Air Serbia posts strong operational results for 2021
Air Serbia has achieved strong operational results for 2021, which continued to be heavily affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The airline saw improvements in almost all key performance indicators, with its figures above the European industry average. It carried 1.586.665 passengers in 2021, representing an increase of 83% on the year before, with the airline’s average annual cabin load factor standing at 64%. The carrier’s traffic volume grew 39% compared to 2020 but is still down 35% on the pre-pandemic and record-breaking 2019. Its best performing routes in 2021 were New York, Moscow, Tivat, Paris, Podgorica, Zurich, Istanbul, Amsterdam, London and Athens. On flights to New York, Air Serbia reported an average load factor of 71%, growing to 80% during the summer months. The route’s performance almost reached pre-pandemic levels last year. Since launching its sole long haul service in 2016, Air Serbia has carried more than 360.000 passengers between Belgrade and the Big Apple.
Air Serbia’s passenger share at Nikola Tesla Airport hovered around 50% throughout the year, which is an improvement on its pre-Covid figures. During 2021, Air Serbia Cargo registered its best results on record with its performance surpassing the pre-pandemic period by as much as 55%. During the summer season, from mid-April to the end of October of 2021, Air Serbia operated a total of 1.100 round trip charter flights, carrying approximately 140.000 tourists to popular resorts in Turkey, Egypt and Greece. The most popular charter destinations among Serbian travellers last year were Antalya in Turkey and Hurghada in Egypt. In addition, Air Serbia’s Premium Lounge at Belgrade Airport was visited by 29.090 passengers during 2021, marking its second-best result since opening its doors in 2015.
Commenting on the airline’s performance, Air Serbia’s CEO, Jiri Marek, said, “By being flexible, adapting quickly to changes on the market, using sound resource management and constantly embracing innovation, we managed to accomplish satisfactory results during the biggest global crisis in our industry. We are glad that the previous year was better than 2020 and we are prepared for a strong expansion in the coming period”. He added, “The challenges we successfully overcame represent a firm foundation for further development, enabling us to implement the strategy we planned before the pandemic. We are looking forward to a further expansion in markets in Europe and the Middle East, between April and June, when we will be launching flights to as many as twelve destinations from the Serbian capital. We began a stage of continued growth as a regional leader, and we are already on track to meeting the goals initially set for 2023, which is reaching pre-pandemic levels from the record-breaking 2019”.
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