Serbian national airline Air Serbia plans to increase its flight frequency on the Belgrade-Vienna route in the upcoming 2026/2027 winter flight schedule. According to industry reports, the route will be served with up to 18 weekly flights.
This represents an increase of one weekly flight compared to the original plans, as well as an increase compared to the previous winter period, in which between 14 and 16 rotations were carried out weekly, reports Ex-Yu-Aviation.com.
On the short-haul route between Belgrade-Nikola Tesla Airport and Vienna-Schwechat Airport, Air Serbia primarily uses ATR 72-600 turboprop aircraft. This increase in service reflects the continued demand for connections between Austria and Serbia, driven by business and domestic travel, city breaks, and visits to relatives. In addition to Air Serbia, other airlines such as Austrian Airlines also operate scheduled flights on this route.
The capacity expansion is part of Air Serbia's ongoing modernization of its regional fleet. The Serbian airline has acquired several used and new turboprop aircraft in recent years to offer more flexible flight frequencies on shorter routes within the Balkans and to Central Europe. The use of turboprop aircraft allows the airline to operate more frequently while maintaining a manageable number of seats per flight.
Industry observers note, however, that choosing turboprop aircraft like the ATR 72-600 for routes of this distance results in longer flight times compared to jet aircraft. Furthermore, the profitability of the more frequent flight schedule depends significantly on whether load factors can be maintained at a stable level even during the typically slower winter travel months. The market environment on routes between the neighboring countries of Southeast Europe remains dynamic due to competition from road and rail transport as well as low-cost carriers.