Air Serbia Plans Miami Flights, And Maybe Toronto Flights

Air Serbia’s CEO is once again going on record about the next destinations in North America that the airline is considering, and I’m particularly happy about the frontrunner…

Air Serbia plans North America expansion in near future

Air Serbia CEO Jiri Marek did an interview with Business Focus, where he was asked about the carrier’s growth plans in North America. For context, Air Serbia’s long haul fleet currently consists of four Airbus A330s, and long haul destinations include Chicago (ORD), New York (JFK), Guangzhou (CAN), and Shanghai (PVG).

Here was his answer about where in North America Air Serbia is looking to expand to next:

Historically, our US flights have been driven by diaspora demand from the former Yugoslavia. Post-COVID, they have also grown in popularity with tourists from both sides. Now, we are expanding connectivity through a codeshare with JetBlue and cooperation with American Airlines, extending our network beyond New York and Chicago to the rest of the US.

Our next logical US destination is Miami. In North America, we are also considering Toronto, though its high seasonality and diaspora-driven demand make it less stable than JFK or Chicago, which have additionally also stronger cargo potential as another differentiating factor.

This isn’t the first time the company has floated the concept of service to Miami (MIA) or Toronto (YYZ). There has been talk of Toronto service dating back to 2018 (when Pearson Airport officials claimed the parties were in “advanced talks”), while Miami was mentioned in 2024, when the company claimed it would launch those flights in 2025.

As someone who lives in Miami, I’d of course be delighted to see Air Serbia fly here, since more European links are always useful. After Chicago and New York (which are already served), Miami has the next highest demand in the United States for Belgrade flights. Miami is also great in terms of seasonality, since it has strong demand in winter.

For that matter, Air Serbia is uniquely positioned, since it has access to both the European Union and Russia. South Florida has a significant Russian population, so I’m sure Air Serbia would get a lot of business from that.

Any expansion will require more aircraft, or at least more availability from existing aircraft, so it’s anyone’s guess when this service actually launches. We know that Air Serbia is looking to double its A330 fleet in the coming years, to eight aircraft.

Air Serbia deserves credit for its impressive success

Air Serbia is government owned, which all too often seems to be a curse for airlines, and a recipe for failure. Heck, keep in mind that in 2013, Etihad bought a 49% stake in Air Serbia, but then abandoned the airline, leaving the government in full control.

I’ve gotta say, Air Serbia’s management has done a phenomenal job leading the airline. Air Serbia has achieved a small profit in both 2023 and 2024. Most importantly for a government owned airline, it has created jobs and increased connectivity to the country, which is the real value in a national airline.

Now, admittedly one wonders about some of the math when the government is the main shareholder, but I’d argue the airline has been going about things exactly right. Air Serbia has been taking advantage of its advantageous geography to grow slowly and steadily.

Unlike so many other government owned airlines, the airline hasn’t been run based on prestige, or based on flying the newest planes. Quite to the contrary, all of Serbia’s A330s are used, and previously flew for other airlines.

Air Serbia also benefits from the current Russia situation, since Air Serbia has access to both the European Union and Russia. When you combine that with the general affordability of Serbia (and therefore low operating costs), there’s no reason the airline can’t continue to grow and be successful, and become on the biggest players in Eastern Europe.

Bottom line

Air Serbia is looking at some new destinations in North America. Miami seems to be at the top of the list, while Toronto continues to be under consideration, though it doesn’t sound like much progress has been made there. Air Serbia has been growing slowly but steadily, so hopefully we see this service launch in the near future.

What do you make of Air Serbia planning on launching Miami flights, and maybe Toronto flights?