Following Toronto, Belgrade Airport also focusing on Los Angeles, Sydney, Melbourne, Bangkok and Boston

Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport plans to further expand its long-haul network in the coming years, with 2026 set to mark the fifth consecutive year in which a new destination is introduced in this segment. Belgrade Airport CEO Chivoine Rem emphasized that the launch of additional long-haul services would remain a key priority in the period ahead.

– One of the airport’s main development priorities will be Air Serbia’s introduction of a new long-haul route to Toronto, which will be of significant importance to the Serbian diaspora in Canada. At the same time, we will continue to strengthen and expand our medium-haul network – Rem added in an interview with RTS.

Since 2022, the airport has added nonstop services to Beijing, Chicago, Guangzhou and Shanghai, all of which ranked among Belgrade’s ten busiest unserved long-haul destinations prior to their launch. With Toronto, currently the largest unserved route by passenger demand, set to be added in May, the next most sought-after long-distance destinations from the Serbian capital include Miami, Los Angeles, Sydney, Melbourne, Bangkok and Boston.

Belgrade Airport offers discounts for the launch of new long-haul flights as part of its incentive policy. This entails discounts on the passenger service charge for departing passengers over a three-year span, as well as reductions in the passenger service charge for transfer passengers over the same period. Furthermore, for each new long-haul route, there is a 100% discount on landing fees during the initial year, followed by 70% in the second year and 50% in the third year of operations. In an effort to encourage the arrival of new long-haul carriers, the airport is providing an additional one euro per departing passenger for each new long-haul operator, along with an extra two euros if the route is maintained throughout the winter season as well.

Rem did not give an estimate on how many passengers the airport would handle this year, noting that it was too early to talk about figures for 2026.

– However, I can say that this will be a year of expansion for Belgrade Airport in terms of infrastructure, including further terminal development, as well as the introduction of new destinations. We will also continue transforming the passenger experience, an area we have been working on since 2019. To give you an idea of our vision, our target is for passenger numbers to reach fifteen million by the end of the concession period in around 2045, and we are working towards establishing Belgrade as a regional hub in Southeast Europe – he said.

As he added, for them as the airport operator, the number of destinations and direct routes available to passengers is more important than the sheer volume of airline services.

– In that respect, last year’s figures were also record-breaking. We had 116 direct routes to forty countries, including five long-haul services to the United States and three to China. That is part of what we are striving to achieve as an airport operator – ensuring that Serbia is well connected with the rest of the world – he said.

A.D. Aerodrom Nikola Tesla Beograd

Air Serbia ad Beograd

Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport

Air Serbia

Chivoine Rem

long haul flights from Nikola Tesla Airport