On June 23, 2016, after a break of nearly a quarter of a century, a new direct flight from Belgrade to New York City has been re-established. The Air Serbia flights to New York will be operated five times a week under the numbers YU500 and YU501, the same ones which Air Serbia’s predecessor JAT Yugoslav Airlines used when it had direct flights to NYC.

The Airbus A330 aircraft named after Nikola Tesla, the most famous Serbian-American, has capacity of 254 seats, economy and business class. The first wide-body aircraft for intercontinental regular traffic between the Balkans and the United States is currently the largest aircraft in the fleet of Air Serbia. The Serbian airline is now the only company in the region that has a direct flight to the United States.

At the opening ceremony in Belgrade Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic and US Ambassador Kyle Scott stressed that the new line represents an important step that will encourage economic ties and growth, help develop tourist potential and provide additional impetus to positive development of overall relations between the two countries.