Air Serbia poised for alliance-free future in pursuit of independence

Air Serbia has again ruled out the possibility of joining an airline alliance following several years as part of the Etihad Partners equity alliance formed by its former minority shareholder. Speaking recently to Germany’s “Airliners.de”, Air Serbia’s CEO, Jiri Marek, said, “We have no intention of entering into an alliance again. We do not see any added value that we would gain from it, as opposed to what we would lose in terms of independence. Today, we prefer to maintain strong partnerships with Air France, Turkish Airlines and with Qatar Airways. We offer them strong access to the Balkan region and to Southeast Europe”. According to Mr Marek, the carrier will continue to prioritise its independence. “We don't want anyone else to tell us who we can and can't cooperate with. Especially since Serbia is a very strong market - this year the gross national product is expected to grow by 4%, and flight demand, it is said, is always double that. And then Expo 2027 will take place in Belgrade, which will also further stimulate the market”. He added, “Since last year, Air Serbia has been 100% owned by the Serbian state again. Today we have a simple business relationship with Etihad. We have reinstated our codeshare and use their frequent flyer program. But we are currently developing our own, so we will see how we continue the relationship with Etihad. This is now a normal commercial relationship between airlines”<br/>