JAT Airways ! JU ! JAT !

Today, Etihad Airways will take over a 49% stake in Jat Airways and rebrand the carrier into Air Serbia. On behalf of Etihad Airways the takeover agreement will be signed by CEO James Hogan, on behalf of the Serbian government it will be signed by Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić and on Jat’s behalf the agreement will be signed by outgoing CEO Velibor Vukašinović. Etihad will also take over Jat Catering and Jat’s handling division SU-PORT. Air Serbia, which will be launched today is not a new start up, instead, it is the legal successor to Jat Airways and will continue to use Jat’s international agreements, airport slots and its callsign and IATA designator. The new CEO of Air Serbia will be Danny Kondić, who has previously worked for Qantas Airways, British Airways and served as Malaysia Airlines’ Commercial Director.
✈ New aircraft ✈Air Serbia will take delivery of two Airbus A319s by the end of the month. The two aircraft will feature the new Air Serbia branding and will be utilised on the airline’s busiest routes. Etihad Airways crew will be employed on the A319s until Jat’s own crew completes training. According to Mr. Vukašinović, twenty crew members have already been selected to undergo training. Air Serbia will soon open employment opportunities for 100 new cabin crew members. By the end of the year a further eight A319s will join the Air Serbia fleet. The aging Boeing 737-300s will be retired at the start of the 2013/14 winter season (which begins October 27). However, the aircraft will not be sold nor cut up and will remain in the ownership of the Serbian government. Etihad will launch talks with Airbus immediately following the takeover in order to renegotiate the order for eight A319s made by JAT Yugoslav Airlines in 1998.
✈ Dedicated terminal ✈Eithad Airways and Air Serbia will use a dedicated terminal at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport from late October. Air Serbia will use Terminal 1 at Belgrade Airport in which Etihad will invest significant means in order to upgrade its facilities. The dedicated terminal will mean low cost airlines, which have so far used the building due to lower taxes, will have to move out.
✈ Investments ✈Etihad Airways and the Serbian government have drafted four agreements which outline the investments which will be made by both the minority and majority shareholders of Air Serbia. The Serbian government will invest 100 million dollars into Air Serbia, mostly through writing off Jat Airways’ debt over the next three years. On the other hand, Etihad will invest 40 million dollars into Air Serbia in the next two weeks. A further 20 million dollars will be invested into Jat Catering and SU-PORT by 2016.
✈ New routes ✈Air Serbia will launch fourteen new destinations this winter season. The airline plans to utilise its aircraft around the clock with flights departing both throughout the day and night. The airline is set to create two rush hours for its flights at Belgrade Airport - one in the morning and one just after midnight. The airline will be boosting frequencies on key routes and there will be several time changes compared to the existing timetable.
Finally, the Jat brand name will officially end its six decade long run today. Ex-YU Aviation News