Editing Transport in Serbia (section)

==Air transport==
{{Main|List of airports in Serbia}}

There are in total 39 [[airport]]s and 2 [[heliport]]s in Serbia. In addition, three airports are with regular passenger traffic service: [[Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport]], [[Niš Constantine the Great Airport]] and [[Morava Airport|Kraljevo Morava Airport.]]The total air traffic in 2022 reached 6,014,625 passengers and 20 thousand tons in annual cargo tonnage. This figure includes all three airports with schedule international and domestic flights.<ref name="beg.aero">{{Cite web | url=https://beg.aero/eng/press/press_release | title=Press Release &#124; Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport | access-date=23 August 2019 | archive-date=29 February 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200229111919/https://beg.aero/eng/press/press_release | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=https://nis-airport.com/en/traffic-figures/ | title=Statistics &#124; Nis Constantine the Great Airport | access-date=23 August 2019 | archive-date=12 February 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160212143321/https://nis-airport.com/en/traffic-figures/ | url-status=dead }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
! No. !! Airport names !! City
|-
| 1 || '''[[Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport]]''' || [[Belgrade]]
|-
| 2 || '''[[Niš Constantine the Great Airport]]''' || [[Niš]]
|-
| 3 || '''[[Morava Airport]]''' || [[Kraljevo]]
|}

[[Airports of Serbia]] is Public Enterprise company owned by the [[Government of Serbia]] for the purpose of better and more efficient management of the airports in the whole country. The company currently manages 5 airports in [[Serbia]] and 1 in [[Bosnia and Herzegovina|Bosnia and Hercegovina]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.aerodromisrbije.rs/en/index-en.html | title=Airports of Serbia }}</ref> [[VINCI Airports]] took over [[Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport]] under concession at the end of 2018. from the state for a period of 25 years.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://beg.aero/lat/korporativno/o_koncesiji|title=O koncesiji &#124; Aerodrom Nikola Tesla Beograd|access-date=15 October 2022|archive-date=15 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221015121616/https://beg.aero/lat/korporativno/o_koncesiji|url-status=dead}}</ref>

{{Multiple image
 | align     = center
 | direction = horizontal
 | width     = 
 | image1    = Belgrad Nikola Tesla airport.jpg
 | width1    =
 | alt1      = Terminal2
 | caption1  = [[Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport|Belgrade]] ''Nikola Tesla'' Airport
 | image2    = Niš – Airport.jpg
 | width2    =
 | alt2      = TerminalINI
 | caption2  = [[Niš Constantine the Great Airport|Niš]] ''Constantine the Great'' Airport
 | image3    = Aerodrom Morava.jpg
 | width3    =
 | alt3      = TerminalKVO
 | caption3  = [[Kraljevo-Morava Airport|Kraljevo]] ''Morava'' Airport
}}

The national carrier of the [[Serbia|Republic of Serbia]] is '''[[Air Serbia]]''', a legacy carrier which carried some 2.75 million passengers in 2022<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.exyuaviation.com/2023/01/air-serbia-posts-record-21-million-net.html | title=Air Serbia posts record €21 million net profit for 2022 | date=18 January 2023 }}</ref> flying to the total of 80 domestic and international destinations<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.airserbia.com/en/destinations|title=Airline tickets &#124; Book a flight online &#124; Air SERBIA}}</ref> in more than 30 countries. This includes intercontinental flights to [[New York City]], [[Chicago]] and [[Tianjin]].<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.airserbia.com/sv/footer_menu/corporate/news/news?id=945 | title=Unknown}}{{Dead link | date=July 2024 | fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> Beside Air Serbia, other established airline companies that fly to Serbia include [[Lufthansa]], [[Air France]], [[Turkish Airlines]], [[Aeroflot]], [[Qatar Airways]], [[Etihad Airways]], [[Alitalia]], [[Austrian Airlines]], [[Swiss International Air Lines]], and [[LOT Polish Airlines]]. Currently, the following [[low-cost airline]]s are flying to Serbia: [[Ryanair]], [[EasyJet]], [[Wizz Air]], [[Transavia]] and [[Norwegian Air Shuttle]].
{{Multiple image
 | align     = center
 | direction = horizontal
 | width     = 
 | image1    = YU-APC Airbus A319 Air Serbia (13923110935).jpg
 | width1    =
 | alt1      = AS1
 | caption1  = Air Serbia [[Airbus A319-100]]
 | image2    = YU-APH_A320_Air_Serbia_(35545496281).jpg
 | width2    =
 | alt2      = AS2
 | caption2  = Air Serbia [[Airbus A320 family|Airbus A320-200]]
 | image3    = Air_Serbia_ATR_72-500_taking_off_at_Belgrade_Airport.jpg
 | width3    =
 | alt3      = AS3
 | caption3  = Air Serbia [[ATR 72|ATR 72-500]]
}}

