For quite some time, Air Serbia has been hinting at wanting to expand its long haul service. The airline has now announced its first new transatlantic route in quite some time, and the route chosen shouldn’t come as a surprise. I first covered this a few days ago, but want to provide an update, as the flight is now on sale, meaning we also know the schedule.
In this post:
Air Serbia will fly to Toronto, Canada, with Airbus A330s
As of May 23, 2026, Air Serbia plans to launch twice weekly nonstop flights between Belgrade (BEG) and Toronto (YYZ). The bilateral agreement between Canada and Serbia only allows two weekly flights for airlines from each country, so the airline can’t even offer more frequencies than that. Interestingly, the service will be seasonal, running through late September 2026.
On Wednesdays, the service will operate with the following schedule:
JU508 Belgrade to Toronto departing 5:30PM arriving 9:35PM
JU509 Toronto to Belgrade departing 11:45PM arriving 2:30PM (+1 day)
On Saturdays, the service will operate with the following schedule:
JU508 Belgrade to Toronto departing 12:30PM arriving 4:35PM
JU509 Toronto to Belgrade departing 6:45PM arriving 9:30AM (+1 day)
The 4,610-mile flight is blocked at 10hr5min westbound and 8hr45min eastbound. Air Serbia will use an Airbus A330-200 for the flight, featuring 257 seats. This includes 21 business class seats and 236 economy class seats.
Not only is there a good amount of demand between Toronto and Belgrade, but the intent is to also offer good connectivity to other airports in the region, including Athens (ATH), Budapest (BUD), Dubrovnik (DBV), Heraklion (HER), Istanbul (IST), Ljubljana (LJU), Bucharest (OTP), Prague (PRG), Sarajevo (SJJ), Thessaloniki (SKG), Skopje (SKP), Sofia (SOF), Split (SPU), Podgorica (TGD), Tirana (TIA), Tivat (TIV), Vienna (VIE), Zagreb (ZAG), and Zurich (ZRH).
Here’s how Air Serbia CEO Jiri Marek describes this new service:
“After establishing direct flights to New York and Chicago, Toronto is Air Serbia’s third destination in North America. JAT operated its last flight to Toronto in May 1992. Now, after more than 30 years, we are proud to announce the reintroduction of a direct service between Belgrade and Toronto. This strategic step marks the beginning of a new chapter in the history of our company and represents a continuation of Serbia’s economic, commercial, and cultural development.”
“Toronto is known as one of the world’s most important destinations with a large Serbian diaspora, so the significance of this direct service goes beyond economic and commercial considerations. For years, the Serbian diaspora has been advocating for the establishment of a direct air link between Belgrade and Toronto, and I am extremely pleased that we have been able to align our strategic plans with the needs of the market. This route not only connects two countries but also two cultures and two communities, facilitating contacts and improving opportunities for faster and easier communication.”
I am particularly pleased that it will make it easier for many passengers from Serbia and the region to reach their families and friends. Establishing a strong presence in the North American market is accomplishing our vision for Belgrade to become a transit hub, linking Europe and North America. We will strive to continue developing our network of destinations and intercontinental presence in the future, so that we remain at the forefront of companies in the region in terms of air transport, making Serbia a desirable and more accessible destination for further investment and business opportunities.”
This is a logical addition to Air Serbia’s network
For context, Air Serbia’s long haul fleet currently consists of four Airbus A330s, and long haul destinations include Chicago (ORD), New York (JFK), Guangzhou (CAN), and Shanghai (PVG).
For several years now, Air Serbia management has indicated that both Toronto and Miami (MIA) are the next North America markets the airline intends to serve. So if you’re going to launch a summer seasonal route, it makes sense that Toronto would be the first of those to get service (meanwhile Miami is one of the few transatlantic routes that can be served seasonally in winter).
We know that Air Serbia is looking to expand significantly in the coming years, and is looking to double its A330 fleet, to eight aircraft.
Air Serbia is government owned, which all too often seems to be a curse for airlines, and a recipe for failure. Heck, keep in mind that in 2013, Etihad bought a 49% stake in Air Serbia, but then abandoned the airline, leaving the government in full control.
I’ve gotta say, Air Serbia’s management has done a phenomenal job leading the airline. Air Serbia has achieved a small profit in both 2023 and 2024. Most importantly for a government owned airline, it has created jobs and increased connectivity to the country, which is the real value in a national airline.
Now, admittedly one wonders about some of the math when the government is the main shareholder, but I’d argue the airline has been going about things exactly right. Air Serbia has been taking advantage of its advantageous geography to grow slowly and steadily.
Unlike so many other government owned airlines, the airline hasn’t been run based on prestige, or based on flying the newest planes. Quite to the contrary, all of Serbia’s A330s are used, and previously flew for other airlines.
Air Serbia also benefits from the current Russia situation, since Air Serbia has access to both the European Union and Russia. When you combine that with the general affordability of Serbia (and therefore low operating costs), there’s no reason the airline can’t continue to grow and be successful, and become on the biggest players in Eastern Europe.
Bottom line
As of May 2026, Air Serbia plans to launch twice weekly seasonal flights between Belgrade and Toronto. This will be Air Serbia’s third destination in North America, and it’s one the airline has been hinting at for quite some time.
With just twice weekly seasonal flights, this won’t exactly be a huge route for the airline. Still, it’s cool to see expansion, and hopefully Miami service is next (as has been promised for some time).
What do you make of Air Serbia launching Toronto flights?
I have just booked this flight Toronto -Belgrade with Aeroplan miles in Business class but I cannot seem to find out if the cabin offers lie flat seats on the route. Anyone have any knowledge about this? Help appreciated!
rather than zurich and istanbul, which are well connected to YYZ, i'd mention a rather extensive JU network beyond the main destinations in europe and ME - mykonos, corfu, chania, rhodes, thessaloniki, izmir, ankara, amman, varna, ohrid, zadar, rijeka, pula, salzburg, bari, venice, alghero, bologna, catania, palermo, trieste, banja luka, mostar, st. petersburg, kazan, sochi, and my absolute favorite - tbilisi! also etiihad waited quite a bit to exit the JU investment - they were...
rather than zurich and istanbul, which are well connected to YYZ, i'd mention a rather extensive JU network beyond the main destinations in europe and ME - mykonos, corfu, chania, rhodes, thessaloniki, izmir, ankara, amman, varna, ohrid, zadar, rijeka, pula, salzburg, bari, venice, alghero, bologna, catania, palermo, trieste, banja luka, mostar, st. petersburg, kazan, sochi, and my absolute favorite - tbilisi! also etiihad waited quite a bit to exit the JU investment - they were in a pickle, JU was not. i have my issues with JU, but given all the crazy connectivity in the region, it's a bit of a gem.
Toronto has large diasporas from innumerable countries. Residents of Canada (especially non-Canadian immigrants) do not like connecting in USA, or can't get a visa to do so. There's a market for "avoid US" flying in Central/South America, too, which AC exploits well, transporting people to Europe th long way: through Toronto. I'd expect this phemonenon to continue growing. It's fun to speculate which carriers might be next. Vietnam airlines to Vancouver?
This is all valid and correct, I was just hoping for a comment like, "This route makes sense; there is a very popular Serbian restaurant on Finch Rd".
Personally I think this should have been a thing like 40 years ago? Didn't KITH have a skit about a stereotypical Slavic cab driver back in the late 80s? Big part of the T-Dot population for decades.
de facto YYZ-SVO flight?