Etihad Airways PJSC, the third- biggest Gulf airline, added Serbian national carrier JAT Airways as its latest code-share partner and said the accord should prove a first step toward a more comprehensive tieup.
Abu Dhabi-based Etihad will begin regular daily flights to Belgrade starting June 15 and attach its code to 23 of JAT’s European flights, with the Serbian company doing likewise on 21 Etihad services, the companies said.
“This is just a start of our cooperation,” Etihad Chief Executive Officer James Hogan, told a news conference in Belgrade today. “As we move towards June 15, you will hear more about Etihad Airways and the partnership with JAT.”
Successive Serbian governments have tried to make unprofitable JAT attractive to potential buyers to shed state assets as part of austerity moves designed to bring the former Yugoslav republic in line with the European Union, which it wants to join.
15/04/13 /Gordana Filipovic and Misha Savic/Bloomberg News/Business Week
