Are you able to present an summary of how Air Serbia has navigated the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and what methods have been employed to make sure the airline’s resilience?

CEO Jiri Marek: Air Serbia‘s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been marked by resilience and adaptableness. We acknowledged early on that the aviation business was going through unprecedented challenges. We adopted a multifaceted technique to make sure the airline’s survival and continued service to our passengers. Firstly, we prioritized the security of our passengers and employees. We applied stringent well being and security protocols, together with enhanced cleansing procedures, obligatory mask-wearing, and social distancing measures. These steps had been essential in constructing and sustaining passenger confidence. Concurrently, we centered on value optimization. This concerned a cautious examination of our operations, fleet, and staffing ranges to make sure monetary stability throughout a interval of lowered demand. Air Serbia devoted all its assets to serving the nation and the folks of Serbia.

Through the state of emergency, in collaboration with state authorities and organizations, dozens of particular repatriation and evacuation flights had been operated. These flights introduced again Serbian residents stranded at airports and in nations world wide, whereas international residents had been repatriated to their dwelling nations. Over 10,000 folks had been carried throughout that interval, and quite a few cargo flights delivered a whole bunch of tons of medical gear and provides to our nation. One other key aspect of our technique was flexibility.

The ever-changing nature of journey restrictions and passenger preferences required us to adapt swiftly. We launched extra versatile reserving and cancellation insurance policies to accommodate our clients’ altering wants.

General, our skill to navigate these challenges stemmed from a mix of security measures, cost-saving initiatives, adaptability, and a dedication to serving our passengers and neighborhood throughout troublesome occasions.

What are your favourite locations you imagine the People ought to discover with Air Serbia?

CEO Jiri Marek: As CEO of Air Serbia, I’ve witnessed the varied magnificence and wealthy cultural experiences that Serbia and the encircling area provide.

For People trying to discover with Air Serbia, I’d advocate starting their journey in Belgrade, our vibrant capital. Belgrade is a metropolis of historical past and distinction, the place historic fortresses coexist with fashionable nightlife.

From Belgrade, I encourage vacationers to enterprise additional into Serbia and the Balkans. Serbian mountains and spas, in addition to the northern province of Vojvodina, have an array of nice surprises for any passenger.

The Adriatic coast, with locations like Montenegro and Croatia, affords breathtaking landscapes, crystal-clear waters, and historic treasures. Montenegro’s Bay of Kotor, also known as Europe’s southernmost fjord, is a real gem. Past that, exploring the historic and architectural wonders of cities like Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina or Skopje in North Macedonia could be extremely rewarding. These cities showcase the wealthy tapestry of cultures and histories that outline the Balkans.

Finally, the enchantment of Air Serbia lies in our skill to attach vacationers to those charming locations, permitting them to expertise the distinctive mix of historical past, tradition, and pure magnificence that this area has to supply.

Many vacationers prioritize consolation and luxurious when flying enterprise class. May you elaborate on the premium facilities and companies that Air Serbia affords its enterprise class passengers?

CEO Jiri Marek: Air Serbia takes nice pleasure in providing a long-haul business-class expertise that mixes consolation and comfort. Our enterprise class passengers get pleasure from a spread of premium facilities and companies designed to make their journey as snug and pleasurable as potential.

Firstly, our seats present passengers with ample house to loosen up and sleep throughout long-haul flights. A part of our distinctive proposal is that our crew is getting ready your beds, together with the sheets, on request. We’re additionally offering the set of pyjamas on request.

Moreover, every seat incorporates a private leisure system with a choice of motion pictures, TV exhibits, and music, all accessible by a touchscreen interface.

Enterprise class passengers additionally profit from expedited check-in and safety procedures, permitting for a seamless journey expertise. Entry to our unique Premium Lounge at Belgrade Airport, in addition to community of lounges on different airports we cooperate with, supplies a tranquil house to unwind earlier than a flight, with complimentary refreshments, Wi-Fi, and enterprise amenities.

