Air Serbia’s new China flights sell out amid strong demand

Air Serbia has seen strong demand for its new service between Belgrade and Tianjin which will launch on December 9. The carrier no longer has any tickets available for purchase for the first five weeks of operations, with the first seats available on January 13 of next year, however, these are likely to sell out quickly as well, with the Global Distribution System indicating available seats only in business class. There is greater availability on the return flights. The Serbian carrier will commence its Tianjin service in the lead-up to New Year on January 1, as well as the Lunar New Year public holiday in China which will run from January 21 until January 27. Passengers arriving in Tianjin will be required to undergo quarantine as part of China’s strict zero-Covid policy.

Air Serbia is limited to operating a one weekly service to China’s fourth largest city due to coronavirus prevention measures. The airline has previously said that it plans to commence services to both Beijing and Shanghai once the country eases its pandemic-related policies and would, in that case, review the future of its Tianjin flights based on their performance. Tianjin is located close to Beijing as is linked with a thirty-minute bullet train service to the Chinese capital. Apart from strong passenger demand, the new Tianjin service is also expected to carry significant amounts of cargo based on the volume of trade between the two countries.

Apart from Air Serbia, Hainan Airlines, which maintains a one weekly rotation between Beijing and Belgrade that operate via Dalian on the inbound due to Covid measures, has also seen strong demand since its service launch in July. China has begun slowly easing its Covid-19 protocols for incoming international travellers. It is believed the country could lift many of its restrictions next spring with airlines foreseeing unprecedented demand for flights to China. Air Serbia’s CEO, Jiri Marek, recently said, “In the long haul sector, China is one of the three most important markets. And it is forecast to grow much faster than already mature markets such as North America. In addition, there is great demand there for both passenger and freight. Another reason [for selecting the Chinese market] is that Chinese travellers do not need a visa to visit Serbia, and Serbian citizens do not need a visa to enter China. This is very rare in Europe. So, China was the logical choice for Air Serbia”.

EX-YU Aviation News

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