Air Serbia is ramping up operations on flights where it now faces competition from easyJet. The low cost carrier last week announced it would introduce services between Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport and Belgrade, effectively ending the Serbian carrier’s five-year monopoly on the service. In a bid to stay competitive on the route, Air Serbia is adding two additional weekly flights, bringing the total to sixteen per week. Starting September 29, the airline will introduce a third daily service on Mondays and Fridays, coinciding with the days easyJet will operate its two weekly flights. All of Air Serbia’s Paris operations will be maintained with its A320-family aircraft.
Air Serbia resumed flights to Geneva on Monday, marking its return to the Swiss city after a four-year hiatus. The route was initially scheduled to operate three times per week, but the airline announced an increase to four weekly flights during the peak summer period, from July 6 to August 31, following a competitive response from easyJet. The flag carrier has now extended the four weekly frequencies through the end of the summer season. easyJet, which had originally planned to operate the route twice weekly, also raised its schedule to four weekly flights for the peak summer and has since extended this through the end of the season as well.
Air Serbia previously stated it reinstated services to Geneva after closely monitoring market developments and its competitors. This week, the airline’s CEO, Jiri Marek, noted that Air Serbia’s strategy is cantered on delivering sustainable value to passengers through quality service, reliability, and competitive pricing, in an effort to stand out against low-cost carriers. “Our goal is not to be the cheapest, but to be the best choice – one that offers a balance between price and quality. It is this combination that makes us a recognisable and desirable company in an increasingly competitive market”, Mr Marek said, adding that he believes healthy competition benefits the development of the entire industry.
