Air Serbia Starts New Ankara Service, Resumes Tel Aviv Flights

Air Serbia
Credit: Joe Pries

Air Serbia has launched flights to Ankara Esenboga Airport (ESB) and resumed service to Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport (TLV). 

Belgrade Tesla Airport (BEG)-ESB nonstop flights, which started April 7, will be operated 4X-weekly with an Airbus A319 aircraft. Air Serbia notes ESB, Turkey’s third-busiest airport, is located 28 km (17 mi) northeast of the Turkish capital’s city center.

“The introduction of direct flights between the two capitals will enhance the already great economic, social and cultural cooperation of Serbia and Turkey, and further improve the mobility of people and cargo,” Air Serbia General Manager of Commercial and Strategy Boško Rupić says in a statement.

The airline already serves Istanbul (IST) and from April 15 will commence Belgrade-Izmir (ADB) flights, giving it three destinations in Turkey,

Air Serbia also restarted nonstop service between Belgrade and Tel Aviv on April 6. The route had been suspended for more than three years because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The route will be operated 3X-weekly until May 8, when a fourth weekly frequency will be added.

The airline will use an A319 for the BEG-TLV service, with a flight time of about 2.5 hr., according to Air Serbia.

“By bringing this cosmopolitan city back into our network of destinations, we have opened the doors of Israel to everyone who wants to visit it,” Air Serbia Head of Network Planning and Scheduling Bojan Aranđelović says.

Aaron Karp

Aaron Karp is a Contributing Editor to the Aviation Week Network.