Air Serbia and Turkish Airlines to expand partnership

Air Serbia and Turkish Airlines are set to expand their partnership following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in Air Transport between Serbia and Turkey this week. The agreement paves the way for more flights, the addition of new destinations, and increased capacity between the two countries. “The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding reinforces the long-standing partnership between the two countries in the field of air transport, focusing on improving routes, increasing flight frequencies, and strengthening collaboration between airlines”, the Serbian Civil Aviation Directorate said.

Air Serbia noted it will initially expand its existing codeshare agreement with Turkish Airlines. The two carriers have a wide-ranging codeshare deal in place. “Air Serbia and Turkish Airlines have started discussions on the expansion of the existing codeshare cooperation. Our shared commitment to providing better connectivity and constantly improving the quality of service remains our priority”, the Serbian carrier said. Air Serbia has significantly increased its operations to Turkey over the past two years and now maintains flights from Belgrade to Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, as well as from Niš and Kraljevo to Turkey’s largest city. Turkish Airlines has also boosted its frequencies to the Serbian capital from Istanbul, serving the city three times per day, while its low cost subsidiary AJet launched operations from Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen, Ankara and Izmir to Belgrade.

Air Serbia and Turkish Airlines began exploring the possibility of establishing a Joint Venture in 2023. This is an agreement between airlines to share revenues on a route. It also involves coordinating route planning and scheduling. These are typically large undertakings, that involve significant negotiations. They also often require government approval due to the potential removal of competition and can take several years to negotiate. Recently, Turkish Airlines’ Chairman, Ahmet Bolat, said the carrier was considering establishing a subsidiary of its maintenance arm Turkish Technic in Serbia, which would include a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility in Belgrade that would primarily cater for Air Serbia’s fleet.