LOT Polish Airlines
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| Founded | 1 January 1929 | |||
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| Hubs | Warsaw Frédéric Chopin Airport | |||
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| Frequent-flyer program | Miles & More | |||
| Member lounge | Executive Lounge | |||
| Alliance | Star Alliance | |||
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| Fleet size | 55 (+14 orders) | |||
| Destinations | 58 | |||
| Company slogan | You're flying in good hands[2] | |||
| Parent company | State Treasury of Poland | |||
| Headquarters | Warsaw, Poland[3] | |||
| Key people |
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| Website | www.lot.com | |||
Polskie Linie Lotnicze LOT S.A. trading as LOT Polish Airlines, is the flag carrier of Poland, based in Warsaw. LOT was established in 1929, making it currently one of the world's oldest airlines still in operation. Using a fleet of 55 aircraft LOT operates a complex network to over 50 destinations in Europe, the Middle East and North America, with recent renewal of services to Asia. Most of the destinations are served from its hub, Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport. After Poland's abolition of communism, LOT began retiring their old Soviet aircraft, and began renewal of their fleet to Western aircraft. With the arrival of the Boeing 767-200/300ER, LOT began serving trans-continental destinations to Chicago, Newark, and New York, instead of the Tupolev Tu-154M and the Ilyushin Il-62M. Still to today, these three main routes have been one of the most popular flights that LOT operates, especially during the summer season when many Polish citizens seek to come back to their homeland for vacation. The airline has a large short-haul service, with recently added destinations like Kalingrad, Tibilisi and Hanoi, operating 20 E-Jet 170/175, and a recent order conversion to the E-195, will enable LOT to serve more destinations or more widely their current.
LOT is currently mostly owned by the Polish Government (67.97%) Finansowe Silesia sp. z o.o. (25.1%) and employees (6.93%).
Contents |
History
The airline was established on 1 January 1929 by the Polish government as a state owned self governing corporation taking over existing domestic lines Aero and Aerolot, and started operations on 2 January.[4] The first aircraft used were Junkers F.13 and Fokker F.VII. Its first international service began on 2 August 1929 to Vienna.[4] Accepted into IATA in 1930, it opened an international route to Bucharest that year, followed by Berlin, Athens, Beirut, Helsinki, Rome and some others. Douglas DC-2, Lockheed Model 10A Electra and Model 14H Super Electra joined the fleet in 1935, 1936 and 1938 respectively (at its peak, LOT had 10 Lockheed 10, 10 Lockheed 14, 3 DC-2 and 1 Ju 52/3mge). It carried 218,000 passengers by the war.[4]
Services were suspended during the Second World War, and all of LOT's aircraft were either destroyed or detained. From August 1944 until December 1945 the Polish Air Force maintained basic transport in the country. On 10 March 1945 the Polish government recreated the LOT airline. In 1946, seven years after the service was suspended, the airline restarted its operations after receiving 10 Lisunov Li-2, then further 30 Li-2 and 9 Douglas C-47. Both domestic and international services restarted that year, first to Berlin, Paris, Stockholm and Prague.[5]
Five Sud-Est Languedoc joined the fleet in July 1947, followed by five Ilyushin Il-12B in April 1949 and 13-20 Ilyushin Il-14s in 1955-1957[5]. After the stalinist period in Poland, few Western aircraft were acquired: five Convair 240 in October 1957 and 1959 and three Vickers Viscount in November 1962[6]. Then the composition of the fleet shifted to Soviet aircraft only again.
The Ilyushin Il-18 (9 aircraft) was introduced in May 1961, leading to the establishment of routes to Africa and Middle East. The Antonov An-24 was delivered from April 1966 (20 used, on domestic routes), followed by the first jet airliners Tupolev Tu-134 in November 1968 (12 used) and the Ilyushin Il-62 long range jet airliner in May 1972. The introduction of Il-62 aircraft enabled transatlantic services to Montreal and New York. Polish pilots would frequently go to Anchorage, Rio de Janeiro, and Vancouver to exchange fishing crews. Interestingly, these fishing fleets helped the aircrew a great deal. There were no regular flights to Anchorage, Rio de Janeiro, and Vancouver so ship crew exchange charter flights were a great adventure for pilots. In Autumn, 1981 air transportation collapses some Western airlines suspend their connections with Warsaw. On 13 December, all LOT Polish Airlines connections are suspended. In 1984 charter flights to New York and Chicago are resumed, then regular flights are resumed.Tupolev Tu-154 mid-range airliners were acquired in the 1980s. From the mid-1980s to the early-1990s transatlantic charter flights reach Detroit and Los Angeles.
