Belgrade Airport traffic 17% short of pre-pandemic levels

Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport’s flight programme for the summer of 2021 is now just 17% short of that compared to the pre-pandemic 2019, operator VINCI has said, as airlines continue to add new flights to the Serbian capital. “In Serbia, the gradual easing of travel restrictions led to a rapid increase in passenger traffic at Belgrade Airport, which rose from down 67% at the end of April to down 36.1% at the end of June, principally buoyed by flights to and from Montenegro, Egypt and Turkey”, VINCI said. Hurghada saw the biggest growth in flights when compared to the summer of 2019, up 90%, with Air Serbia running up to nine daily flights to the Egyptian resort town on select days.

Numerous carriers have increased their operations to the Serbian capital in recent weeks, with some outstripping pre-pandemic levels. A number of new routes, launched this summer, are performing well. Among them, KLM, which recently announced it would add an additional five weekly rotations between Amsterdam and Belgrade for a total of twelve weekly flights, has further increased its services and will now run double daily operations on the route until August 29, with exception to July 25, 30, 31 and August 1, 7 and 8. On the other hand, Luxair, which launched services to the Serbian capital last month on a seasonal summer basis, has upgraded the route to year-round operations and will maintain flights throughout the winter. Tickets for the 2021/2022 winter season have now been put on sale. Furthermore, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, which also commenced services to Belgrade last month, will grow its frequencies from two to three weekly from the start of the winter season in late October.

A successful summer charter programme, which has exceeded 2019 levels, has also had a positive impact on the airport’s performance. Kuwait’s Jazeera Airways is the latest airline to commence a series of charter flights to Belgrade. Starting this evening, the carrier will be operating several weekly rotations from Kuwait City over the coming three-week period. “Belgrade airport’s positive momentum enjoys growing recognition from the aviation and tourism industry in Europe and from the Serbian government. As Europe prepares for the recovery of tourism, creating a smart and sustainable new airport hub in Belgrade will support Serbia’s perspectives ahead”, Nicolas Notebaert, CEO of VINCI Concessions and President of VINCI Airport, said.