Shanghai-based China Eastern Airlines has confirmed it has launched a feasibility study into the introduction of flights between its main hub and Belgrade, as the carrier evaluates further expansion across Europe. The Serbian capital is being assessed alongside Bucharest, Birmingham and Lyon as part of what the airline described as efforts “to lay the foundation for future route network expansion”. The SkyTeam member, which ranked as the world’s eighth-largest airline by capacity last year, has undergone significant growth over the past three years and currently serves sixteen destinations across Europe. Its network includes Amsterdam, Barcelona, Paris, Copenhagen, Rome, Frankfurt, Geneva, Istanbul, Kazan, St. Petersburg, London Gatwick, London Heathrow, Madrid, Milan, Moscow and Venice.
The potential entry of China Eastern Airlines into the Serbian market would create significant competition for Air Serbia, which launched flights between its hub and Shanghai in January last year and currently maintains the service twice per week. During its first year of operations, the airline handled close to 50.000 passengers on the route, offering around 55.000 seats over the twelve-month period, indicating a solid load factor for a newly introduced long-haul service. Prior to its launch, Shanghai represented Belgrade’s busiest unserved route, while the Serbian capital ranked among the Chinese metropolis’ largest unserved destinations in Europe.
Air Serbia is already contending with strong competition on its Guangzhou service from China Southern Airlines, which operates two weekly rotations between the two cities. The presence of the Chinese carrier has proven challenging for Air Serbia as it seeks to stimulate and capture traffic, particularly among Chinese leisure travellers, who tend to favour flying with Chinese airlines.
The potential launch of China Eastern Airlines services to Belgrade would mean that two of China’s three largest carriers operate to the Serbian capital and three Chinese carriers overall. In 2025, a total of 184.042 Chinese tourists visited Serbia, representing year-on-year growth of 17.5%. China Eastern boasts a fleet of nearly 700 aircraft and serves more than 230 destinations worldwide. Its European network is primarily operated with the Airbus A330, while select routes are served by the Boeing 777 and Airbus A350.
