Air Serbia continues to expand its presence on transatlantic routes, with transfer passengers playing a significant role in filling capacities on flights between Belgrade and the United States. Although the airline is seeing increased demand for direct flights between Serbia and the U.S., transfer traffic constitutes a significant portion of passenger numbers, particularly on the Belgrade-New York route, where the share of connecting flights is considerably higher than on flights to Chicago.
According to data from the analytical company OAG for 2024, the busiest transfer route for Air Serbia between Belgrade and the United States connects New York with Podgorica. This route records the highest number of passengers using Belgrade as a hub for onward travel to the U.S. After New York, the most popular transfer destinations include Skopje, Istanbul, Moscow, Tivat, Tirana, and Athens, reports ExYuAviationNews. Interestingly, Tirana is one of the busiest destinations without a direct flight to New York, while Istanbul and Athens, despite having numerous direct connections to the U.S., still see a significant number of transfer passengers through Belgrade. These data confirm that Air Serbia’s strategy as a regional hub in Southeastern Europe is paying off, offering travelers competitive options for connecting to North America.
Notably, last year, Air Serbia positioned itself as the sixth-largest carrier between Russia and the United States. The top five carriers ahead of it were Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways, Emirates, Royal Air Maroc and Uzbekistan Airways, while the Serbian national carrier surpassed Etihad Airways and Egypt Air. These figures suggest that Belgrade is increasingly becoming an alternative transit point for passengers from Russia traveling to the U.S., as Western airlines no longer operate in the Russian market.
Booking data shows that passengers using Air Serbia frequently continue their journey to Cleveland, with the help of partners JetBlue and American Airlines. Tour operators dealing with diaspora traffic highlight that New York remains a more popular destination for transfer passengers than Chicago, due to lower ticket prices and better connections to the rest of the U.S. Sarajevo also stands out as a potential transfer point to the U.S., but due to the lack of appropriate connections between Belgrade and Bosnia and Herzegovina’s capital, demand for such flights has yet to reach its full potential.
Analysis of indirect traffic indicates that Los Angeles, Miami, Washington and Boston are the most sought-after destinations from Belgrade that currently lack direct flights. Passengers from these markets most often use Lufthansa, Turkish Airlines, and KLM to reach the U.S., but Air Serbia also transports a significant number of passengers to these destinations with the help of its partners.
In this context, Air Serbia CEO Jiri Marek previously emphasized that the airline plans to continue its expansion in the North American market.
