BELGRADE, Serbia-Serbia's state JAT Airways will open its first scheduled service with neighboring Croatia since a war ended commercial flights between the two Balkan states in the early 1990s.

A JAT statement issued Wednesday said that Serbia's flag carrier will start flying from Belgrade to Pula on Croatia's northern Adriatic coast on Thursday. The twice-a-week service will continue throughout the summer tourist season until Aug. 31.

The move will likely herald the opening of new scheduled and charter connections between the two neighbors. All scheduled flights between Serbia and Croatia ceased in 1991 during Croatia's bloody war for independence from Yugoslavia.

Since the war ended in 1995, airlines from both countries have tried to resume the lucrative connections. But although the two nations enjoy close economic ties, bureaucratic and technical obstacles prevented the services from being restored.

JAT said that it will fly to Pula with its French-made ATR-72 turboprop which can carry up to 80 passengers in economy configuration. It said that a return ticket for a 90-minute flight will cost about €140 (US$220).

It said that almost 50 percent of tickets for all the planned flights to Pula have already been reserved.