700,000 passengers travelled on over 3,000 Wizz Air flights during June-August, supporting jobs, tourism and the Serbian economy
As the peak summer season comes to an end, Wizz Air is highlighting the significant contribution of its operations to Serbia’s connectivity, tourism and economy – while warning that jobs, consumer choice and affordable international travel could be at risk if the current regulatory changes remain in place.
During June, July and August, Wizz Air is operating over 3,000 flights to and from Serbia, carrying 700,000 passengers. For hundreds of thousands of travellers, these flights meant affordable holidays, visiting family and friends, travelling for business or study, and maintaining direct connections between Serbia and Europe.
But the value of this connectivity extends far beyond the passengers on board.
Wizz Air’s operations support over 200 direct jobs in Serbia and thousands of additional jobs across aviation, tourism, hospitality, transport and other parts of the economy. During the summer season alone, Wizz Air generated an estimated hundreds of millions of Euros of economic contribution to Serbia through its operations and the passengers it carried.
Since launching operations in Serbia in 2010, Wizz Air has carried more than 14 million passengers to and from the country and continues to provide almost 30 direct connections between Serbia and Europe.
Owain Jones, Chief Corporate Officer said: “This summer shows exactly what strong air connectivity delivers for Serbia. Hundreds of thousands of people travelled affordably for holidays, to visit family and friends, to study, work and do business. And it is important to remember that connectivity works in both directions: Serbian passengers can travel abroad, while inbound passengers bring tourism spending into Serbia, supporting local hotels, restaurants, shops and businesses and creating jobs.
“Connectivity is an economic asset, and Serbia should be protecting it. A competitive aviation market gives consumers choice, keeps travel affordable, brings international visitors to Serbia and makes the country more attractive to businesses and investors.”
Wizz Air believes the regulatory changes planned by Serbian authorities could threaten the viability of its Belgrade base and ultimately reduce the connectivity currently available to Serbian passengers.
The potential consequences extend beyond Wizz Air. Fewer Wizz Air operations could mean fewer direct routes and frequencies, less consumer choice, potentially higher fares, fewer visitors to Serbia and risks to jobs both within the airline and across the wider tourism and aviation sector.
The public response demonstrates how important the issue is to Serbian citizens. 25,000 people have signed a petition calling for the preservation of Wizz Air’s Belgrade base and operations.
Owain Jones added: “25,000 Serbian citizens have already made their position clear: they value affordable travel, connectivity and choice. Wizz Air has been part of Serbia’s aviation landscape for more than 15 years, and we want to continue investing, creating jobs and connecting Serbian citizens with Europe.
“We urge the Serbian authorities to protect an open and competitive aviation market and to ensure fair and transparent conditions for all airlines. The summer has demonstrated what Serbia gains from connectivity. We should be protecting that success together, not putting it at risk.”
Wizz Air remains committed to Serbia and will continue engaging with the Serbian authorities to find a solution that protects connectivity, consumer choice, jobs and the wider Serbian economy.