On the subject of eating, our enterprise class passengers are handled to a culinary journey that displays the flavors of Serbia and the Balkans, in addition to chosen worldwide delicacies.

Our menus are rigorously curated to showcase the area’s gastronomic range. Passengers can get pleasure from a choice of premium wines and drinks to enrich their meal. To reinforce the general expertise, our devoted cabin crew supplies customized service, guaranteeing that each want is met all through the flight.

Whether or not it’s help with meal preferences, extra facilities, or another request, our crew is dedicated to creating the journey memorable for our enterprise class passengers. In abstract, our enterprise class facilities embody snug seating, in-flight leisure, unique lounge entry, beautiful eating choices, and customized service, all combining to create a premium journey expertise.

May you inform us extra concerning the culinary expertise that enterprise class passengers can count on when flying with the airline? What’s your favourite expertise you’d advocate to a primary time enterprise traveler with Air Serbia?

CEO Jiri Marek: Air Serbia takes nice pleasure in providing a particular culinary expertise to our enterprise class passengers, permitting them to savor the flavors of Serbia and the Balkans whereas having fun with the comforts of air journey.

Our enterprise class menus are thoughtfully curated to showcase the varied and scrumptious delicacies of the area. This mix of flavors supplies a real style of Serbia and is a must-try for anybody exploring our tradition by delicacies. Nonetheless, our culinary choices prolong past Serbian classics.

Passengers may select from a spread of worldwide dishes, ready by our gifted cooks to the best requirements. We take nice care in choosing the best components to make sure the standard and freshness of our meals. Complementing our culinary choices, we provide an in depth choice of premium wines and drinks to reinforce the eating expertise.

Whether or not it’s a crisp white wine or a full-bodied purple, our wine listing is curated to pair completely with the varied flavors of our menu. To cater to the preferences of our passengers, we additionally present flexibility in meal choices, accommodating dietary restrictions and particular requests. Our devoted cabin crew is skilled to supply attentive service, guaranteeing that every passenger’s eating expertise is each pleasurable and memorable.

Air Serbia is thought for its dedication to the area people. How does the airline help native companies and showcase Serbian tradition and hospitality within the enterprise class expertise?

CEO Jiri Marek: At Air Serbia, our dedication to the area people and the promotion of Serbian tradition and hospitality are core ideas that information our operations, notably within the enterprise class expertise. We imagine that the airline expertise ought to prolong past the plane cabin and embody your entire journey, together with the moments spent on the airport and in our lounge.

We prioritize partnerships with native companies. This not solely helps the Serbian economic system but additionally permits us to supply distinctive, domestically sourced merchandise to our passengers. From the choice of wines and spirits, the perfect that Serbia has to supply.

Finally, our objective is to be ambassadors of Serbian hospitality, showcasing the heat and friendliness for which our nation is thought.

We wish passengers to depart our flights with not solely a way of consolation but additionally a newfound appreciation for the tradition and heritage of Serbia.

What key initiatives has Air Serbia undertaken to make sure passenger security and confidence in air journey through the pandemic and past?

CEO Jiri Marek: Guaranteeing the security and well-being of our passengers has all the time been a prime precedence for Air Serbia, and this dedication has been additional amplified through the COVID-19 pandemic and past. All through the pandemic, we applied a complete set of security measures to guard each passengers and our devoted employees. These measures included enhanced cleansing and disinfection protocols for plane. One other crucial facet of our security initiatives is air high quality.

Our Airbus fleet is supplied with air filtration methods that flow into recent air each jiffy, guaranteeing a excessive customary of cabin air high quality. We’ve additionally labored intently with well being authorities and worldwide organizations to remain up to date on the most recent tips and finest practices associated to COVID-19. This collaboration has enabled us to adapt our security protocols in real-time because the state of affairs advanced.

Wanting past the pandemic, we stay dedicated to sustaining the best security requirements within the business. This contains ongoing coaching for our employees and investing within the newest security know-how to mitigate potential dangers and make sure the peace of thoughts of our passengers. Security is not only a protocol for us; it’s a basic facet of our operations, and we spare no effort in upholding it.

