Wizz Air retains base in Belgrade after delay of new rules in Serbia
Serbia has postponed the implementation of new rules for foreign airlines for six months, thus removing the immediate threat of closing the Wizz Air base in Belgrade. The company will therefore keep four aircraft in the Serbian capital during the 2026/27 winter season.
The decision was confirmed by a supplement to the regulation published on September 28 in the „Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia“. The controversial provision will now apply to applications for permits relating to the traffic periods from March 28, 2027, or from the start of the 2027 summer season.
The winter flight schedule is no longer under question
For Wizz Air, the delay means that it can continue its existing business model from Belgrade throughout the upcoming winter. The company previously warned that the new rules could prevent its aircraft from starting and ending daily rotations in Serbia.
Such a scenario opened the possibility of closing the base and switching to operations by aircraft stationed at other European airports. This, according to previous announcements, would likely mean fewer frequencies and a more limited network from Belgrade. The 2026/27 winter season runs from October 25 to March 27.
The dispute has not been resolved; it has only been postponed for six months
The new decision does not mean the end of the regulatory dispute. The problem is practically postponed until the summer of 2027, unless a new regulatory amendment or a more permanent solution is reached between the Serbian authorities, Wizz Air and the European institutions by then.
Wizz Air has been warning for months that limiting its base could influence competition, prices, and international connectivity Serbia. The company states that since its start in Serbia in 2010, it has transported more than 14 million passengers, while about 25,000 people have signed a petition to preserve the Belgrade base.
For the market, what happens after March is most important.
For the tourism and aviation industries, the delay brings primarily six months of operational certainty. Wizz Air’s base aircraft enable a greater number of direct routes and frequencies and represent an important competitive element in the Belgrade market.
However, the real decision on the long-term status of the base will only follow. Without a permanent regulatory solution, the same question will be reopened before the start of the 2027 summer season.
