It is the largest and the busiest airport in Serbia, situated 18 km (11 mi) west of downtown Belgrade near the suburb of Surčin, surrounded by fertile lowlands.

It is operated by French conglomerate Vinci Airports and it is named after Serbian-American inventor Nikola Tesla (1856–1943).

The first airfield in Belgrade was inaugurated in 1910 in the neighbourhood of Banjica and was initially used by aviation pioneers such as Simon, Maslenikov, Vidmar and Čermak.

Two years later a wooden hangar was built for the Serbian Air Force, which was at the time engaged in the First Balkan War against Turkey.

After the World War II the airport was used by the Yugoslav Air Force before it became the airfield of the Utva Aviation Industry after its relocation from Zemun to Pančevo.

[6] Because of the distance from Pančevo to downtown Belgrade, which at that time required crossing the Danube, a decision was made to build a new airport that would be closer.

The design for a reinforced concrete hangar that was built at the airfield was made by the Serbian scientist Milutin Milanković, better known for his theory of climate change.

[8] Besides Aeroput, Air France, Deutsche Luft Hansa, KLM, Imperial Airways and airlines from Italy, Austria, Hungary, Romania and Poland also used the airport until the outbreak of the Second World War.

[10] By 1931, Belgrade became a major air hub being linked with regular flights with international destinations such as London, Madrid, Venice, Brussels, Berlin, Cologne, Warsaw, Prague, Vienna, Graz, Klagenfurt, Budapest, Bucharest, Sofia, Varna, Thessaloniki, Athens, Istanbul, and also intercontinental links with Cairo, Karachi and India.

During 1944 it was bombed by the Allies, and in October of the same year the German army destroyed the remaining facilities while withdrawing from the country.

[6] Civil transport by Yugoslav Air Force cargo planes from this airport was reinstated at the end of 1945.

[6] A constant increase in traffic and the beginning of the passenger jet era called for a significant expansion of the airport.

In the meantime, a plan to build a residential and business district called Novi Beograd on the location of the airport was introduced.

Cargo storage spaces were also built, as well as a technical block with the air-traffic control tower and other accompanying facilities.

[12] The airport stagnated during the 1990s after the outbreak of the Yugoslav wars and the United Nations sanctions imposed on the Serbia and Montenegro.

[18] On 24 April 2024 Serbian finance minister Siniša Mali announced that the concession of Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport had been extended by 18 months[19] in order to minimize the influence of COVID-19 Pandemic.

While not officially confirmed, it is believed that the overhauled T1 will be used by foreign carriers, while Air Serbia and Etihad Airways Partners would gain exclusive use of Terminal 2.

[25] The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights as of November 2024:[26][better source needed] The following cargo airlines served the airport on a regular basis:[77][better source needed] Before the 2020/2021-2023 remodelling, Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport was built with only one airside hallway for both departing and arriving passengers.

The VIP Lounge is entered from the public area and directly from the apron, so it functions as a separate and independent element.

Air Serbia plans to open a new Premium Lounge next to gate C10 at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport by the end of 2024.