Air Serbia, which has not stopped flights with Russia, is increasing the number of flights between Budapest and Belgrade to 17 per week. Thus, more Russians will be able to choose Hungary for entry into the EU.
The announcement was made by Air Serbia, the majority owner of which is the state, Euractiv reports.
As you know, Serbia has not imposed sanctions against the Russian Federation, and its airline continues to operate flights to four Russian cities. It is noted that Russian airlines can fly within the borders of Serbia, but cannot reach it, as Serbia is surrounded by countries that have imposed anti-Russian sanctions.
According to the publication, direct flights from Budapest to Russia were popular even before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. However, after the start of the war, Hungarian Wizz Air constantly increases the number of seats on these flights.
Border closure for Russians
On September 9, 2022, the Council of the EU approved the termination of the agreement on a simplified visa regime with the Russian Federation. The decision came into effect on September 12, 2022. Since then, the visa fee for citizens of the aggressor country has increased from 35 to 80 euros.
Already on January 17, 2023, multiple-entry Schengen visas were no longer issued to tourists from the Russian Federation.
Later, on January 28, it became known that biometric passports valid for 10 years were no longer issued to Russians.