Serbia gets approval for direct flights to U.S.

BELGRADE - Serbia has been given an approval for direct flights from Belgrade to the United States as of the second half of 2015, Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said on Friday.

Air Serbia will fly from Belgrade to Chicago, Vucic said at a joint press conference with U.S. Ambassador to Serbia Michael Kirby.

The U.S. Ambassador said that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) decided that Serbia earned a Category 1 rating, which allows for direct flights from Belgrade to the United States which is a home to a large number of American citizens from Serbia.

After many years, several decades, we got the approval to fly to America. We will fly from Belgrade to Chicago, and we will fight to ensure flights to New York too, Vucic said.

He noted that this is excellent news, which shows that we have improved something and given a clear signal to other countries about the reputation that Serbia enjoys today.