Air Serbia’s upcoming expansion under Etihad to see creation of Eastern European hub

Air Serbia's recent rebranding from Jat Airways is the beginning of a number of significant developments for the airline which will also lead to changes in the Serbian aviation market. Through its partnership with Etihad Airways, Air Serbia will be establishing a medium sized hub in Belgrade with a restructured network featuring 12 new destinations and a new fleet of A319 aircraft. Through this hub other airlines within the Etihad's 'equity alliance' will be able to take advantage of an increased presence in the Eastern European region.

As previously reported by CAPA, Serbia's Government and Etihad Airways established on 1-Aug-2013 a strategic partnership to secure the future of Jat Airways which was subsequently renamed and rebranded as Air Serbia. The partnership included the acquisition of 49% of Air Serbia by Etihad on 01-Jan-2014 and Etihad being awarded a five-year management contract

Etihad and the Serbian Government agreed to both inject USD40 million into the airline while both parties will each provide up to USD60 million in further funding. Debt from Jat Airways was also written off by the Serbian Government which will allow Air Serbia to launch from a clean sheet.