THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA GRANTED CATEGORY 1 FOR DIRECT FLIGHTS TO THE USA

Director of the Civil Aviation Directorate of the Republic of Serbia, Mirjana Čizmarov, participated in the ICAO Facilitation Conference (FALC 2025), held from April 14 to 17, 2025, in Doha, Qatar. The event was organized by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in collaboration with the Civil Aviation Authority of the State of Qatar.​  FALC 2025 convened global civil aviation leaders to advance the implementation of Annex 9 — Facilitation of the Convention on International Civil Aviation. The conference focused on enhancing collaboration, efficiency, and inclusivity in air transport under the theme “Facilitating the Future of Air Transport.” It also commemorated the 75th anniversary of Annex 9 and ICAO’s 80th anniversary. During her visit, Director Čizmarov met with His Excellency Mohamed Faleh Al-Hajri, Acting President of the Civil Aviation Authority of the State of Qatar. They discussed strengthening bilateral cooperation and the initiative to sign a Memorandum of Understanding in the field of civil aviation.​ By participating in this high-level event, the Civil Aviation Directorate reaffirmed its commitment to continuously improving international standards in air transport facilitation.​

Civil Aviation Directorate of the Republic of Serbia hosted a three-day workshop organized by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), dedicated to cybersecurity in aviation. The event, held from April 1 to 3 in Belgrade, brought together experts from around the world and the region who specialize in cybersecurity in aviation, providing a platform for sharing knowledge and experiences on current threats and mechanisms for responding to potential incidents. The workshop was opened by the Director of the Directorate, Mirjana Čizmarov, together with Elkan Nahmadov, Deputy Regional Director of ICAO for Europe and the North Atlantic. On this occasion, Čizmarov emphasized that digital transformation brings serious security challenges that require a strategic approach and international cooperation, and noted that cybersecurity is an indispensable aspect of the aviation industry, which must be prepared to respond to increasingly complex threats. The event addressed topics such as national, regional, and global aspects of cyber threats, regulatory frameworks and implementation of cybersecurity requirements, oversight mechanisms and the experiences of regulators and the industry, as well as the ICAO framework and program for cybersecurity in civil aviation. The successful workshop was concluded by Zlatko Mišćević, Advisor to the Director General of the Directorate, who emphasized that the Directorate actively monitors and implements the latest international standards and best practices in the field of cybersecurity, with the goal of effectively responding to all challenges and ensuring the resilience of the aviation industry.  

 As part of the cooperation between the Civil Aviation Directorate of the Republic of Serbia and EUROCONTROL through the Support to State program for 2025, two significant workshops were held, focusing on enhancing the capacity of Belgrade Airport and developing CNS infrastructure.  Belgrade Airport Capacity Study During 20-21 March 2025, within the Support to State programme for 2025 that CAD had established with Eurocontrol, the kick off workshop on Belgrade Airport Capacity Study was held with the members of the Eurocontrol Airport Unit, Mr. Dimitrios Kastanis and Mr. Vincent Treve. The workshop included visits to operating centers of Belgrade Airport, SMATSA and Air Serbia.   Eurocontrol is actively collaborating with CAD in strengthening collaboration among key national stakeholders (Belgrade Airport, Air Serbia, SMATSA) and preparing effectively for Summer 2025. This includes joint efforts to assess airport capacity, identify operational bottlenecks and drive performance improvements through pre-season planning and post-operations analytics.   By facilitating data-driven reviews and open technical dialogue with the support from EUROCONTROL, a shared understanding of challenges and opportunities is built. These frank and open exchanges are essential to fostering trust, aligning priorities and unlocking practical solutions that benefit the entire aviation ecosystem in Serbia. CNS MON workshop On 26th March 2025, within the Support to State programme for 2025 that CAD had established with Eurocontrol, the CNS MON workshop was held in ACC Belgrade with the representatives from Eurocontrol’s CNS unit. The workshop was led by Mr. Predrag Vranjković, CNS Programme Manager of Eurocontrol, along with his colleagues, CNS experts Mr. Nicolas Eertmans, Mr. Valeriu Vitan and Mr. Javier Gutierrez Ceballos. The workshop was dedicated to the establishment of CNS Minimum Operating Network on the European level, presentation of the European MON Concept and design criteria, optimisation of communication, navigation and surveillance tools, as well as reviewing the current and planned CNS infrastructure in the Republic of Serbia. Representatives from CAD, CAA Montenegro, Serbian Armed Forces and SMATSA participated in the workshop. Eurocontrol is actively conducting these workshops across Europe seeking to synchronise the objectives of its Member States and harmonise the activities on the evolution of CNS across the European network, hence this opportunity was used for a fruitful discussion and exchange of significant information with various operational stakeholders within the CNS platform. 

 The Civil Aviation Directorate of the Republic of Serbia had the honour of hosting Mr. Nicolas Rallo, Director of the ICAO Regional Office for Europe and the North Atlantic (ICAO EUR/NAT), on 23rd and 24th September 2024, marking the first visit of a high-ranking International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) official to Belgrade. During his visit, Mr. Rallo met with Ms. Mirjana Čizmarov, Director of the Civil Aviation Directorate of the Republic of Serbia, as well as with the directors of the aviation authorities from the region, including Mr. Dragi Stojanoski, Director General of the Civil Aviation Agency of the Republic of North Macedonia, Mr. Zorislav Ivanović, Director General of the Directorate of Civil Aviation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Mr. Ivan Šćekić, Director General of the Civil Aviation Agency of Montenegro. The meeting took place in the context of the Memorandum of Understanding on mutual cooperation in the field of civil aviation, signed on 16th January 2023, between the aviation authorities of the Republic of Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Turkey, and Albania, with the aim of fostering shared interests that would be reflected at the international level, particularly through a coordinated approach to international civil aviation organizations. Director Ms. Čizmarov emphasised the significance of this visit and the collaboration within the Memorandum, underlining that this is the first visit of a high-ranking ICAO official to the Republic of Serbia, which unequivocally affirms Serbia's status within the global and regional civil aviation framework, as well as the reputation of Serbian aviation authorities on the international stage. During the visit, Mr. Rallo toured key stakeholders of the Serbian aviation industry and held meetings with representatives of Air Serbia, Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport, and SMATSA, where development plans and opportunities for further cooperation and support from ICAO were discussed. The conclusion of this visit laid a strong foundation for the continuous development and enhancement of regional cooperation in the field of civil aviation, with an agreement on annual meetings of the aviation authorities of the signatory countries of the Memorandum, with Mr. Rallo’s active participation.  

 Based on the platform adopted by the Government of the Republic of Serbia, a delegation from the Civil Aviation Directorate of the Republic of Serbia participated in the 14th Air Navigation Conference held from August 26 to September 6, 2024, at the headquarters of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in Montreal. The conference, titled “Performance Improvement as a Driver of Sustainability,” aimed to achieve a global consensus on performance enhancement initiatives that would enable ICAO member states and the industry to more effectively address environmental challenges in aviation, particularly in the context of limited air navigation resources. A special focus was placed on discussions leading to a set of key recommendations in the areas of air navigation and safety, aimed at achieving the long-term goal of international aviation to reach net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050.