Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 6 May 2009: Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) today welcomed Jat Airways to Abu Dhabi International Airport. The first passenger aircraft arriving from Belgrade was greeted by water cannons after it touched down at the airport at 06:55 hrs. The route provides the first direct air link between Abu Dhabi and Belgrade since 1998.

JAT Airlines Arrives

Jat Airways will operate two flights per week to Terminal 1 at Abu Dhabi International Airport with a 126-seat B737 aircraft. Convenient morning departure out of Abu Dhabi means quick connections to other European gateways, such as Paris, Milan and Amsterdam through Belgrade.

Mohammed Al Bulooki, Vice President, Airline Marketing and Aeronautical Revenue at the Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC), said:

"ADAC is proud to welcome another airline to our growing airport hub at Abu Dhabi International Airport. Jat Airways is our 44th airline to establish operations at the airport and the first from Europe this year".

"ADAC is delighted to be able to offer our customers another new destination as part of our ever growing portfolio. We continuously strive to improve the facilities and services we offer to both our airline partners and passengers travelling through the airport. ADAC is working extensively on a hub strategy that is to see airlines from the east and west use Abu Dhabi as an excellent intermediate point."

Vladimir Ognjenovic, Commercial Operations Director at Jat Airways said:

"Abu Dhabi is an exciting destination in its own right and a strategic connection for onward travel to the east. We are delighted to move our UAE operations to Abu Dhabi airport, which offers the ideal environment for our onward passengers as it offers fast transfer times and good passengers facilities."

Jat Airways, founded in 1927, is the full service national airline of Serbia. It operates a fleet of ten Boeing 737-300s, one Boeing 737-400 and five ATR 72-200s, and also operates domestic and international passenger and cargo flights. In-bound Abu Dhabi flights will arrive at 06:55hrs Wednesday and Friday and out-bound flights will depart at 07:45hrs also on the same days.

-ENDS-

About Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC):
Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) is a public joint-stock company wholly owned by the Abu Dhabi Government. It was incorporated by Amiri Decree number 5, issued on 4 March 2006, to spearhead the development of the Emirate's aviation infrastructure.

In September 2006, ADAC took over responsibility for the operation and management of Abu Dhabi and Al Ain international Airports. In 2008, ADAC added Al Bateen private jet airport, formerly Al Bateen military airbase, and Sir Baniyas and Delma Island Airports to its portfolio. These airports all serve different segments of the marketplace and help contribute to Abu Dhabi’s development as a destination for both business and leisure tourism.

Currently under way is the large scale AED 25 (USD6.8) billion re-development and expansion of Abu Dhabi International Airport designed to increase the overall capacity of the airport to more than 20 million passengers per year. As part of this redevelopment, a second runway and a third terminal have been completed. A new ATC tower and Midfield Terminal Complex will complete the redevelopment within the next few years.

Press Office, ADAC – Abu Dhabi Airports Company 
P.O. Box:       94449, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E
Telephone:    +971 2   505 3431
Fax:                +971 2   575 8300
Mobile:           +971 50 2205188
E-mail:           mtaifour@adac.ae
Website:        www.adac.ae 
Time Zone:   GMT/UTC +4