Sustainability and environmental issues are more and more essential within the aviation business. What steps is Air Serbia taking to cut back its carbon footprint and promote sustainable aviation practices?

CEO Jiri Marek: Air Serbia acknowledges the rising significance of sustainability and environmental issues within the aviation business. As a part of our dedication to a greener future, we’re taking concrete steps to cut back our carbon footprint and promote sustainable aviation practices.

Probably the most vital steps we’ve taken is the continual modernization of our fleet. These plane not solely scale back our environmental influence but additionally present a extra snug and environment friendly journey expertise for passengers.

Past fleet modernization, we’re actively engaged on optimizing our flight routes to attenuate gas consumption. This contains utilizing superior navigation and air site visitors administration methods to seek out probably the most fuel-efficient paths, finally lowering emissions. Waste discount is one other space of focus. We’re working to attenuate single-use plastics on our flights and in our operations, with a objective of lowering plastic waste. We’re additionally evaluating methods to enhance recycling and waste administration practices.

Lastly, we’re actively participating with business organizations and initiatives that promote sustainability in aviation. This contains collaborating in carbon offset packages and supporting analysis into revolutionary applied sciences that may additional scale back the environmental influence of air journey. Our dedication to sustainability isn’t solely about lowering our carbon footprint but additionally about being accountable stewards of the surroundings and contributing to a extra sustainable future for aviation.

Air Serbia has a protracted historical past of worldwide journey. May you share some insights into the foremost achievements of the corporate?

CEO Jiri Marek: Air Serbia has a wealthy historical past of worldwide journey, and through the years, we now have achieved a number of vital milestones. After a hiatus of 1 / 4 of a century, in June 2016, the service between Belgrade and New York was re-established. Air Serbia thus grew to become the one airline within the broader Balkan area with a direct service to the US. This historic milestone demonstrated the power of the enterprise technique and the conclusion of the nationwide airline’s imaginative and prescient, marking a brand new chapter in its operations.

On 9 December, 2022, Air Serbia commenced flights to Tianjin within the Individuals’s Republic of China. This marked the reestablishment of a scheduled direct service to the Asian nation after a 22-year hiatus. The business service to China was the top of Air Serbia’s success in 2022.

On 17 Might 2023, after greater than 30 years of hiatus, the service between Belgrade and Chicago was re-established from Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport. It was an essential day for the Serbian nationwide airline, Serbia, Belgrade, and your entire Western Balkans area.

The third long-haul route of Air Serbia and the second in North America proved to be vital and helpful to passengers from the very starting, contributing to improved enterprise, tourism, and all different connections between Serbia and the US.

Talking on the whole, our community growth has been exceptional. We’ve constantly added new locations to our route map, connecting Serbia to key cities throughout Europe, Asia, Africa and North America. This growth has not solely elevated our attain however has additionally enhanced connectivity for vacationers.

One other main achievement price noting is our contribution to the financial growth of Serbia and the broader area. As a nationwide provider, we play a significant position in facilitating commerce and tourism, driving financial progress, and fostering worldwide partnerships. We take pleasure in being a key driver of connectivity within the Balkans. 

The aggressive panorama within the airline business is ever-evolving. How does Air Serbia plan to take care of its place as a world participant and differentiate itself from different carriers?

CEO Jiri Marek: Within the ever-evolving aggressive panorama of the airline business, Air Serbia is devoted to sustaining its place as a world participant by specializing in a number of key methods that set us aside from different carriers. Firstly, we prioritize service excellence. We spend money on the coaching and growth of our employees to make sure they ship top-notch service, and we consistently search suggestions from our passengers to determine areas for enchancment.

Moreover, we differentiate ourselves by our expansive community of locations. By constantly increasing our route map and exploring strategic partnerships and codeshare agreements, we provide passengers a variety of choices for connecting to locations worldwide. This connectivity is a big benefit for vacationers who worth seamless journeys.

