Air Serbia considering return to UAE
Air Serbia is considering resuming flights between Belgrade and the United Arab Emirates some four years after discontinuing scheduled services to the country. The carrier has been on the lookout for new opportunities emerging as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, launching three new routes since the start of the global health emergency. Due to its relaxed entry measures, Dubai has been one of the most popular destinations for Serbian leisure travellers since last June, when Flydubai resumed scheduled services between the two cities. It now maintains daily operations, which is on par with pre-pandemic levels. There is also growing demand for cargo. Furthermore, Air Serbia itself is the founding member of the UAE - Serbia Business Club, formed in 2019 with the aim to promote economic and other forms of cooperation between the two countries.
Air Serbia maintained flights between Belgrade and Abu Dhabi from 2013 until the end of the 2017 summer season as part of its equity partnership with Etihad Airways. Prior to that, its predecessor, Jat Airways, ran services between Belgrade and Dubai from 2002 until 2012 with a brief move to Abu Dhabi in 2010. At the time, the flights primarily catered for transfer passengers between Australia, Serbia and Macedonia due to a partnership with Emirates, which ended once Flydubai launched its own operations. Although Air Serbia maintained nonstop flights to Abu Dhabi with its Airbus A319 jet, Jat was, for the most part, unable to run services to Dubai on its Boeing 737-300 aircraft without a stop. Over the years, the stop shifted between Larnaca, Beirut and Kuwait City with the airline holding fifth freedom rights to shuttle passengers from the latter two to Dubai.
The Serbian carrier is considering launching operations to the UAE towards the end of the summer season, which is considered the start of the high travel season in the Gulf nation. Currently, in addition to Flydubai’s daily service on the Boeing 737-800 aircraft, which will be replaced by the B737 MAX jet from July 1, Wizz Air maintains two weekly rotations between Abu Dhabi and Belgrade with its Airbus A321. Serbia and the United Arab Emirates have established a travel corridor, enabling fully vaccinated UAE citizens and residents to enter Serbia without any additional requirements, while Serbian citizens require only a PCR test to enter the UAE.
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