New air routes reshape Southeast Europe’s flight network
The number of new air routes announced for the winter 2026/27 and summer 2027 season shows that the carriers' interest in the Southeast European markets continues. The biggest winners from recent announcements are Sarajevo, Tivat and Ljubljana, while Belgrade will get its first regular direct connection with Yerevan for the first time.
easyJet enters Bosnia and Herzegovina for the first time
The biggest news comes from Sarajevo. easyJet will launch flights from Geneva and Basel during the 2027 summer season, entering the Bosnia and Herzegovina market for the first time. The Geneva route will start in April, while the start of operations from Basel is scheduled for May. Both destinations currently do not have a direct connection with Sarajevo.
At the same time, easyJet is significantly increasing its offer to Tivat. For the summer of 2027, new routes from Amsterdam, Basel, Birmingham, and Edinburgh are announced. This should bring the carrier’s network from Tivat to nine destinations. Amsterdam–Tivat, for example, begins on June 29 and will operate twice a week during the ten weeks of the main summer season.
For Montenegrin tourism, the expansion into the UK market is particularly relevant. Edinburgh–Tivat starts on 29 March and Birmingham–Tivat on 3 May, with two flights a week on each route.
Ljubljana gets TUI, but also the return of Berlin
Ljubljana is the second major beneficiary of the current wave of announcements. TUI Airways plans to introduce flights from Düsseldorf and Brussels during the summer of 2027. This will be the first regular TUI operation to the Slovenian capital. Düsseldorf is particularly important as it has lost its direct connection after the withdrawal of Eurowings.
In addition, on April 7, easyJet is resuming the Berlin–Ljubljana route after a seven-year hiatus. Flights will be operated twice a week, and Berlin will become the fifth easyJet destination from Ljubljana for the summer of 2027.
Belgrade is directly connected with Armenia for the first time
From 15 December, FlyOne Armenia will operate two flights a week between Yerevan and Belgrade with an Airbus A320. This will be the first scheduled nonstop service between the capitals of Serbia and Armenia, with no direct competitor on the route.
For the tourism industry, these announcements point to a clear trend. Low-cost and leisure carriers are expanding further into regional markets, beyond Croatia’s traditional summer destinations. Sarajevo, Ljubljana and the Montenegrin coast are gaining more direct European links, giving travel agencies, hotels and destinations access to new source markets.
