Jat gets new CEO

Vladimir Ognjenović, Jat’s new CEO

Vladimir Ognjenović has been named the acting CEO of the Serbian national carrier, ending a 2 week farce. Ogjenović was part of the much despised management team led by Saša Vlaisavljević which served prior to Srdjan Radovanović who was recently fired as the airline’s CEO. That management team also led the airline into a deficient state. Vlaisavljević, who yesterday also stood down as the head of the airline’s management board, said that with Ognjenović’s leadership Jat has a bright future. Vladimir Ognjenović worked as a Jat ground handler since 1995 before attaining a hefty promotion from Saša Vlaisavljević as Jat’s general manager in Denmark. He served as deputy CEO under the leadership of Srdjan Radovanović. Although he is only the “acting” CEO he could stay as the airline’s director for years.

On Tuesday, the Jat Airways workers union “Nezavisnost” stated that with Ognjenović at the helm the airline will only further sink into debt and mismanagement. The Serbian Minister for Infrastructure, Milutin Mrkonjić, said that Serbia must and will have a national carrier. “Jat will either have a strategic partner or a new Serbian national carrier will be created”, Mrkonjić said. “We still haven’t decided which strategy we will use”, the minister stated.

Ognjenović now takes on an airline with an aging fleet and mounting debt but also extremely hostile workers which haven’t forgotten Ognjenović’s part in Vlaisavljević’s mismanagement.

Slovenia’s Adria Airways is facing similar management issues. You can read about it here tomorrow.