In a statement, ZHA notes that the design of the new Alta Tower is defined by the bank’s core values of “stability, security and resilience” and aspires to “provide a future-proof base of operations supporting 21^st century working patterns in an evolving business ecosystem that brings people together and fosters collaboration”.

The tower will be situated in Block 32 of the modern part of the city, also known as the New Belgrade, adjacent to the Merkator Shopping Centre and within walking distance of Ušće Park. The complex is conveniently integrated with the city’s public transport infrastructure, including plans for the new Merkator metro station nearby.

The bank’s offices will be primarily located on the lower and podium levels, while the residential units, situated on the upper floors of the tower, will offer views of the Danube and the Sava rivers, beyond Ušće, as well as Belgrade’s older city centre. The top executive floors of the skyscraper are designated for executive offices and amenities for the bank, with terraces offering panoramic views.

Adjacent to the main tower, a smaller secondary building will provide additional office space for rent, along with expanded facilities for Alta Bank. A landscaped plaza will frame the base of this lower structure, around which cafés, shops, and restaurants will be integrated. The pedestrianised public plaza is intended as a “civic hub for residents, office workers and visitors, as well as the many students and academics of the new University Centre” nearby, explained ZHA.

The architect’s firm’s signature is immediately recognisable in the tower’s fluid geometry, sculptural elegance, and sense of movement, a composition that seems to blur the boundaries between structure and sky.

Always ahead of its time and attuned to the city’s mild continental climate, the project reflects ZHA’s ongoing commitment to optimising sustainability by applying passive environmental strategies. Natural ventilation is integrated throughout the tower and podium, allowing fresh air movement.

The spiralling vertical louvres or ‘fins’ wrap around the façade to reduce solar heat while creating a subtle interplay between opacity and transparency that accentuates the tower’s fluid composition. The design prioritises lightness, transparency, and rhythm with floor-to-ceiling glass panels and recessed balconies that interact with sunlight to create a shifting pattern of reflections and shadows throughout the day.

ZHA also emphasises local procurement, and materials and systems used will be sourced within Serbia to support sustainability and the local economy.

This is not the first collaboration between the two firms, which already won the proposal for the new Nikola Tesla Museum in Belgrade to transform a historic paper mill into a cultural centre to honour Tesla’s scientific achievements.

L’article Zaha Hadid Architects unveils Alta Tower in Belgrade’s new skyline est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

An unrivalled masterpiece under threat

The Hotel Yugoslavia, opened in 1969, was once a legendary five-star establishment,  frequented by royals such as Queen Elizabeth II, various heads of state, and worldwide celebrities and VIPs, from astronaut Neil Armstrong to pop-rock goddess, Tina Turner.  

Boasting a simple but monumental design, 258 rooms, enviable Danube views, record-breaking Swarovski crystal chandeliers, wood-panelled suites and sumptuous furnishings, the hotel was once said by Elle magazine’s founder to be unrivalled, even by anything in Paris.

But in 1999, the hotel was hit by NATO missiles during the bloc’s response to the Kosovo War, some say because of its highly symbolic name. It then fell into disrepair and has limped on, only partially functioning and receiving reduced numbers of guests.

Two new 155-metre towers – and demolition

Plans have been underway for years to renovate and re-establish the hotel, which was acquired by Marriott in March 2024, for exploitation under the Ritz-Carlton banner. A month later, Dutch architects UNStudio submitted new plans which echoed previous projects for the site, featuring two 155-metre-tall towers. Concerns began to grow, with many fiercely opposed to a licence for skyscrapers in the riverside neighbourhood.

The final straw came in September 2024, when plans for the complete demolition of the hotel were announced. Protests have been taking place weekly against the development, with some impassioned campaigners saying they will stop the bulldozers with their bodies if needed, to prevent the impending destruction of a building seen as part of the fabric and history of the city and nation.

Stigli smo na protest povodom plana za novih 200.000 kvadrata na mestu hotela Jugoslavija.
Stop investitorskom urbanizmu! pic.twitter.com/Jfog0GWykm

— Dobrica Veselinović (@dobrinacelnik) April 27, 2024

Simply different times or dreaded “towerisation”?

However, Zivorad Vasic, a spokesperson for the investors, told the Associated Press that there are various reasons why the modernist gem needs to be knocked down and re-imagined.

“One is during the bombing in 1999,” he said, noting that “quite a lot of parts of the hotel were destroyed. Second, the hospitality industry completely and tremendously changed. When you look at hotels now and how they looked before, they were completely different,” he said.

