Etihad group opens Shared Services centre in Belgrade

Belgrade / Emirates Business

EAP Shared Services, part of Etihad Aviation Group, opened a new global Shared Services centre, in Belgrade.
The EAP Shared Services centre was officially opened on Monday by Aleksandar Vucic, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia; James Hogan, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Aviation Group, and Sinisa Mali, Mayor of Belgrade.
The new facility, located near Serbia’s capital city centre will perform contact centre and loyalty operations in Europe for Etihad Airways, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles and Etihad Regional, expanding in time to include Alitalia and Air Berlin, as
well as their respective loyalty
programmes.
Initially over 200 Serbian nationals will be employed at the centre, which is planned to increase to approximately 685 people by 2020. The workforce is set to handle more than 4.4 million calls by 2020.
Speaking to guests and media at the opening, Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, said: “The EAP Shared Services Centre is another example of successful foreign investment in Serbia. The fact that this centre is being established right here in Belgrade demonstrates the confidence that renowned international companies such as Etihad have in our country and workforce. The EAP Shared Services team is multi-lingual and trained to provide world-class
customer service which is a true
reflection of the modern Serbia.”
James Hogan, said: “We are delighted to open this latest EAP Shared Services centre which brings many EAP airlines, and their loyalty programs, under one roof. This Centre of Excellence will provide a wealth of efficiencies for each airline and allow them to compete effectively in an increasingly
complex and competitive global marketplace.”
The EAP Shared Services centre is located in the Airport City business park in New Belgrade and adds to the global portfolio of service centres operated by partner airlines. Today, Etihad Airways operates three contact centres in the
emirate of Abu Dhabi, and one in Manchester.
Initially, the workforce will manage reservation and ticketing services, including sales, itinerary changes and special service requests. In regards to loyalty operations, EAP Shared Services staff will be able to provide programme information, account servicing, as well as miles management.
From its Abu Dhabi base, Etihad Airways flies to, or has announced plans to serve, more than 110 passenger and cargo destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas.
The airline has a fleet of over 120 Airbus and Boeing aircraft,
with 204 aircraft on firm order, including 71 Boeing 787s, 25 Boeing 777Xs, 62 Airbus A350s and 10
Airbus A380s