Air Serbia

Air Serbia Announces its Second Chinese Destination

Air Serbia is quite the quirky airline. Serbia sits just outside the EU and, although it entertains relations with the Union, the Balcan country is friendly to both Russia and China. Therefore, it is unsurprising that after experimenting with flights to China, specifically to Tianjin, the carrier is has decided to open a new route in the PRC, this time to a much more important city: Guangzhou. Here’s all you need to know.

Air Serbia and Its Newest Flight JU988 to Guangzhou China

This, as I’ll later investigate more detail, is only AirSerbia’s fourth long haul destination. The carrier has announced it will be starting operations from Belgrade International Airport to Guangzhou International on September 30th 2024. Although tickets are on sale, the route is still pending government approval. However, that shouldn’t be much of an issue to receive.

Air Serbia will operate flight JU988 from Belgrade to Guangzhou twice per week with flights available every:

  • Monday
  • Friday

Air Serbia will be using the only long-range aircraft of its fleet on this route, the Airbus A330-200. The airline currently owns two set up with a 2-class configuration featuring:

  • 21 Business class seats in an alternating 1-2-1 and 1-2-2 layout.
  • 236 Economy Class seats in a classic 2-4-2 layout.

Another A330-200 will also be joining the fleet, most likely also a mid-life aircraft, to enable this fleet expansion.

As for the timing of the flight, both services will be redeye flights flying through the night and into the day landing at destination:

Flight NumberDeparture AirportAirport CodeDeparture TimeArrival AirportAirport CodeArrival TimeFlight Duration
Air Serbia LogoJU988BelgradeBEG00:50GuangzhouCAN17:1010hrs 20min
Air Serbia LogoJU989GuangzhouCAN22:10BelgradeBEG04:3012hrs 20min

The Serbian flag carrier still doesn’t have any standing agreements for onwards connectivity. However, it seems quite clear that there are ongoing talks to find some sort of partnership with one or more airlines out of Guangzhou.

Air Serbia Airbus A320 During Taxiing
Air Serbia Airbus A320 During Taxiing

US and China the Only Long-Range Destinations on the Map

Air Serbia Long-Range Route Network in Late 2024
Air Serbia Long-Range Route Network in Late 2024

It is quite a unique long range route network that of Air Serbia, however it does makes sense. China is a heavy investor in the Serbian economy with the belt and road initiative, therefore it makes sense for the airline to open new routes to the east. The New York and Chicago are home to large expat communities and Air Serbia is one of the few carriers to offer direct non-stop services.