Air Serbia has recorded a surge in bookings on its flights from China following the wide-ranging airspace closures across the Middle East, which have triggered the most significant disruption to global air traffic since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. The overnight service from Guangzhou, which landed in Belgrade this morning, carried a number of passengers who had originally been booked on Emirates and Qatar Airways flights to Europe but opted to travel via the Serbian carrier instead in order to reach their final destinations.
While some travellers were rebooked onto Air Serbia’s service by their original airlines, others purchased new tickets independently as an alternative, amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and varying airline policies regarding rebooking in such circumstances. Passengers rebooked on yesterday evening’s flight, as well as those who secured their own tickets, told EX-YU Aviation News they were travelling onward to destinations including the Czech Republic, Germany, Spain and Greece, with several long-haul passengers originating from as far as Australia.
Fares on Air Serbia’s flights out of Guangzhou and Shanghai have surged over the past 48 hours as seats continue to sell out and availability becomes increasingly limited, reflecting a sharp spike in demand triggered by ongoing airspace closures across parts of the Middle East. The Association of Serbian Tour Operators (YUTA) has said that several Serbian tour groups booked on Qatar Airways and Emirates/Flydubai remain stranded in destinations including Tanzania (Zanzibar), Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Thailand.
Etihad Airways, Emirates and Flydubai have resumed a limited number of services, operating through a narrow airspace corridor from Dubai and Abu Dhabi. This includes a Flydubai service to and from Belgrade. However, all airlines involved have said these are either repositioning or evacuation flights and that the bulk of the network remains suspended.
Chinese tourists stranded in Europe by the suspension of flights in the Middle East have also been finding alternatives on the Serbian carrier. A tourist from Hangzhou who was in Stockholm said she managed to purchase a ticket to Zurich, and then travel with Air Serbia to Guangzhou via Belgrade noting that fares on Chinese carriers have skyrocketed since the start of the week.
