Amidst the ongoing Middle East conflict, Air Serbia has experienced a surge in demand from Chinese travelers seeking alternative routes to Europe. The recent airspace closures have disrupted global air traffic, prompting passengers originally booked on Emirates and Qatar Airways flights to opt for Air Serbia's services instead. This surge in bookings has led to a notable increase in Air Serbia's flight fares from Guangzhou and Shanghai, as seats fill up rapidly. The Association of Serbian Tour Operators (YUTA) reports that several tour groups initially booked with Qatar Airways and Emirates/Flydubai are now stranded in various destinations, including Tanzania, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and Thailand. Etihad Airways, Emirates, and Flydubai have resumed limited services through a narrow airspace corridor from Dubai and Abu Dhabi, but they emphasize that these are primarily repositioning or evacuation flights, with the majority of their network still suspended. Chinese tourists stranded in Europe due to the Middle East flight disruptions have also turned to Air Serbia as an alternative. A traveler from Hangzhou, who was in Stockholm, successfully purchased a ticket to Zurich and then traveled to Guangzhou via Belgrade, noting the significant rise in fares on Chinese carriers since the conflict began.
