Serbia's national airline, Air Serbia, is significantly expanding its route network towards Germany, responding to structural changes in the European air transport market.
Starting May 22, 2026, the company will establish a new direct connection between its hub in Belgrade and the Bavarian capital, Munich. An Embraer E195 aircraft will be used for the route; with its capacity of approximately 120 seats, it is considered an ideal aircraft type for serving European medium-haul routes. This move strengthens the airline's position as a key player in the Balkans and ensures the continuity of travel between the two cities. The upcoming launch was first reported by Ex-Yu-Aviation.com.
The reason for this short-term network expansion is the discontinuation of Lufthansa CityLine's operations. For years, this Lufthansa subsidiary had covered the majority of capacity on the Munich-Belgrade route. The loss of these flights has created a significant gap in service, which is particularly important for business travelers and ethnic tourists. Air Serbia is seizing this market opportunity to fill the resulting capacity gap and continue offering passengers seamless connecting flights via Belgrade's Nikola Tesla Airport to destinations in Southeast Europe and the Middle East.
Additional industry analyses reveal that Air Serbia is currently undergoing a massive fleet modernization. The deployment of the Embraer E195, often operated through wet-lease partners or via gradual integration into its own fleet, allows the airline greater flexibility compared to the larger Airbus models or smaller turboprops previously used. Munich Airport also benefits from this development, as it can maintain its role as a central hub for connections to Eastern Europe, while Lufthansa is internally reorganizing its regional fleet structure through the establishment of City Airlines.
The Belgrade–Munich route is of considerable economic importance due to the close trade relations between Serbia and southern Germany. Numerous German companies maintain production facilities in Serbia, generating a constant demand for air connections. Air Serbia plans to further adjust flight frequencies on this route in the coming months, depending on booking levels. Experts expect that the market entry of the Serbian flag carrier will revitalize competition on this route, as it now offers direct competition to the remaining flights operated by Lufthansa's core brand.