(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Air Serbia was officially launched by Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vuèiæ, at an event on Friday for government figures and other VIPs, national and international media, and airline employees.
The carrier's first Airbus A319 was unveiled by Vuèiæ at a glittering ceremony at Belgrade Airport.
The launch was welcomed by Air Serbia's chief executive officer as 'good news for travellers, good news for the business and good news for Serbia'. Dane Kondiæ said that new investment in Air Serbia would deliver a customer-focused, commercial business which would attract trade and tourism into the nation.
From today, Air Serbia will launch a new route from its hub at Belgrade's Nikola Tesla International Airport to Abu Dhabi in the UAE, with routes to Banja Luka (Bosnia), Bucharest (Romania), Ljubljana (Slovenia) and Prague (Czech Republic) to be launched by the end of 2013. These new flights add to the 29 destinations previously served by the airline as part of its 2013 summer schedule.
Air Serbia also plans to launch another seven new routes between January and April 2014, in addition to rescheduling existing operations to optimise connections via its hub in Belgrade. Eight Airbus A319 and two A320 aircraft have been leased, the first part of a two-phase fleet modernisation strategy which will give Air Serbia one of the most modern and efficient fleets in the region.
The first of these A319 aircraft, unveiled on Friday, has the new two-class configuration, with eight seats in Business Class and 120 in Economy. Five more Airbus A319s will be in service within the next two months, with another four in 2014.
As a member of Etihad Airways' 'equity alliance', which today includes another five partner airlines (airberlin, Air Seychelles, Aer Lingus, Virgin Australia and Jet Airways, subject to regulatory approval), Air Serbia will also be able to leverage revenue and cost benefits including new codesharing opportunities, joint procurement, and shared training and staff development.
The launch event was also attended by executives from Air Serbia's minority shareholder and partner Etihad Airways. Etihad will make available a $40 million loan facility which will be converted into a 49 per cent equity stake in January 2014, subject to regulatory approval. This will be matched by an equal funding injection by the Government of Serbia.
Etihad Airways and the Government of Serbia will also each provide a shareholder loan of up to $ 60 million to meet working capital requirements and support network development for Air Serbia.
The president and chief executive officer of Etihad Airways, James Hogan, said: "We look for partners who share our vision of best in class service, working to a commercial mandate and delivering trade and tourism into their national economies.
"The team at Air Serbia is professional, enthusiastic and committed. With the right focus, and working with Etihad and our many strong partners, we believe Air Serbia can become a force to be reckoned with in this region."
Air Serbia's first flight in its new livery will be from Belgrade to Abu Dhabi today.
Vuèiæ, said: "The launch of Air Serbia marks an important new beginning for the airline industry in our country. Our new partner, Etihad Airways, is an airline that has grown faster than any other full-service national airline in the last decade. "
Dane Kondiæ, Chief Executive Officer of Air Serbia, welcoming the launch said: "The new Air Serbia is good news for travellers, increasing route network choices regionally and across the globe. It is good news for the business, with new investment and a strict commercial mandate that will secure the airline's long-term future. And it good news for the Serbian economy, helping to develop tourism and trade routes over the long term," he said.
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