Menzies Aviation, the leading service partner to the world’s airports and airlines, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Air Serbia, the leading airline in the wider Balkan region, to form a joint venture to support the Serbian national flag carrier’s ambitious growth plans.

As part of the planned cooperation, Menzies will deliver passenger and ramp services at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport (BEG) beginning in February 2024. The agreement, Menzies biggest deal in Eastern Europe to date, will see local teams manage more than 22,000 turns in the first year at the largest and busiest airport in Serbia.

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The move is the latest step by Air Serbia to expand its network. With approximately 50% market share in BEG, the airline successfully grew its network to 15 new destinations in 2022, with a further 23 routes in 2023 including the United States, China, Greece, Italy, Germany, Poland and many others. It is also set to launch a new service between Belgrade and Porto in November, adding Portugal’s second largest city to its destination network.

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Philipp Joeinig, CEO, Menzies Aviation, said: “We are extremely excited by the opportunity to work with Air Serbia, helping the airline achieve further domestic and international growth. Strategically, as the number one service provider in the world, and number one provider in the region, this venture represents a major step for Menzies, supporting our ambitions to expand our presence in the Balkans and support emerging aviation markets. We are looking forward to delivering market leading, high quality aviation services in the Balkans with the fast-growing Air Serbia, and increasing our market share at Belgrade Airport.”

Jiri Marek, CEO, Air Serbia, said: “We are extremely pleased about the upcoming cooperation with such a renowned aviation services provider as Menzies Aviation. During this year’s summer season, Air Serbia recorded unprecedented growth, but at the same time faced certain challenges in the field of ground handling. I want to apologize once again to all passengers affected by the situation at our hub this summer. Even during the season, we reacted quickly to that situation by hiring additional personnel in record time. Now we are taking the next step because in 2024 we want to provide the best possible service for our passengers and a reliable partner for the further growth of the company.”