Inaugural flight will depart from John F. Kennedy International Airport on June 23, 2016.
BELGRADE, SERBIA – Air Serbia, the national airline of the Republic of Serbia, has announced that it will launch its historic new service between New York and Belgrade on June 23, 2016.
The announcement was made by Aleksandar Vucic, Prime Minister of Serbia, during this morning’s opening of the 38th International Tourism Fair in Belgrade, the largest annual tourism event in the Balkans.
The Prime Minister was accompanied by Sinisa Mali, Chairman of Air Serbia and Mayor of Belgrade, and Dane Kondic, Chief Executive Officer of Air Serbia.
To celebrate the new service, Air Serbia is offering travelers in the United States special promotional fares, with round trips originating from New York. These special introductory fares are valid from February 18, 2016 to February 24, 2016 and can be booked through the Air Serbia website on airserbia.com, any Air Serbia sales office or travel agents.
“This is a great and positive symbol for Serbia. No other country in the region has a direct air service to the USA, which is why there is such a huge interest in the new offering from Air Serbia. I am very happy that today, at the Tourism Fair, we can announce the start of ticket sales on the Belgrade – New York route,” emphasized Prime Minister Vucic.
Air Serbia will launch a scheduled non-stop service between its Belgrade hub at Nikola Tesla Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport in June 2016, deploying an Airbus A330-200 aircraft on the route.
In addition, it was announced that the proceeds from the sale of the first pair of Business Class and Economy Class tickets will be donated to the Blic Foundation, an organization dedicated to providing humanitarian assistance in Serbia.
Sinisa Mali, Chairman of Air Serbia and Mayor of Belgrade, said: “The Air Serbia New York service will have a huge impact upon Serbia and the city of Belgrade, bringing many thousands of business and leisure travelers from the United States.
“Today’s announcement, that tickets are now on sale, marks a great moment and we look forward to the build-up over the coming months when the A330 aircraft arrives in Belgrade and the moment the inaugural flight takes-off in June.”
The New York service has been assigned flight numbers JU500 and JU501, the same numbers used by Air Serbia’s predecessor when the carrier operated non-stop flights to the United States 24 years ago.
Operating five times a week, the flight will depart New York at 2:40 PM on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, to land in Belgrade’s Nikola Tesla Airport at 5:30 AM. On Friday and Saturday, it will depart JFK at 7:30 PM to arrive in Belgrade at 10:20 AM. The return service will depart Belgrade at 7:30 AM on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, to arrive in JFK International Airport at 12:00 PM. On Fridays and Saturdays, the service will take off from Belgrade at 12:55 PM to land in JFK at 5:25 PM.
Dane Kondic, Chief Executive Officer of Air Serbia, said: “We can feel the excitement building around our upcoming flights to New York and are delighted to announce the start of sales on this route.
“Our flight schedule has been carefully designed to offer travelers in the United States convenient onward connections from Belgrade to popular cities in the region.
“This vital air bridge has significant historical importance, which is reflected in the fact that Air Serbia has retained its flight numbers from 1992, the year of the last transatlantic flight between Serbia and the United States.
“We are pleased to report that our flight approval request with the United States civil aviation authorities is progressing well and we are on track for a successful launch in June 2016.”
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