Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport recorded its busiest month ever, with passenger traffic exceeding one million for a second consecutive month as Serbia’s aviation market continued to expand. The airport handled 1,078,299 passengers, representing a 7.4% year-on-year increase and setting a new monthly record. August followed a record July, when traffic reached 1,036,685 passengers, 6.2% above the same month a year earlier.
The airport recorded its busiest day, handling 39,651 passengers across 357 flights The sustained increase is shifting the focus from post-pandemic traffic recovery toward the ability of VINCI Airports to expand terminal and airside capacity in line with demand.
Passenger Growth Outpaces Aircraft Movements
Preliminary VINCI data showed commercial aircraft movements increasing by approximately 3.3% year-on-year, below the rate of passenger growth. The difference indicates that traffic is increasing without a proportional rise in aircraft movements, reflecting higher passenger volumes per flight through factors including stronger load factors, larger aircraft, or both.
For the airport, increased passenger throughput relative to aircraft movements can raise utilisation of existing runway and airside infrastructure while supporting passenger-related revenues from retail, food services, parking and other activities. Belgrade also continues to expand its route network. During the summer season, the airport offered a record 118 destinations, compared with 116 in 2025 and 61 in 2018.
Air Serbia Drives Hub Network Expansion
Air Serbia remains the principal driver of Belgrade’s network growth, alongside Wizz Air, Air Montenegro and other international airlines. The airport serves both Serbia’s domestic origin-and-destination demand and passengers connecting through Air Serbia’s hub, increasing the importance of the expanded route network for airport operations. Belgrade Airport processed a record 8.91 million passengers in 2025, an increase of 6.5% from the previous year.
Traffic growth of around 7% during the peak summer period in 2026 places the airport on course for another annual passenger record if volumes remain strong through the remainder of the year. Increasing passenger traffic also affects surrounding business activity, including airport retail, hotels, tourism, car rental and ground transportation. Expanded direct air connectivity can also affect the operating environment for international companies using Serbia as a regional base.
VINCI Expands Terminal and Airside Infrastructure
Capacity expansion is already under way at the airport. VINCI is extending the terminal’s C side by 5,350 square metres, with the project adding three gates, three passenger boarding bridges and four aircraft parking positions. The airport also completed four rapid-exit taxiways in 2025, aimed at improving runway efficiency. With traffic moving beyond nine million annual passengers, capacity requirements increasingly involve terminal facilities, baggage handling, aircraft parking, aprons and ground-handling operations.
August’s record illustrates the growing density of airport activity: passenger traffic exceeded one million for the second consecutive month, while the increase in passengers remained higher than the growth in aircraft movements. The continued expansion of Belgrade’s passenger and route network therefore coincides with further requirements for airport infrastructure capable of handling higher traffic volumes during peak periods.
