Air Serbia plans return to Middle East and North Africa
Air Serbia is planning to restore some flights to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and is considering adding new destinations as part of its summer expansion plans. Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, the carrier served Tel Aviv, Cairo and Beirut in the region, although the latter was terminated just prior to the global health emergency as a result of Lebanon’s economic crisis, which has since worsened. As its replacement, the Serbian carrier planned to launch a new service to the Jordanian capital of Amman, however, those were also shelved due to Covid-19. Almost two years later, the airline is yet to make a comeback with scheduled flights to the region and is currently maintaining charters to Dubai and Egyptian holiday resort towns.
The Egyptian Ambassador to Serbia, Amr Aljowaily, recently held talks with the national airline over its return to Cairo. “We are in constant contact with Air Serbia, so we can look into overcoming the challenges of the pandemic and restore nonstop flights. I have conducted and facilitated numerous meetings in the aviation sector, with the aim of further expanding the network of flights and routes between the two countries. I look forward to positive results in this regard”, Mr Aljowaily said. Air Serbia ran up to eight daily rotations to Hurghada last summer and also maintained charters to Sharm el Sheikh. Egypt is again expected to be a major drawcard for Serbian holidaymakers this coming summer season.
Tunisia has also emerged as a potential market for Air Serbia in the North Africa region. Tunisair has maintained year-round operations from Tunis to Belgrade for over a decade, however, it suspended flights between the two cities at the end of the 2021 summer season. Facing significant financial issues, it is unlikely to restore the route this year. Last summer, Air Serbia restored charter operations to Monastir in Tunisia’s southeast after several years. The route was previously served by the airline’s predecessor Jat Airways on a scheduled seasonal summer basis. During last year, Tunisia’s Nouvelle Air also began serving the Serbian capital through summer charters.
Air Serbia has so far announced six new routes out of Belgrade for the 2022 summer season, with more new destinations to be announced in the coming weeks.
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