Flydubai leads Gulf battle against Qatar and Wizz in Belgrade

The three Gulf carriers operating flights to Belgrade – Flydubai, Qatar Airways, and Wizz Air Abu Dhabi – handled a combined total of 182.170 passengers to and from the Serbian capital in the first half of the year, according to data provided by the statistical office of the European Union. This represents a 46.8% increase compared to the same period during the pre-pandemic 2019, on services from Dubai, Doha, and Abu Dhabi. Flydubai, offering the most flights and capacity among the three, carried the largest number of passengers, totalling 87.417. While Dubai had the fewest passengers among the Gulf destinations served from Belgrade before the pandemic, it has now become the busiest route.

Belgrade route performance by Gulf carrier, H1 2024

As previously reported, Qatar Airways handled 54.616 passengers on its flights between Doha and Belgrade during the first half of the year, representing a 26% increase on its previous record during the first half of 2019. Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, which commenced operations to Belgrade in 2021, also registered strong growth on the route, welcoming 40.137 travellers. It has now filled most of the void left by the departure of Etihad Airways, which, until it discontinued flights in 2020, was the busiest of the Gulf carriers in Belgrade with a daily rotation.

Over the past few years, Belgrade Airport has attempted to attract new carriers from the Gulf, however, so far, none have managed to replicate the success of their counterparts in Dubai, Doha, and Abu Dhabi. In January 2019, Air Arabia scheduled flights and put on sale tickets for a new four weekly service from Sharjah to the Serbian capital, which were to launch in June of that year. However, by April, sales were discontinued. Last June, Jazeera Airways commenced two weekly seasonal operations from its home in Kuwait City to Belgrade, but ultimately cut short the service by three weeks and did not return in 2024. Kuwait remains the busiest unserved market in the Gulf from Belgrade based on point-to-point demand. It is followed by Oman and Saudi Arabia.