Local architect and tour guide Matija Zlatanovic, also speaking to AP, characterised the plans as “quite controversial,” especially because “there are valid concerns about the size of the buildings that are going to be erected here.

“It follows the trend of towerisation of Belgrade and the erection of enormous high rises all over,” he said. “And we yet have to see about the impact that they’re going to have on this neighbourhood.”

L’article Belgrade’s legendary Hotel Yugoslavia is set for demolition est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

On Sunday evening, passengers aboard Air Serbia flight JU324, headed to Düsseldorf, heard a loud bang during take-off from Belgrade’s Nikola Tesla Airport. Soon after, the plane diverted back to the airport, but had to spend about one hour in the air to burn enough fuel to allow for a safe landing. During the circling around, the pilots also performed a low pass above the runway so ground staff could take a look at the damage sustained by the aircraft.

Although operating an Air Serbia flight, the Embraer was staffed by Marathon Airlines pilots and cabin crew. According to preliminary reports, the pilot chose to use a shorter runway, against air traffic control advise, and had insufficient room to take off, thus hitting the lights. The exact details of the incident however are yet to be confirmed.

Regardless of how the collision occurred, all 106 passengers aboard safely got off the plane after it landed back at the airport, where emergency services were waiting. The aircraft on the other hand sustained substantial damaged and is unlikely to be returned to operations, at least not any time soon.

“The aircraft landed safely at Belgrade Airport. Air Serbia regrets for the inconvenience caused and is doing everything in its power for the flight to continue as soon as possible. The safety of passengers was not compromised at any time”, Air Serbia said in a statement.

The incident put the airport on stand-by for a while, with no other flights departing and some incoming flights, including a Wizz Air flight from Dortmund and an Austrian Airline flight from Vienna, were diverted to Timișoara, in Romania. Meanwhile, until the runway lights that were damaged in the accident get replaced, the airport had to downgrade its instrument landing system, which allows aircraft to approach it at night or during bad weather, from a level 3 to a level 1.

L’article Plane safely lands back at Belgrade airport after hitting runway lights est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

According to Euractiv, more than 106,000 irregular entries into the EU have been recorded this year through the Western Balkans route that includes Serbia. This represents an increase of 170% over the same period last year. Syrians and Afghans often have grounds to seek asylum in the EU, while many other nationalities “need to be returned to their country of origin,” Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said before a meeting of EU interior ministers in Luxembourg.

Asked by Euronews if the rise in border crossings could lead to an EU suspension of its visa-free deal with Serbia, Johansson answered that step is not excluded. “I do hope and I do think that Serbia and other Western Balkan partners will cooperate with us and align their visa policy with the EU,” she highlighted. “We have got promises that Serbia will align with our policies,” said Johansson.

Belgrade now requires visas for citizens of Burundi and for those from Tunisia from November 20. European Union interior ministers had discussed last week the high number of refugees and migrants arriving in the EU via the Balkan route. Federal Councillor Karin Keller-Sutter was pleased that Belgrade was willing to partially align its visa policy with that of the Schengen area. Keller-Sutter said that several states, including Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Belgium, had intervened with the European Commission and invited it to take measures.

Belga news agency reports that in Belgium the number of asylum applications from Burundi nationals multiplied by eight over the summer, from 34 in May to 263 requests in July. According to Belgian Foreigner’s Office, Burundians correspond to the third most numerous group seeking asylum in Belgium, after the Afghans and Syrians. Only in September, 553 Burundians applied for asylum in Brussels.

Belgium colonized Congo from 1885 to 1960 and Ruanda-Urundi (now Rwanda and Burundi) from 1916 to 1962. Today, Burundi is the poorest country in the world. UNICEF states that Burundi is suffering from several droughts in the Kirundo area and flooding across the rest of the country, all of them linked to climate change.

L’article Serbia reintroduces visa for Burundi and Tunisia after mounting pressure from EU est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

1. Slashing flights to Moscow

After announcing that it would double its flights to Moscow, Air Serbia will go back to one flight a day to the Russian capital, according to the Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

Making money on (Ukrainian) blood is unworthy of an EU candidate country.

Emine Dzheppar, Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister

Serbia’s decision to expand flights to Russia was met with criticism that the country’s national carrier was busting a EU-wide ban on flights to Russia and profiting from the war in Ukraine.

“Serbia is the only one in Europe with an open sky to Russia,” Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzheppar said on Twitter. “Making money on (Ukrainian) blood is unworthy of an EU candidate country.”

