"Serbia Day" celebrated at Expo Milano 2015 with renowned footballer Dejan Stanković revealed as the third Air Serbia "Living Legend"
22 June 2015
The National Day of the Republic of Serbia was celebrated today at the Expo Milan 2015, and on this auspicious occasion, Air Serbia, the national airline of Serbia, announced the international football icon, Dejan Stanković, as the third Serbian to have an aircraft named in his honour.
The Serbian National Day celebrations were attended by the First Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia, Ivica Dačić, and Mayor of the City of Belgrade, Siniša Mali, who also visited the Etihad Airways-Alitalia joint pavilion, where he, together with Dejan Stanković and Air Serbia CEO Dane Kondić unveiled the footballer's name on a large scale model aircraft brought to Milan.
The actual aircraft, carrying Dejan's name, was unveiled in Belgrade by Air Serbia CEO Dane Kondić and the Minister of Youth and Sports of Serbia, Vanja Udovičić and the video footage of the ceremony was broadcasted live on large video-screens in Milan.
The honour is part of Air Serbia's "Living Legend" program, which aims to pay tribute to Serbians who have excelled in their chosen field and whose accomplishments are inspirational and aligned with the airline's brand and values.
Dane Kondić, Chief Executive Officer of Air Serbia, said: "Dejan Stanković is a well-known footballer and sporting personality not only in Serbia, but in Italy and the rest of Europe as well. His legendary career, in addition to his exemplary leadership in the field of play, makes him the perfect fit with Air Serbia's vision to become the region's leading airline. Dejan Stanković was selected for his incredible sporting achievements including being the most capped player in a national football team, which he continued to captain until 2011. At the age of 19, he was chosen as the captain for the Belgrade-based FC Red Star, the youngest ever in the club's history", Mr. Kondić said.
The aircraft naming being announced in Italy was symbolic, where Dejan Stanković has been playing and coaching for the past few years at world-famous football clubs such as Udinese, Lazio and Inter Milan - where he played between 2004 to 2013, winning a Champions' League Cup, five Serie A national Italian titles, four Italy Cups and Super Cups of Italy (Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana).
Serbian tennis sensation Novak Djoković was the first internationally-recognised personality to be honoured as a "Living Legend" with an Air Serbia aircraft dedicated to him, followed by Vlade Divac, world-known basketball legend and humanitarian ambassador.