Air Serbia plans to introduce an additional five aircraft to its fleet next year and is looking to add a total of up to thirty new routes in 2023, with over twenty of them already announced. Speaking to “Routes”, Air Serbia’s CEO, Jiri Marek said, “Depending on market availability, we might look into a mix of dry-leases and wet-leases. Between the Covid pandemic and now, a quick reaction to market opportunities has become essential. Air Serbia is very agile as we want to be the regional leader in the wider Balkan region”. He added, “We would like to have a constantly available shortlist of aircraft with pre-negotiated commercial terms and technical reviews to be able to act promptly”.
Air Serbia has recently said it will replace the majority of its 144-seat Airbus A319 aircraft with the larger A320s. “Future replacements, once leases expire, will mostly be A320s. By doing so, we are also taking advantage of the attractive terms that exist on the leasing market right now”, Mr Marek said. Furthermore, the carrier will complete the renewal of its regional fleet, with the fifth and final ATR72-600 turboprop now painted in Air Serbia’s livery ahead of its delivery. Mr Marek had previously noted the airline is looking into further expanding its ATR fleet and is also looking into leasing a third A330-200 aircraft for potential long haul network expansion next year.
Commenting on the carrier’s ambitious network growth plans for 2023, Mr Marek said, “We are continuously capitalizing on the growing market in which we operate and are adding new destinations throughout the year. Hand in hand with long haul development, Air Serbia continues to expand its feeder network and, depending on market dynamics, we aim to introduce between twenty and thirty destinations in 2023”. The carrier is expected to soon outline additional new services. Furthermore, a codeshare agreement with a big Middle Eastern carrier operating from a major hub in the region is to be announced in the coming period, as well as a codeshare partnership with a US airline, EX-YU aviation reports.
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