Bilbao seeks Belgrade and Zagreb flights

Bilbao City Council has said it is seeking to secure flights to Belgrade and Zagreb as part of plans to improve the city’s connectivity with Central and Eastern Europe. The council will hold tourism workshops in both capitals during the first half of October, with the aim of attracting potential services. Other target markets include Bucharest, Sofia, Gdansk, Poznan and Wroclaw. The council noted that the new flights would “strengthen Bilbao’s position as an international tourist destination”. Bilbao, the largest city in northern Spain, is a base for Vueling and has recently secured several new Wizz Air services.

Air Serbia currently maintains flights to six destinations in Spain from Belgrade, with a further two - Tenerife and Seville - to be added in September. Wizz Air operates three routes from Belgrade to Spain. The Serbian flag carrier handled 114.704 passengers on its Spanish services during the first half of the year. It has also previously been courted by authorities in Granada, in southern Spain, over the potential introduction of flights. Air Serbia has said it is interested in launching seasonal summer operations to Ibiza but has been unable to secure its preferred slots at the airport.

Zagreb is linked to eight destinations in Spain, with six routes operated by Ryanair and two by Croatia Airlines. The Croatian flag carrier handled 27.535 passengers on its Madrid and Barcelona services during the first half of the year. Croatia Airlines has been expanding its presence in Spain, launching flights to Madrid last year and upgrading the two Spanish routes from seasonal to mostly year-round operations. Madrid, however, will be suspended from mid-January until mid-March. Vueling, which has a base in Bilbao, launched seasonal flights between the Spanish city and Zadar earlier this summer.