Jat Flights Cancelled
IRRESPONSIBLE ACTION BY JAT TEHNIKA
As a result of a strike by employees of Jat Tehnika, a fully independent enterprise for a number of years already, Jat Airways company flights to Monastir, Sarajevo, Skoplje, Thessaloniki, Larnaca and Abu Dhabi planned for tonight have been cancelled. Tomorrow's flight timetable will also depend on the situation regarding the strike of the Jat Tehnika enterprise. Jat Airways apologizes to passengers for the problems they are experiencing as a result of the strike. Those responsible at Jat Tehnika will have to suffer the consequences for their actions and for inflicting irreparable damage to thousands of passengers, but also to Jat Airways.
Under standard procedure of international air companies, because of the Jat Tehnika strike and the ensuing flight cancellations Jat Airways will enable transfer of passengers to next Jat flights, or, if this is not possible, passengers will choose whether to fly with another air company with which Jat Airways has an existing agreement or agree to be refunded. Passengers that have already checked in, that is handed over their luggage, and whose in transit, will be ensured hotel accommodation. This is above that which Jat Airways is obliged to do. As for local passengers and those passengers who have not checked in, Jat is unfortunately not in a position to cover the cost of their hotel accommodation, meals and transportation between airport and hotel.
The irresponsible action of Jat Tehnika will not endanger the implementation of the Jat consolidation plan that the national air carrier recently submitted to the Serbian Government that envisages the 16-aircraft fleet in the course of next year to carry at least one and half million passengers and record positive business results as well as establish its own line aircraft technical maintenance that would preclude repetition of cases such as the current one. Regardless of the damage suffered by the passengers and the company, Jat Airways will allow this event neither to impair the national air carrier's reputation nor jeopardize the realization of the plan to restore it to the position of regional leader in air traffic. Jat Airways finds totally unacceptable Jat Tehnika's longstanding and persistent blackmailing attitude towards Jat and the state, and in particular its highly irresponsible decision to strike. Jat Tehnika, responsible for flight cancellations, is an enterprise at the time hastily separated from Jat with a politically motivated decision. It has several thousand employees and for the most part serves only Jat Airways aircraft, as 90 percent of its activities are done with Jat. It is clear that an enterprise organized in so unsound a manner is bound to face much greater difficulties than a mere one month's late payment, which is given as the reason for the strike.
Jat Airways will continue to inform passengers about all developments surrounding the flights. |
