Air Serbia to team with Chinese online travel platform to boost cooperation after launching new route to Shanghai

The Global Times learned on Sunday that Air Serbia and Trip.com Group are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Monday. Air Serbia said that it will further expand strategic cooperation with the Chinese online travel agency (OTA) after a new route was launched, aiming to provide more tourism service experiences for travelers from both countries and around the world.

According to the MoU, besides cooperation in ticket distribution, other areas of collaboration will include jointly developing tourism routes and products, and promoting Serbian tourism resources and culture through the Trip.com platform to attract more Chinese tourists, Jiri Marek, Air Serbia CEO, told the Global Times on Sunday.

The cooperation will enhance the competitiveness and brand influence of Air Serbia in the Chinese market and provide more convenient and diversified tourism experiences for travelers from both countries and around the world, Marek said.

At 6:47 pm on Saturday, Air Serbia flight JU986 landed at the Shanghai Pudong International Airport and was welcomed by a water salute ceremony, marking the launch of the first direct flight between Shanghai and Belgrade, the capital of Serbia.

Operated by Air Serbia using an Airbus A330, the route is currently scheduled to operate two flights a week. In terms of seat occupancy rate, the first flight was above 86 percent, while that of the returning flight is expected to reach 100 percent.

Shanghai is an economic and cultural hub of China, and the launch of direct flights to Shanghai is a milestone for Air Serbia in developing its presence in the Chinese market, Marek said.

"We attach great importance to the Chinese market and are committed to providing high-quality services to meet the needs of Chinese travelers," Marek said, while noting that China's tourism and aviation market has huge potential, as China is increasingly open to foreign tourists and the demand for inbound tourism continues to rise.

On Friday, a ceremonial sendoff was held for the flight at Nikola Tesla Airport in Belgrade. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who attended the ceremony, highlighted the significance of direct connectivity with China in light of growing trade and tourism ties, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Vucic noted that Serbia's trade with China reached nearly 7 billion euros ($7.18 billion) in 2024, with about 147,000 Chinese tourists visiting the country.

At the ceremony, Chinese Ambassador to Serbia Li Ming said in his address that the new flight is a significant step to further expand exchanges and cooperation, facilitate personnel exchanges, and bring tangible benefits to the two peoples, according to Xinhua.

Serbia is the first European country to offer visa-free entry for Chinese citizens, and the new route will boost tourism and foster deeper economic cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, Zhang Hong, a research fellow at the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Sunday.

In the past three years, Air Serbia has almost doubled its network, adding nearly 50 destinations. The number of flights between China and Serbia is also increasing. In September 2024, China Southern Airlines launched a direct route from Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province to Belgrade.

The visa-free policy and the direct flight between Guangzhou and Belgrade have made our group tours to Serbia more stable, Guan Jian, a spokesperson of the Guangzhou-based GZL International Travel Service, told the Global Times on Sunday.

In addition to Guangzhou and Shanghai, Marek said that the airline is actively evaluating market demand and operating conditions for possible additional routes.

"In the New Year, we will cooperate with Serbian travel agencies to develop and promote Chinese tour routes and products, so as to provide diversified travel options for European tourists," he said.