Ana

Ana Brnabic: Gay partner of Serbian PM gives birth

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Ana Brnabic has been criticised by LGBT activists for not doing enough to defend gay rights in the country.

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic's gay partner has given birth in what the PM's office said was a first for a world leader.

A statement said the birth mother, Milica Djurdjic, and baby, reportedly a boy named Igor, were "doing fine".

Ms Brnabic, 43, became both Serbia's first female and first gay prime minister in June 2017.

Her appointment was seen as a surprise move for the Balkan nation where same-sex marriage is not recognised.

"Ana Brnabic is one of the first prime ministers whose partner has given birth while in office... and the first in the world in a same-sex couple," the AFP agency quoted her office as saying.

Ms Djurdjic, who works as a doctor, became pregnant though artificial insemination. She and Ms Brnabic met at a gay bar in the capital, Belgrade.

Serbia is socially conservative and homophobia is common.

The country's constitution explicitly defines marriage as being between a man and a woman, and gay civil partnerships are not officially recognised.

Same sex couples are also barred from adopting children, though single people can adopt regardless of their sexual orientation.

The country has several laws in place to tackle discrimination, inequality and hate speech, but activists argue that not enough is being done to expand these rights or enforce them.

Critics have spoken out against Ms Brnabic, arguing that she has not done enough to bolster LGBT rights.

At a Gay Pride parade in Belgrade in 2017, she refused to say if she would like to see same-sex marriage legalised in Serbia.

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ANA launches Vienna service, eyes more European destinations

Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) has launched a new route to Vienna and sees further growth potential for its European network.

“We definitely believe more European destinations will be required in the future. We have some white spots in Europe, but this depends on the available airport slots,” ANA SVP-Europe and GM-London Akira Nakamura told ATW in Vienna.

Nakamura, (pictured) was in Vienna for ANA’s Feb. 17 launch of daily Boeing 787-9 Tokyo Haneda-Vienna services.

“The new route from Haneda to Vienna is looking very promising and I expect it will become profitable within year one,” he said.

Besides a strong point-to-point tourism demand on the route, Nakamura said he expects 60% to 70% of passengers will connect at the Vienna Star Alliance hub to other destinations.

“Since Haneda became an international gateway in 2010, it changed the Japanese aviation landscape,” he said. “In 2012 we began, for example, night flights from Haneda to Frankfurt, creating new travel demand.”

ANA’s joint venture (JV) with Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines and Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) has been an important factor in the carrier’s success in Europe, Nakamura said. The JV between Lufthansa and ANA was launched in early 2012, with Austrian and SWISS joining in 2013.

“European hubs are important long-haul destinations for ANA and we have increased our services to eight daily flights serving seven gateways in Europe,” he said. “On the other hand, to North America we offer 17 daily flights.”

From Haneda, ANA already serves Frankfurt, Munich, Paris and London, and from Tokyo Narita operates to Dusseldorf and Brussels.

“Our Tokyo dual-hub concept, with Haneda and Narita, is important for ANA’s operations. Our JV partner United Airlines maintains a significant number of flights serving Narita,” Nakamura said.

Inset photo: ANA SVP-Europe and GM London Akira Nakamura Courtesy: Vienna Airport

Kurt Hofmann, hofmann.aviation@netway.at