ITA Airways applies for Belgrade slots
Italy’s national carrier ITA Airways has applied for slots at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport, indicating its intent to commence operations from Rome to the Serbian capital this summer. However, slot application does not necessarily mean the service will go ahead as the airline can still decide against commencing flights. Tickets have not been put on sale at this point. The airline has applied for six weekly slots starting from June 1, each day except Wednesdays, increasing to daily from July 31. The planned arrival time for ITA’s service from the Italian capital is at 10.50 CEST, while the planned departure time from Belgrade is at 11.40 CEST.
ITA had previously announced its intention of commencing services to Belgrade last year, advertising flights on its website for the summer of 2022, but it ultimately scrapped those plans. The Italian carrier codeshares on Air Serbia’s flights between the two cities. This summer will see a record number of operations between Serbia and Italy with eleven airports to be served in the country in ten cities. They include Rome Fiumicino, Rome Ciampino, Milan, Bari, Bologna, Catania, Florence, Naples, Palermo, Trieste, and Venice. Air Serbia will run twelve weekly rotations between Belgrade and Rome this summer, while Wizz Air will fly to both Fiumicino and Ciampino airports, with the former to commence on July 25.
ITA’s predecessor, Alitalia, maintained flights to Belgrade until the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020. At the time, it also discontinued services to Podgorica, which was its only other year-round destination in the former Yugoslavia. Its successor is yet to restore flights to either. The Italian government hopes to get final approval to sell a minority stake in the loss-making ITA Airways to the Lufthansa Group by mid-April. According to Italian media, a takeover deal for a 40% stake could be announced between April 19 and April 21. Last December, the value of the minority stake was estimated between 200 and 250 million euros. ITA operates a fleet of almost seventy aircraft including A220s, A319s, A320s, A330s and A350s.
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