Our Serbian heritage is one other key differentiator. We embrace and have fun our tradition and traditions, infusing them into the passenger expertise. We purpose to supply an genuine style of Serbia to all our passengers, guaranteeing a singular and memorable journey. 

Are you able to present an replace on any upcoming route expansions or partnerships that Air Serbia has deliberate to additional join vacationers to locations worldwide?

CEO Jiri Marek: We’re consistently increasing our community – solely a number of days in the past we added new route in Portugal, standard vacation spot of Porto. That’s our 23^rd new vacation spot launched in 2023 solely.

Air Serbia is constantly working to reinforce our route community and forge strategic partnerships that profit our passengers and increase our world attain. By way of route expansions, we now have a number of thrilling plans within the pipeline.

Whereas I can’t disclose particular particulars presently, I can guarantee you that we’re actively exploring alternatives to attach vacationers to much more locations throughout Europe, Asia, Africa and North America.

These expansions is not going to solely improve connectivity but additionally provide passengers a broader vary of choices for his or her journey wants. Moreover, partnerships are a key focus for us. By collaborating with different airways by codeshare agreements and alliances, we are able to present seamless connections to locations past our community. These partnerships improve the journey expertise for our passengers, enabling them to succeed in a wider vary of cities and areas with ease. Moreover, we’re regularly evaluating alternatives for nearer cooperation with airports, tourism boards, and different stakeholders to advertise journey and tourism in Serbia and the encircling area. These partnerships purpose to create a extra sturdy and enticing journey ecosystem for each home and worldwide vacationers. Whereas I can’t present particular particulars on upcoming expansions and partnerships at this second, I can guarantee you that Air Serbia stays dedicated to progress and innovation, with the last word objective of enhancing the journey expertise for our passengers and connecting them to thrilling new locations world wide.

Air Serbia has a wealthy historical past and a powerful model id. How does the airline plan to leverage its heritage whereas staying related in an ever-changing market?

CEO Jiri Marek: Air Serbia is the nationwide airline of the Republic of Serbia, the successor of the primary nationwide airline, Aeroput, established in Belgrade in 1927 and amongst ten world’s oldest airways that also function. It has been working beneath the present identify since October 2013.

Air Serbia’s wealthy historical past and robust model id are belongings that we maintain pricey and leverage strategically to remain related in an ever-changing market. One of many methods we harness our heritage is thru our dedication to showcasing Serbian tradition and hospitality. We imagine that our tradition is a singular promoting level, and we incorporate it into numerous points of the passenger expertise.

From the second passengers step on board, they’re immersed in Serbian traditions, whether or not by the delicacies, music, or the heat of our cabin crew. One other facet of our heritage that we worth is our place as a nationwide provider. This heritage carries a way of accountability to our dwelling nation and the broader area. We actively have interaction in initiatives that help financial growth, tourism, and connectivity in Serbia and the Balkans. This not solely aligns with our heritage but additionally strengthens our place as a significant contributor to the area people.

Whereas we embrace our heritage, we additionally acknowledge the necessity to adapt to altering market dynamics and passenger preferences. We spend money on modernizing our fleet, upgrading our know-how, and constantly bettering our companies to fulfill the evolving wants of vacationers. This mix of custom and innovation permits us to strike a stability between honoring our heritage and staying related in a aggressive business. In essence, our heritage isn’t a static aspect of our id however a dynamic power that informs our values and guides us in offering a singular and modern journey expertise.

Within the realm of security and safety, what measures is Air Serbia taking to make sure the well-being of passengers and employees, particularly in mild of rising threats and challenges?

CEO Jiri Marek: Security and safety are paramount issues for Air Serbia, and we take a complete strategy to make sure the well-being of our passengers and employees, particularly in mild of rising threats and challenges. It could be attention-grabbing that Air Serbia was just lately among the many first airways to signal the IATA Security Management Constitution.

