The Ambassador did not specify whether the new services between Niš and Ankara would be operated by Air Serbia or Turkish Airlines’ low cost subsidiary AJet. The development comes just weeks after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in Air Transport between Serbia and Turkey, which opens the door for more flights, new destinations, and increased capacity between the two nations. Currently, both Niš and Kraljevo have two weekly flights to Istanbul’s main airport, operated by Air Serbia under a Public Service Obligation contract with the Serbian government. Additionally, the Serbian carrier runs summer charter flights between Niš and Antalya.
In 2024, a total of 232.527 Turkish tourists visited Serbia, an increase of 15.4% on 2023, making them the largest group of visitors to the country. They spent 603.787 nights in Serbia throughout the year. Despite a stringent bilateral Air Service Agreement that regulates frequencies and capacity between the two, and in addition to flights from Niš and Kraljevo to Istanbul, Belgrade offers scheduled services to Turkey’s main gateway, as well as Sabiha Gockan Airport, Ankara and Izmir. Furthermore, there are numerous charters between the two countries with Antalya being the busiest. Air Serbia, which has exclusive rights to operate between Serbia and the city, handled close to 120.000 passengers between Serbia and Antalya last year.
