Serbia - Turkey reach deal on new routes, frequencies and capacity
Serbia and Turkey have agreed to revise the number of destinations, frequencies and capacities between the two countries, in a departure from the restrictive bilateral Air Service Agreement in force between the two states. The Serbian Civil Aviation Directorate, the Turkish Directorate General of Aviation, Air Serbia and Turkish Airlines met in Istanbul to finalise the deal. "The meeting resulted in an agreement on destinations, frequencies, and capacities that will be in force on scheduled flights between the two countries", the Serbian regulator said. Although details are yet to be released, Air Serbia is expected to boost operations to Istanbul this winter, complementing its Turkish counterpart’s triple daily service. In addition, the Turkish carrier is expected to launch scheduled flights between Antalya and Belgrade in cooperation with Air Serbia next year.
The new agreement will aid the drafting of a Joint Venture between Air Serbia and Turkish Airlines. A Joint Venture is an agreement between airlines to share revenues on a route. It also involves coordinating route planning and scheduling. These are typically large undertakings, that involve significant negotiations. They also often require government approval due to the potential removal of competition. The two said the Joint Venture “will enable the two companies to offer more competitive and more affordable flights between Turkey and Serbia, improve the quality of service currently offered, as well as expand their offer and benefits for all passengers”. Air Serbia and Turkish Airlines are negotiating increasing existing cooperation in terms of codeshare, cargo and Frequent Flyer Program (FFP) while developing cooperation alternatives on passenger lounges in their networks. Turkish Airlines already utilises Air Serbia’s dedicated Premium Lounge at Belgrade Airport.
This year has seen Turkish Airlines add a third daily flight to Belgrade, which will be maintained throughout the winter as well, while Air Serbia has introduced a two weekly service from both Niš and Kraljevo to Istanbul, which are performing well. Furthermore, the two airlines have expanded their codeshare partnership on several occasions. Serbia and Turkey recently signed a protocol enabling passport-free travel. The restrictive Air Service Agreement between Serbia and Turkey, signed in October 2015, entered into force in December 2021. Under the agreement, each airline must take into consideration how their operations will affect their competitors, while regulators are able to determine if any increase in capacity or frequencies is justified and in line with market conditions.
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