI Airports, Nicolas Notebaert, said in February, "We are working on all fronts, on developing both short and long hauls. There will certainly be new routes from Belgrade. At the same time, we are working on attracting a new generation of long haul airlines".
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