#AirSerbia doubled direct flights to Moscow whileairlines stoped flights to #Russia and closed the airspace to airlines&private jets. #Serbia is the only one in Europe with an open sky to Russia. Making money onblood is unworthy of #EU candidate country #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/apJGa0JcHt

— Emine Dzheppar (@EmineDzheppar) March 12, 2022

Beside some Turkish carriers, Serbia’s airline is the only European company that has kept on flying to Russia since the international flight ban was announced after the military escalation in Ukraine. Both the EU and Ukraine have reacted with anger towards Serbian’s decision. Following “the witch hunt“ against his country, Vucic responded that AirSerbia will go back to one flight a day to Moscow.

Serbian President Vucic declares that #Serbia is under external pressure because of active air traffic with #Russia pic.twitter.com/TfX94crUw4

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) March 12, 2022

Finland’s state-owned railway operator VR said its two daily trains from St Petersburg to Helsinki are fully booked with 700 passengers arriving daily, reported exyuaviation. However, due to Russian Covid-19 restrictions, only Finnish and Russian citizens are allowed on the trains.

2. Double standards with Turkey

Serbia’s president launched a provocative question during a TV interview on 13 March: “And will those who are leading the chase against Serbia in connection with the flights to the capital of Russia be satisfied with that?”.

Referring to Turkey, Vucic complained that “no one will touch those in NATO, who are partly in Europe and partly in Asia, and have 30 times more flights to Moscow than Serbia.”

Serbia has refused to introduce international sanctions against Russia, despite formally seeking EU membership. EU officials have repeatedly warned Belgrade that it will have to align itself with the bloc’s foreign policies if it wants to join.

L’article Pressure from EU and Ukraine leads Serbia to backtrack on decision to double flights to Moscow est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

Serbia is not a member of the EU, and did not condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The country is also one of the few that has been spared from the closure of Russian airspace—meaning that Serbia is the only European air corridor left open to Russia.

Russians are exploiting this getaway to flee to Europe and circumvent the EU-wide ban on flights to and from Russia. Russians entering Serbia are then traveling on to Europe, with the top onward destinations being Cyprus, France, Switzerland, and Italy, followed by the UK, Slovenia, Austria, Germany, and Spain.

In our latest analysis, we've shown how Serbia becomes the gateway to Europe for travel from Russia. Read it here: https://t.co/xVxTirR54R #TravelResearch #TravelData #RussiaUkraine pic.twitter.com/lE3wonWmm0

— ForwardKeys (@ForwardKeys) March 10, 2022

Air Serbia, which is mostly state-owned, has doubled the number of direct flights from Moscow to Belgrade to meet the rising demand after the EU ban on Russian airlines from its airspace. According to ForwardKeys, the airline seat capacity between Russia and Serbia increased by 50% in the first week of March compared with the week before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Capacity is expected to be further increased in the upcoming weeks.

What’s most notable is the speed with which Serbia has become the gateway for travel between Russia and Europe.

Olivier Ponti, ForwardKeys’ Vice-president of Insights.

According to Marko Subotich, Euronews correspondent in Serbia, the Russian press noted that Air Serbia will be leasing additional aircraft from Etihad Airways to meet the growing demand to Russia.

Russia has responded to European restrictions by banning access of its airspace to airlines from 36 countries. European Union airlines are also benefiting from the Belgrade hub as they have increased their connections to and from Serbia.

L’article Air Serbia doubles flights to Moscow est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

The new IATA Travel Pass mobile application will help travellers manage their trips easily and securely and in line with government requirements for COVID-19 testing or vaccination. It will do this by combining passport information with test and vaccination certificates received from participating laboratories. Travellers can then store and manage their data on their mobile phones and share their verified status with an airline before they reach the airport. The application will also offer updated information on COVID-19 health regulations enabling travellers to check if they meet the latest entry requirements set by their country of destination.

The first stage of testing the new application will start in April on Air Serbia’s Belgrade-Zurich flights, and will take a few weeks to implement. According to the airline’s statement on Wednesday, it would be one of the first few European states to join the global initiative which aims to reopen quarantine-free borders and ensure safe travel, along with enabling the recovery of the tourism and airline industries.

“We are proud to be among the first (airlines) globally to test the digital (vaccination) passport.”

Duncan Naysmith, Air Serbia CEO

The Serbian government holds an 82% stake in Air Serbia, whilst the rest is owned by United Arab Emirates-based Etihad Airways. Quoting Air Serbia CEO Duncan Naysmith, the statement said “We are proud to be among the first (airlines) globally to test the digital (vaccination) passport”.

L’article Air Serbia will be among first to test digital Covid-19 travel passport est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.