Serbian airliner opens in Belgrade

New Serbian national airliner Air Serbia opened Thursday its first office in downtown Belgrade, taking place of former national carrier Jat Airways. The new company is made after the Serbian government (in name of Jat Airways) entered strategic partnership with Etihad Airways of the United Arab Emirates, on Aug. 1, 2013. Air Serbia is still 51 percent in ownership of the Serbian government and 49 percent belonging to Etihad, but with United Arab Emirates company entitled to manage Serbian national airliner in initial period of five years. Serbian Minister of Economy Sasa Radulovic said that Air Serbia is now a company on a sound footing, and the first example of how public companies in Serbia will be rehabilitated. "We look forward to the future and to the success of the new company, which is the property of Etihad, the Republic of Serbia and all its citizens," said Radulovic, adding that Serbia will, through partnership with Etihad, have a good representative in the international airliners competition able to score better results. Dane Kondic, Air Serbia Chief Executive Officer, said that the new office gives the first real taste of the new Air Serbia, ahead of inaugural flight on Oct. 26. "Revitalized, with a fresh new look and feel, this Travel Shops will offer levels of customer service not seen before in Serbia," Kondic said, stressing that from now on the highest levels of customer care and service are obligatory. The inaugural Air Serbia flight will depart Belgrade on Saturday for Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates. New Air Serbia flights to Banja Luka in Bosnia, Bucharest in Romania, Ljubljana in Slovenia, and Prague in the Czech Republic will also launch by the end of the year.