Wizz Air’s Belgrade base — in operation since 2010 — is at risk of shutting down from November 2026, after Serbia’s Civil Aviation Directorate (CAD) amended the rules governing how foreign carriers can operate flights to and from the country.
What Changed
In March 2026, Serbia’s CAD adopted amendments limiting EU carriers exercising third- and fourth-freedom traffic rights to flights that either originate or terminate within the European Union or their home state. Wizz Air says this effectively rules out operating a base in Belgrade, since a base depends on aircraft flying onward to destinations outside that narrow scope.
What’s at Stake
Wizz Air currently bases four aircraft in Belgrade and serves 23 destinations from the Serbian capital. The airline handled close to two million passengers on its Serbia routes in 2025 across roughly 9,600 flights, and had been expanding aggressively — seats on sale for the first half of 2026 were up 32.4% year-on-year, with new routes added to cities including Berlin and Grenoble.
Wizz Air’s Response
The airline has publicly condemned the move, stating:
“We’re the only foreign airline that wanted to invest in the Serbian market, because we believe in connecting the Serbian people to the rest of the world.”
Wizz Air added that it “remains committed to Serbia, to the nation, to offering great services to local and foreign passengers,” while also stating it “reserves and plans to exercise any and every right it has to reverse this decision” — a signal that legal action remains on the table.
Where Things Stand
As of late June 2026, talks between Wizz Air and Serbian authorities have produced no breakthrough. The European Commission has confirmed it is in contact with Serbian authorities to assess whether the new rule is compatible with Serbia’s obligations under the European Common Aviation Area (ECAA) Agreement. A public petition opposing the closure has gathered roughly 5,000 signatures.
With the November 2026 deadline approaching and no resolution in sight, Belgrade’s aviation market — and Wizz Air’s future in it — remains one of the region’s most closely watched regulatory disputes.
Sources: Wizz Air Newsroom, EX-YU Aviation News, Aviation Week
