BELGRADE (Serbia), November 19 (SeeNews) – Slovenia's Adria Airways and Croatia Airlines are the latest airlines planning flights to Serbia ahead of expected lifting of visa requirements for Serbian citizens travelling to the European Union, Belgrade-based daily Blic reported on Thursday.
Adria Airways plans to launch flights between Belgrade and Ljubljana in early 2010, Blic (www.blic.rs) quoted unnamed officials from Serbia's Civil Aviation Directorate (CAD) as saying.
Croatia Airlines is considering four flights a week between Belgrade and Zagreb starting on May 1.
Romanian state-owned flag carrier TAROM is slated to fly three times a week between Belgrade and Bucharest starting on December 7, Blic also said.
Belgrade began blinking on the radar of a slew of airlines, including low-cost carriers from Austria, Russia, Hungary, Spain and the UK, after the European Parliament last week approved a resolution that recommends lifting short-term visas for Serbian citizens travelling to European Union member states. The new visa rules are expected to take effect on December 19.
Serbia will invite five low-cost carriers, including Dublin-based Ryanair, UK’s easyJet and Hungarian Wizz Air, to acquaint them with the local market in view of the likely easing of visa requirements, local media reported earlier this week.
Serbia has granted temporary licences to Hungary’s Malev, Austrian low-cost airline FlyNiki and Montenegro Airlines to fly to and from any of its airports, CAD said last month.
Earlier, local broadcaster b92 (www.b92.net) quoted CAD Director Nebojsa Starcevic as saying that Serbia will grant licences to all EU-based airlines seeking to open routes to any of the Balkan state's airports.
Malev will launch flights to Belgrade on December 14 while Russia's Moskovia Airlines and Sky Express have said they are also interested in opening routes to the Serbian capital, local media reported earlier. Spanish budget carrier Vueling and easyJET have also been approached to start negotiations on flying to the Balkan country.
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