Air Serbia (JU, Belgrade) has announced it will terminate its Belgrade-Abu Dhabi International, United Arab Emirates (UAE), service with effect from October 29, 2017.

The carrier said in a statement the move is part of its five-year business plan which seeks to optimize revenue generation by strengthening its shorthaul network. In line with this strategy, Air Serbia will increase aircraft utilization as well as the seating density of its A319-100 and A320 fleets.

Air Serbia currently runs the Belgrade-Abu Dhabi route daily using A319 equipment. Equity and codeshare partner Etihad Airways (EY, Abu Dhabi International) will cover the slack left in the market through its own daily service between the two cities.

The route is currently Air Serbia's second longest after its flagship Belgrade-New York JFK service which operates 3x weekly using its only widebody aircraft, an A330-200.