===Historical preview===
[[File:Convair 340.jpg|thumb|left|JAT [[Convair CV-340]]]]

Serbia was among the pioneers in mail, freight and passenger air transport. The first airfields were inaugurated in 1910. In 1914, the Banjica airfield was the base for the [[Serbian Air Force]] squadron and the [[Balloon (aeronautics)|Balloon]] Company. After the end of the [[First World War]], the Banjica airfield was used for [[airmail]] traffic and included the routes [[Novi Sad]]–Belgrade–[[Niš]]–[[Skoplje]] and Belgrade–[[Sarajevo]]–[[Mostar]].<ref name="History1">{{cite web|url=http://www.beg.aero/code/navigate.php?Id=111 |author=Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport |title=History: International Belgrade Airport (1927) |access-date=24 July 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071005035154/http://www.beg.aero/code/navigate.php?Id=111 |archive-date=5 October 2007 }}</ref> Regular passenger transport greatly expanded with the creation of [[Aeroput]] in 1927 which became the Yugoslav flag-carrier and with over 30 planes and having its hub in Belgrade, it became the 21st airline in the world. It linked Belgrade and other Serbian cities such as [[Niš]] and [[Podujevo]] with destinations all around Yugoslavia and also with the main airports in Austria, Albania, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy, Romania and Greece.<ref>[http://www.europeanairlines.no/drustvo-za-vazdusni-saobracaj-a-d-aeroput-1927-1948/ Drustvo za Vazdusni Saobracaj A D – Aeroput] at europeanairlines.no</ref> As early as 1923 foreign companies started regular routes that included Belgrade. Besides Aeroput, [[Air France]], [[Deutsche Luft Hansa]], [[KLM]], [[Imperial Airways]] and airlines from Italy, Austria, Hungary, Romania and Poland also used the airport until the outbreak of the [[World War II|Second World War]].<ref name="History1"/> It was one of them, the [[CFRNA]], that on its route linking Belgrade with [[Paris]] and [[Bucharest]], in 1923, that made the first world night flight ever in history.<ref>[http://bturn.com/9120/the-story-of-jat-the-best-and-the-worst-of-balkan-air-travel The story of JAT: the best and the worst of Balkan air travel] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200305155043/http://bturn.com/9120/the-story-of-jat-the-best-and-the-worst-of-balkan-air-travel |date=5 March 2020 }} at bturn.com, 31-7-2012, retrieved 17-5-2018</ref> The constantly increasing number of passengers made inevitable the building of a modern airport in 1931, which included a modern [[airport terminal|terminal]] building and top landing equipment for poor visibility conditions, that were installed in 1936.<ref name="History1"/>

[[File:JAT DC-10-30 (6068614970).jpg|thumb|right|JAT [[McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30]] at [[Sydney Airport]], 1985, with classic livery]]

At the end of Second World War the country changed from a monarchy to a communist regime. Aeroput was rebranded as [[JAT Airways|JAT Yugoslav Airlines]] and the reconstruction of the much destroyed infrastructure begin. After [[Tito–Stalin Split]] in 1948, Yugoslavia became one of the leaders of the [[Non-Aligned Movement]]. Following this policy, JAT inaugurated inter-continental flights linking capital Belgrade with all five continents. Its geopolitical position made it able to acquire both, West and East build aircraft. A new modern airport, the [[Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport|Belgrade international airport]] was inaugurated in 1962. Belgrade became a national and regional hub. Besides JAT, a number of other charter and regional airlines were created, with [[Aviogenex]] being the one based in Belgrade. Also, [[Adria Airways]], partially owned by Serbian company InterExport, included numerous flights linking Belgrade with different destinations around the world. During SFRY period Belgrade was linked with flights to destinations as far as Sydney, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Beijing, Johannesburg, New York, Chicago, Montreal or Toronto. Passengers from the region could access all these destinations through connection flights through Belgrade.

The air transport industry was in continuous growth and expansion until the beginning of the Yugoslav wars and the break-up of Yugoslavia. During the war, severe sanctions were imposed upon Serbia and Montenegro which included no-flight zone over Serbia and prohibition of international flights to and from Serbia and Montenegro. This was a major set-back for Serbian airline industry. It will be only after Kosovo War and overthrow of Milosevic that by year 2000 air transport industry started to recover.