Air Serbia is increasing the frequency of its flights from Belgrade to New York JFK due to increased demand. This is despite the travel restrictions imposed between Serbia and the US as a result of the pandemic.

An extra frequency to New York JFK

Citing strong demand, Air Serbia announced today it would boost its capacity on flights between New York JFK and its hub, Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport. Currently, Air Serbia flies between the two airports on Thursdays and Saturdays. The additional frequency will be on Mondays. The flight departing Belgrade for JFK operates under the code JU500, and the returning flight is JU501.

The first extra rotation will run on Monday, March 22nd. From that week up until the end of May, Air Serbia will fly to New York JFK three times weekly. Then, starting Thursday, May 28th the current schedule indicates that Air Serbia will also add a fourth weekly frequency. From mid-June, the frequencies go up to five, and they stay at five until early September.

Air Serbia
The airline saw its best September in history. Photo: Getty Images

Belgrade to JFK flights are a success

In a statement, Air Serbia's General Manager Commercial and Strategy, Jiri Marek, commented on this news by saying:

"The addition of another weekly flight to New York, despite the coronavirus pandemic, is a clear indicator that our transatlantic connection functions well and that it represents one of Air Serbia’s strongest routes. The United States is a very important market for us, and we are glad to provide a continuous and strong flight connectivity, not just to Serbia, but also the broader region."

As Simple Flying reported at the time, Air Serbia was the airline with the highest load factor at JFK's Terminal 4 in September 2020. At 67%, it carried a higher load than any other airline to the Big Apple.

Air Serbia Airbus A330 New York JFK
Russians looking to return home have been reccomended to fly through Belgrade, creating inbound and outbound traffic. Photo: Getty Images

Air Serbia first launched flights to New York JFK five years ago and has been flying there continuously up until the pandemic struck and Belgrade Airport was closed. Still, the interruption only lasted for less than three months.

Since June 6th, 2020, when flights resumed, the Serbian national airline run 218 flights on this route and carried a total of 38,187 passengers. Recently, Air Serbia started the process of acquiring its second Airbus A330-200, YU-ARB, with which it will replace its current A330, YU-ARA. The airline has also raised its share of the total passenger traffic at Belgrade Airport to 53%, and it has boosted its reputation in its home market by performing several rescue flights, including to Los Angeles and Washington, and cargo operations to Bahrain, Russia, and China.

What do you think of Air Serbia's increase in frequencies on its flights from Belgrade to New York JFK? Let us know what you think of this news in the comments below.