UPDATED: Interests, stars and protests

Two companies from Israel and one from Hungary have purchased tender documentation for Jat Tehnika in Serbia as said by Dragan Bogdanović, president of the aviation mechanics’ union. He did not want to give any details about the companies, not even their names so as not “to affect” the tender procedures, but expressed satisfaction that “they are all reputable companies”. Earlier, domestic media reported that SIT of Singapore, Lufthansa of Germany and companies from Russia, Germany, Israel and Austria were interested in Jat Tehnika. Last week the mechanics union threatened with a strike as it believed that the Serbian Privatisation Agency had already agreed to sell the company to SIT Engineering which was no longer acceptable to Jat Tehnika as they demanded a cut in jobs. However problems were settled only 24 hours later when the Serbian Privatisation Agency promised Jat Tehnika it would not be sold for less than the set price. The strike has been indefinitely called off.

The best fly Jat As the slogan of the Serbian national airline, Jat Airways, says “The best fly with Jat” On August 19 (2 days ago) this was confirmed when the Serbian silver medal Olympian, Milorad Čavić returned from Beijing via Vienna on flight JU313 (as pictured above). Čavić won the medal in Beijing being beaten in the 100m butterfly style by Michael Phelps by only 100 millisecond . Since Čavić is the first Serbian Olympian (as the country competed under the name only in 1912) he was flown on Jat’s evening ATR72 operated flight with the crew applauding the Olympian as he entered the aircraft with the rest of the passengers. The pilot of the flight presented a gift from the airline to the Olympian, the book “Little Prince” by Antoine de Saint Exupéry (a French aviator). In front of a screaming crowd of 50.000 people Čavić was welcomed in front of Belgrade’s city hall which is a city old tradition as any major international succusses by a Serb is celebrated in front of the building (in the last few years these included Serbian tennis players, Serbian women’s volleyball team and Marija Šerifović – winner of the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest).

UPDATE: Protest cancelled
Earlier today the pilot and cabin crew unions of Jat Airways announced they were to protest on Friday August 22 in front of the Jat Airways headquarters in Belgrade. The union was unhappy with the current situation in the airline and wanted a pay rise. It was expected for talks to be held between the airline's management and the unions on Friday. No strike action was announced.

Later today the pilot and cabin crew unions announced there would be no protest as the management of Jat Airways has agreed to increase wages of both pilots and cabin crew. Possible strike diverted!