Air Serbia welcomed its 20 millionth passenger this week. The passenger, Simonida Bugarčić, was flying on flight JU500 from Air Serbia’s base, Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport (BEG), to New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK).
A surprise gift
After a “boarding complete” announcement was made for Air Serbia’s flight JU500 in Belgrade, passengers were treated to a surprise announcement.
Simonida Bugarčić, flying to New York as a tourist, was called forward as the airline’s 20 millionth passenger since the “Air Serbia” brand was launched in 2013.
She then received a surprise gift: a free flight to any destination in Air Serbia’s network for two persons. The prize was presented to her by Air Serbia’s CEO, Jiří Marek.
Marking the occasion, Marek said:
“We are very happy to have carried our 20-millionth passenger just a month before our ninth birthday. We celebrate this important success in the year in which we had record-setting results during the summer season, in terms of passengers carried, while at the same time, we have positioned ourselves as the leading airline in the region also in terms of the number of flights. The trust of our passengers and the dedication of our employees represent the foundation and strong motivation for further improvement of our operations and offers. We thank Simonida for choosing Air Serbia and believe this prize will be used to create new memories.”
The passenger got to comment too: she said she does not fly often but, when she does, she flies Air Serbia.
The passenger received a free flight for two persons. Photo: Air Serbia
Air Serbia’s passenger numbers are booming
Air Serbia’s summer season saw the airline carry more passengers than it did in the summer of 2019.
During July and August this year, the airline carried over 800,000 passengers through the three Serbian airports it serves: Belgrade (BEG), Niš (INI), and Kraljevo (KVO).
Before the summer season kicked off, Air Serbia expanded its network with as many as ten new destinations in Europe. Due to increased demand for flights between Belgrade and New York, during the upcoming winter season, it will increase this route’s frequency from the usual two to three flights a week.
The CEO was there. Photo: Air Serbia
A strong hub model is helping
The Serbian flag carrier is buoyed by strong outbound demand from Belgrade, with Serbian citizens now being able to travel to Europe after two years of COVID restrictions.
At the same time, Air Serbia is benefitting from a surge in passenger traffic from its Russian destinations, Moscow (SVO), Sochi (AER), and Kazan (KZN). These flights are sold out weeks in advance on the inbound sector.
Russian citizens can only travel to Europe by air via Belgrade with Air Serbia and via Istanbul with Turkish Airlines. Because Air Serbia has been building a transfer hub in Belgrade for years, it is now able to feed a wide-ranging European network with Russian passengers.
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Source: simpleflying.com
