This Small European Airline Says Miami Is Its “Next Logical US Destination”

Air Serbia is a small player on the global scale, all things considered. It operates to four long-haul destinations, two of which are in China and the remaining two in the United States. The carrier is truly a bridge between the two economic and political powers of the current world. As I have reflected on before, the carrier has engaged in a sort of balancing act, facilitating ties between Serbia and both countries in competition with one another.

It is now looking to further expansion. Having welcomed several new widebody Airbus A330s in recent months (and suspending one of its Chinese routes at the end of last year), Air Serbia has some excess capacity to spare. First, that will go to boosting existing routes during the peak summer season. Beyond that, though, it hopes to open a new route to Miami.

Miami-Bound

In an interview with Business Focus, Air Serbia’s CEO, Jiří Marek, reiterated the airline’s intention of flying to Miami and expanding its long-haul network. Reflecting on the airline’s recent financial and operational performance, Marek seemed largely satisfied. As such, growth in the near future might be possible. It currently operates to New York and Chicago in the US. He said:

“Historically, our US flights have been driven by diaspora demand from the former Yugoslavia. Post-COVID, they have also grown in popularity with tourists from both sides. Now, we are expanding connectivity through a codeshare with JetBlue and cooperation with American Airlines, extending our network beyond New York and Chicago to the rest of the US.”

Indeed, demand was quite strong for the airline’s flights to the US last year. According to information from the US Department of Transport, numbers on the Belgrade to New York JFK route were quite high. It transported 81,000 roundtrip passengers across 94,000 seats, representing an 86% load factor. This is only one measure of a route’s performance, saying little about yields. Information is not currently available for the Chicago route.

Our next logical US destination is Miami. In North America, we are also considering Toronto, though its high seasonality and diaspora-driven demand make it less stable than JFK or Chicago, which have additionally also stronger cargo potential as another differentiating factor.

On the map below, the airline’s current North America routes are shown in green, while those being considered are in orange.

Miami was Belgrade’s third-largest market in the United States by number of passengers traveling between the two points, after New York and Chicago. Therefore, it is also the largest unserved US destination. According to data from OAG Traffic Analyzer, just under 17,000 people flew roundtrip between Miami and Belgrade during the 12 months ending July 2024.

JetBlue & American Airlines Partnership

In July 2023, JetBlue and Air Serbia announced a new codeshare partnership. JetBlue placed its B6 code on Air Serbia flights to Belgrade from both gateways in the US, while the European airline was able to add its code on flights to “25 destinations throughout the JetBlue network” through New York. The agreement was expanded last year to allow JetBlue to put its code on additional medium-haul connections from Belgrade, including to Amsterdam, Athens, Larnaca and Paris to name a few.

While the JetBlue agreement is important, its American Airlines partnership is much more significant. Air Serbia expanded its deal with the latter airline back in January 2023 to encompass connections (including to Miami) beyond Chicago with the start of its route from Belgrade which began in May that year. This complemented existing codesharing on flights from New York. The expanded agreement’s routes are shown below.

Expanding Fleet & Long Haul Network

Air Serbia operates a fairly small fleet of Airbus A330-200s. Ch-aviation data shows the airline operates four of them.

As shown above, Air Serbia introduced two new widebody planes to its fleet over the last few months. This has allowed it to expand its network and boost frequencies. One aspect of the A330s that cannot be overlooked is the ample belly cargo capacity that they provide, essential to the carrier’s routes both to the US and China. Marek said:

“Cargo is essential for any airline operating long-haul routes, utilizing belly cargo capacity beneath the passenger deck. As a small regional airline, we rely on partnerships to expand our reach. We have key partners in the US and China, helping distribute our cargo services. Strong trade ties between Serbia and the US benefit our cargo operations and the free trade agreement with China further enhances opportunities in both directions.”

As for the carrier’s route network, it currently operates to four destinations. It used to fly to Tianjin, but suspended the route in November. A new service to Shanghai was introduced in January this year.

*Flights began using an A330 leased from Jet Airways.