2.76 million passengers carried

• 60% increase in traffic compared with the previous year
• 87 routes to four continents
• Direct flights to Tianjin, Air Serbia’s second long-haul destination launched
• Load factor averaged 72%
• Premium lounge used by more than 54,000 passengers

After two difficult years for commercial aviation, the Serbian national airline achieved significant progress last year. In 2022, Air Serbia carried a total of 2.76 million passengers on scheduled and charter flights, which is a 73% increase compared with the previous year. From July to December, the company achieved record-breaking monthly results in terms of the number of passengers carried. The national airline operated a total of 31,420 flights from three international airports in Serbia – its hub in Belgrade, as well as the airports in Niš and Kraljevo. This represents a 60% increase compared with 2021. The average load factor was 72%, which represents an increase of 8 percentage points year on year. In 2022, Air Serbia expanded its network with 15 new destinations and reinforced its fleet with seven new aircraft.

In November, the long-haul fleet got its second wide-body airplane, the Airbus A330-200 bearing the image of famous Serbian scientist and inventor, Mihajlo Pupin. In addition to that, the jet fleet was enriched with an additional Airbus A319 and an Airbus A320, while four new ATR 72-600 type aircraft joined the regional fleet.

During the previous year, Air Serbia flew to a total of 87 routes across Europe, North America, Asia, and Africa via scheduled, seasonal, and charter flights. Compared with 2021, direct flights to 15 new destinations have been launched, including Valencia, Malaga, Malta, Lyon, Bologna, Hanover, Nuremberg, and others. As of 9 December, the national airline resumed flights to the People’s Republic of China after a 22-year hiatus. The first destination in this Asian country is Tianjin, the fourth largest city and the largest port in northern China. As a result, Air Serbia managed to position itself on the market as one of the few European airlines that offer direct flights to the People’s Republic of China.

Last year’s results in charter transport were particularly good, with Air Serbia operating 2,663 flights on a total of 21 charter routes, achieving a 10% better performance than in 2021. From Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport and Niš Constantine the Great Airport, it operated flights on as many as nine routes in Greece, six in Turkey, three in Egypt, two in Italy, and one in Tunisia. 

By carrying nearly 5,000 tons of cargo, Air Serbia Cargo achieved a 30% better result in the previous year than in 2021.

The services of Air Serbia’s Premium Lounge at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport were used by 54,000 passengers in 2022.

Additionally, in 2022 Air Serbia positioned itself among the European airlines with the highest number of weekly flights from Istanbul airport. The number of flights between Belgrade and Istanbul increased from ten to 17 flights a week. Passengers had access to up to six daily flights between these two cities, with three flights operated by Air Serbia, and the remaining three by Turkish Airlines, with whom Air Serbia has a code-share agreement.

Top Copyright Photo: Air Serbia Airbus A320-232 WL YU-APO (msn 6388) ZRH (Rolf Wallner). Image: 959845.

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