Abu Dhabi-owned ABC signs deal with in Air Serbia

ABU DHABI: The Airport Belgrade Catering, ABC, company, which was fully acquired by Emirati-owned Cirta Group, a group of companies supported by government entity Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development, KFED, has secured the biggest deal with the country’s flag carrier Air Serbia.

Under the terms of the agreement, ABC will provide the Serbian airline company, in which Etihad Airways has 49 per cent ownership stake, with catering services and logistics solutions for eight years. The deal is renewable for a total period of 15 years.

The agreement was signed by Abdulla Al Shammari, Chairman of the Cirta Group, and Duncan Naysmith, Chief Executive Officer of Air Serbia. Present during the signing were Ibrahim Al Darmaki, the UAE Embassy representative, who attended the event on behalf of UAE Ambassador to Serbia, Mubarak Saeed Ahmed Barasheed Al Dhaheri, and staff members from both parties.

Mouza Al Nasri, Acting Chief Executive Officer, KFED, said, “We are proud of the successive achievements of the KFED-supported projects and the historic accomplishment of Cirta Group and its subsidiary, ABC. We reiterate our continued commitment to providing the group and other Emirati-led projects with the necessary support in recognition of their critical role in the socioeconomic development of Abu Dhabi and the UAE.”

Abdulla Al Shammari, Chairman, Cirta Group, revealed that the agreement covers the provision of in-flight catering and sale services, duty-free products, and various logistics solutions to more than 20,000 flights operated by Air Serbia.

ABC will deliver four basic services, which are the provision of in-flight meals and catering services, on-board sales, duty-free products, and several other logistics solutions. The agreement underwent rigorous processes to ensure that it met the industry requirements and complied with the existing regulations in the domestic airport and aviation sectors.

Established in 2006 in Abu Dhabi, Cirta Group is the one the prominent Emirati-owned companies in the fields of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) services and facility management (FM).

ABC, on the other hand, is the largest independent provider of airline catering services in Serbia. It is located in Belgrade’s airport zone, only a few steps away from the international gates. The company has a huge production capacity of up to 10,000 full meals per day. Apart from Air Serbia, it has also entered a deal with Etihad Airways.