Our security measures start with rigorous coaching for our cabin and flight crews. They’re well-prepared to deal with a variety of conditions and emergencies. This coaching covers every thing from in-flight medical emergencies to safety protocols. We additionally work intently with airport authorities and legislation enforcement companies to take care of a excessive stage of safety in any respect our locations. This contains common safety audits, screenings, and collaboration with worldwide safety organizations.

We regularly replace our know-how and collaborate with consultants within the subject to remain forward of potential threats. Moreover, we actively monitor world safety developments and adapt our procedures accordingly. This contains changes to our route planning and operations in response to geopolitical or security issues.

Our dedication to security and safety extends to the in-flight expertise. Our plane are outfitted with superior security options, and our cabin crew is skilled to deal with numerous eventualities to make sure passenger security. Finally, our passengers can trust that we prioritize their well-being above all else. 

Are you able to share any insights into Air Serbia’s dedication to company social accountability and its contributions to the communities it serves?

CEO Jiri Marek: As I already talked about, the significance of getting a nationwide provider was clearly seen through the pandemic when Air Serbia carried over 10,000 folks and arranged quite a few cargo flights with a whole bunch of tons of medical gear and provides.

Basically, company social accountability is a core precept at Air Serbia, and we’re devoted to creating significant contributions to the communities we serve. For the final three years, Air Serbia participates in this system of the Authorities of Serbia entitled “My First Wage” created to encourage the employment of younger folks with out prior work expertise.

One in all our main areas of focus is training. We imagine in investing sooner or later, and we intently cooperate with quite a lot of Serbian academic entities. This contains partnerships with faculties and internships for promising college students. In cooperation with the Ministry of Building, Transport and Infrastructure, based mostly on the protocol on cooperation signed between the Ministry and the College of Belgrade, Air Serbia participates in this system for a three-month internship in our firm.

We’re proud to be given the chance to welcome gifted college students of their closing 12 months of undergraduate and grasp research, arriving from the Colleges of Economics, Regulation, Organizational Sciences and Transport and Site visitors Engineering. Air Serbia strongly believes in offering sensible information, abilities, and invaluable work expertise to formidable younger professionals throughout their research, who will get a singular alternative to develop in a dynamic business. Air Serbia obtained extra college students than another firm collaborating on this program. Our workforce displays the varied communities we serve, and we actively promote an inclusive office tradition.

We strongly advocate gender equality by the truth that ladies comprise 48 per cent of the full variety of staff, whereas the administration positions have an equal variety of ladies and men, 50 per cent every.

Lastly, we acknowledge the significance of tradition and the humanities in our society. We help cultural occasions, native artists, and showcase Serbian tradition on our flights. This not solely enriches the cultural panorama but additionally promotes a deeper understanding of our heritage.

Company social accountability is not only a field to verify for Air Serbia; it’s a basic a part of our id. We attempt to be a accountable company citizen, making a optimistic influence on the communities we contact, and fostering a greater future for all.

What’s the largest lesson in management you may have discovered on this job?

CEO Jiri Marek: All through my tenure as CEO of Air Serbia, I’ve had the privilege of studying many precious classes in management. Nonetheless, if I had been to pinpoint probably the most vital lesson, it might be the significance of agility.

The aviation business is dynamic and intensely unstable, topic to fast modifications in know-how, laws, and market circumstances. This was particularly evident through the COVID-19 pandemic when the business confronted unprecedented challenges. In such occasions, having the ability to pivot and make powerful choices rapidly is important for the success and survival of an airline.

Efficient management within the face of uncertainty requires the power to evaluate conditions objectively, collect information and insights, and make knowledgeable choices swiftly. It means staying attuned to the wants and issues of each passengers and staff, whereas additionally conserving a long-term strategic imaginative and prescient in thoughts.

Moreover, adaptability extends past disaster administration. It’s about constantly evolving and bettering our operations, companies, and techniques to fulfill the ever-changing expectations of our passengers and the calls for of the market.

Adaptability is a crucial management trait that I’ve discovered to worth immensely. It not solely helps us navigate challenges but additionally positions us to grab alternatives and drive optimistic change within the aviation business.

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