The Serbian airline Air Serbia has once again started using Belarusian airspace on flights between Belgrade and Moscow. According to Flightradar24 data , the new route began to be used on March 3, 2026, as noted by the Telegram channel "Ot vinta | Аviation of Belarus".
Aircraft on the Belgrade — Moscow — Belgrade route now regularly fly through the Minsk flight information region (FIR Minsk (UMMV)), although the company had avoided Belarus for almost five years.
This route is considered the shortest and most convenient for the airline. Compared to flying around via Poland and the Baltic countries, it allows for a reduction in distance of approximately 100-150 kilometers. This saves about 10 minutes of flight time and reduces fuel costs. Additionally, when flying through Belarus, the aircraft passes through fewer flight information regions, which also reduces navigation fees.
Previously, Air Serbia abandoned flights through Belarus in May 2021 after the incident with the Ryanair flight carrying Roman Protasevich, which was forced to land in Minsk. After that, many European airlines began to avoid Belarusian airspace. Although Air Serbia is not part of the European Union and was not obliged to comply with these recommendations, it also changed its routes.
Now, Air Serbia has effectively become the only European airline (excluding Russian and Turkish ones) that regularly uses Belarusian airspace. Furthermore, it remains one of the few European companies that continue to operate flights to Russia.
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