SERBIA: Air Serbia

Air Serbia stylized as AirSERBIA is the flag carrier and largest airline of Serbia. The airline was formerly known as Jat Airways until it was renamed in 2013. Air Serbia commenced operations under its new name on 26 October 2013.The airline has its hub at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport.

Air Serbia draws its heritage, including the airline code JU, from flag carriers of former Yugoslavia: Aeroput was established in Belgrade in 1927, and was replaced by Jugoslovenski Aerotransport (JAT) in 1948 as the national airline of the Socialist Yugoslavia. After the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1990s, JAT became a flag carrier of Serbia and Montenegro (FR Yugoslavia) and was renamed Jat Airways in 2003. However, the aging fleet and lack of investments caused the company to record financial losses year after year, and several Serbian governments were looking after a strategic partner for the company.

On 1 August 2013, Jat Airways and Etihad Airways entered into an agreement of strategic partnership. Under the agreement, Etihad acquired a 49% stake in Jat Airways and management rights for a period of five years. The Republic of Serbia would retain the remaining 51% and hold five of nine monitoring committee seats in the company.Jat Airways was reorganized and renamed Air Serbia in October 2013 and launched its inaugural flight under its new name on 26 October 2013, from Belgrade to Abu Dhabi.

Air Serbia's logo is a stylized double-headed eagle inspired by the Serbian coat-of-arms. The airline's branding was based on work undertaken by Tamara Maksimović, a 25-year-old graphic designer from Novi Sad.

Serbian tennis player Novak Đoković gave his name to the first Airbus A319, and will be part of the series titled Living legends of Serbia which will appear on the new fleet of the airline. Serbian professional basketball player Vlade Divac gave his name to the first Airbus A320.

The first flight under the new Air Serbia brand operated for promotional purposes on 26 October 2013 initiating the service to Abu Dhabi, with the first revenue flight taking place the following day from Abu Dhabi to Belgrade. Since the launch Air Serbia has introduced services to Banja Luka and Prague on 1 December 2013, Ljubljana and Bucharest on 10 December 2013, Budapest, Sofia and Varna on 30 March 2014 with Warsaw and Beirut on 29 May 2014 and 1 June 2014 respectively.

Plans for Cairo and Kiev have been postponed until further notice. On 5 June 2014 the airline announced the opening of a line to Tirana in the near future. Following an agreement with Turkish authorities reached in Ankara on 16 June 2014, the airline will resume its flights from Istanbul Atatürk Airport on the European side of the city, replacing those from Sabiha Gökçen which it had been required to switch to.

Codeshare agreements
- Aegean Airlines (a number of destinations radiating from Athens)
- Aeroflot (a number of destinations radiating from Moscow)
- airBaltic
- Air Berlin (a number of destinations radiating from Berlin, Düsseldorf, Stuttgart and Vienna)
- Air France (Belgrade-Paris-Belgrade)
- Air China (Beijing-Vienna-Beijing)
- Alitalia (a number of destinations radiating from Rome-Fiumicino)
- Etihad Airways (a number of destinations radiating from Abu Dhabi)
- Etihad Regional (Geneva–Belgrade, Geneva–Lugano)
- KLM (Amsterdam–Manchester-Amsterdam)
- LOT (Warsaw–Tallinn–Warsaw, Warsaw–Vilnius–Warsaw, Warsaw–Riga–Warsaw)
- Bulgaria Air
- TAROM (Bucharest–Belgrade–Bucharest, Bucharest–Chisinau–Bucharest)

From 26 June 2014 till 25 September 2014, Air Serbia entered into a cooperation with Darwin Airline from Switzerland (operating under the brand Etihad Regional following their recent acquisition by Etihad Airways) and leased from them a Saab 2000 aircraft and cabin crew which were used on its route to Banja Luka.

On 22 October 2013, Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić said that the possibility of Air Serbia transatlantic flights was discussed, claiming the first flight could be in three years time or earlier, to two destinations in North America, referring to Toronto and Chicago, or possibly New York City,which all would be operated with an Airbus A330-200. On 16 May 2014 Serbia and China signed a new ASA opening the way for future long-haul flights between the two countries.

On November 9, 2015, CEO Dane Kondić and the Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić confirmed that Air Serbia will begin operating weekly flights to New York City in the summer of 2016. They will be operating with an Airbus A330-200, which will be likely leased from another Etihad partner. The Serbian Government is awaiting a decision on its application for these flights to be approved

Air Serbia switched operations from Istanbul Atatürk Airport to Sabiha Gökçen Airport on 27 October 2013, after being given unfavourable slot timings at Atatürk Airport. The move was seen as protectionism by the Turkish government of their national carrier Turkish Airlines. On 27 March 2014 the Turkish carriers flying to Belgrade, including Turkish Airlines, were issued only two months temporary permit by the Serbian Civil Aviation Directorate, thus being at risk of having their rights revoked right in the middle of the summer season unless a compromise was found.

During the month of June the dispute intensified with highest level diplomatic representatives from both countries being involved and Turkish Airlines being under threat to be forced to reduce their flights to Belgrade from seventeen to four weekly.

Finally, following a series of meetings in Belgrade and Ankara, on June 16 an agreement has been reached that will see Air Serbia switching its operations from Sabiha Gokcen back to Atatürk Airport while Turkish will have to limit its number of flights from seventeen to fourteen weekly thus ending the row. Soon after Air Serbia officially announced the resumption of operations to Atatürk airport starting August the 1st 2014.

Renamed from SU-Port and shortened as ASGS, Air Serbia Ground Services was the first officially certified supplier of ground handling services in the Republic of Serbia, which has obtained a ground handling certificate issued by the Civil Aviation Directorate. ASGS has been certified to provide ground handling operations which include handling of passengers, baggage, aircraft, cargo and mail.

Since its foundation in 2002 and up to the present day, Air Serbia Ground Services annually provided ground handling services to more than 1 million passengers, on 8500 flights, on behalf of the national air carrier – Air Serbia and other companies.

On 28 May 2014 Air Serbia announced the creation of its technical division, providing services of line-maintenance at Belgrade Airport to Air Serbia and its partner airlines.

In May 2014 Air Serbia launched a new charter brand called Aviolet, which uses Air Serbia's Boeing 737-300 fleet under Air Serbia's JU code with a four digit flight number. Their first service operated on 24 May 2014 to Antalya.