Zagreb–Belgrade Flights Resume After 23 Years

Twenty-three years since the last Yugoslav Air Transport, JAT plane took off for Zagreb in Croatia, Air Serbia has reintroduced the service.

JAT flew between the two biggest cities of what was then Yugoslavia from 1947 until August 1991, when war broke out in Croatia.

After Yugoslavia broke up, Zagreb remained off the JAT itinerary. Now a purely Serbian company, it hit growing financial difficulties. It was partially bought out by Etihad, from the United Arabian Emirates, in 2013.

Etihad bought 49 per cent of the shares - the Serbian state kept 51 per cent - and the reborn company changed its name to Air Serbia in October 2013.

Air Serbia says it will be running four return flights a day to Zagreb throughout the whole year. Flight will last little over an hour and a round-trip ticket will cost around 100 euro.

The director of Air Serbia, Dane Kondic, described the new flight schedule as a valuable addition to the company's growing network of connections.

"These flights will respond to the growing demand for business and tourist travel of those who travel frequently between the two capitals and enable them to significantly save time compared to travelling by train or car," said Kondic.

Air Serbia has recently expanded its network of flights to about 40 destinations in Europe, the Middle East, the Mediterranean and the Balkans.