February 7 (SeeNews) - Serbia would like flag carrier Air Serbia to operate the two planned routes linking Belgrade with Shanghai and Beijing, president Aleksandar Vucic said, without elaborating on the flights' launch date.
The flights to Shanghai and Beijing are likely to become profitable within a shorter period than Air Serbia's New York route, Vucic said on Saturday, as seen in a video file posted on the YouTube channel of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party.
Air Serbia launched a regular service between Belgrade and New York in 2016, the first direct flight connection between Serbia and the US in 24 years.
"The routes will facilitate contacts between business people, as well as bring more Chinese tourists to Serbia," Vucic said during his visit to Beijing.
The Serbian president initially proposed the introduction of the two routes in June 2021 as a means to create new opportunities for economic cooperation between the two countries.
In August 2021, state-owned postal operator Posta Srbije said direct flights between Belgrade and Beijing were due to start in January, 2022.