The current livery, with the large inscription LOT in blue on the fuselage front, and a blue tailfin, was introduced in 1977,[6] but the circular representation of a stylized crane in flight remains unchanged over the years (with occasional flips, notably in corporate typography), designed by Tadeusz Gronowski, a visual artist from Warsaw, who won the competition for creating the airline's logo in 1929,[7] introduced 2 years later by the airline and kept through the years, despite many changes in livery[8]
After the fall of the communist system in Poland in 1989 the fleet shifted back to Western aircraft, beginning with acquisitions of the Boeing 767-200 in April 1989, followed by the Boeing 767-300 in March 1990, ATR 72 in August 1991, Boeing 737-500 in December 1992 and Boeing 737-400 in April 1993. From the mid-1980s to early-1990s LOT flew from Warsaw to Chicago, Edmonton, Montreal, Newark, New York and Toronto. In December 1992 the airline became a joint stock company, as a transitional step towards partial privatisation, which was effected in late 1999, with the SAirGroup acquiring a 37.6% stake. The Polish government has retained a controlling 51% holding. LOT created low cost arm Centralwings in 2004.[9]
On 26 October 2003, it became the fourteenth member of the Star Alliance. The airline has signed a codesharing agreement with Star Alliance partner Singapore Airlines.
In Summer season 2010 with brand new Embraers, LOT has started new services to Yerevan, Armenia, Beirut, Lebanon and resumed Tallinn, Estonia, Kaliningrad, Russia, Gothenburg, Sweden and Bratislava, Slovakia. The airline also considers adding some Asian destinations, in it awaited long-haul flights to Hanoi in Vietnam and some more Caucasus flights to Baku, Azerbaijian, Tbilisi, Georgia and Cairo in Africa as well as Damascus in Syria. All to be announced in 2010 and eventual startup in the fall the same year. In perspective LOT is planning Delhi, Dubai and Bangkok.
On 31 May 2010, CEO of LOT Sebastian Mikosz stated that the airline will be replacing it's fleet to meet a goal of one-third new by 2011. Replacement already started with E-Jets 175/170. Mikosz also said that negotiations with three leasing companies began with a desicion placed at the end of this or the beginning of next year. LOT wants to get rid of the 20 year old 737's classics and ATR's. Higly possible replacement aircraft for both types of the 737's is 737NG or mix of A319's and A320's. For domestic operations LOT seeks to purchase Dash 8-Q400 or ATR72-600. Boeing 787 Dreamliners should arrive at the end of 2011.[10]
LOT Polish Airlines from 18 October 2010 resumes service to Asia, with 3 weekly awaited Warsaw – Hanoi service, later that year in September brand new Tbilisi service also inaugurate as well as Damascus and Cairo in October. Such an expansion means that LOT offers more wide selection of routes to the Middle East along with Beirut, Yerevan and Tel-Aviv. The Vietnam route to Hanoi is expected to be more successful than Beijing which lasted just a month in 2008, prior to the Olympics. The route is about to be a first sign of long haul expansion of Poland's national carrier. More to come with Boeing 787's.
Corporation affairs
Subsidiaries
- EuroLOT, a wholly-owned subsidiary airline, founded on 1 July 1997
- In 2004, a wholly-owned subsidiary no-frills airline named Centralwings was launched. Centralwings ceased operations in April 2009.
Charter flights
LOT Polish Airlines is to launch charter operations under the name of LOT Charters. The announcement of the launch of LOT Charters has been positively received by tour operators. The first aircraft in LOT Charters livery took off on 1 June 2009. LOT Polish Airlines expects 400,000 passengers on chartered long- and short-haul flights this year, which would allow the company to reach a 25 percent market share and establish a leading position among charter carriers operating on the Polish market. Over the past 10 years, the market of charter flights in Poland has been showing a steady growth rate of 9 - 11 percent. Most LOT Charters flights will be operated using six Boeing 737-400 aircraft. For the first time, LOT charter flights will also be flown by a Boeing 767 which will allow direct long-haul operations. The possibility of taking passengers, especially in the winter season, to distant and exotic destinations, e.g. Thailand, Mexico or the Caribbean, makes the service offered by LOT Charters particularly attractive. LOT Charters has already established partnerships with several major tour operators such as Neckermann, TUI, Rainbow Tours, Orbis Travel, and Triada.
Destinations
LOT Polish Airlines has codeshare agreements with the following airlines (as of January 2010):
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Fleet
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Current
The LOT Polish Airlines Fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of July 2010):[11]
| Aircraft | In Fleet | Orders | Options | Passengers (Business/Economy) |
Notes |
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| ATR 42-500 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 46 (-/46) | Part of the EuroLOT fleet Exit from service: 2010 |
| ATR 72-202 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 64 (-/64) | Part of the EuroLOT fleet |
| Boeing 737-400 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 147 (48/99) 162 (charter) |
4 operated by LOT Charters |
| Boeing 737-500 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 108 (36/72) | To be retired 1 in Star Alliance livery |
| Boeing 767-300ER | 6 | 0 | 0 | 243 (18/225) | 1 in Star Alliance livery |
| Boeing 787-8 | 0 | 8 | 6 | ??? (??/???) | Entry into service: 3 in Fall 2011 European launch customer |
| Embraer ERJ 145 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 48 (-/48) | Exit from service: 5 in 2011 |
| Embraer E-195 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ??? (??/???) | Entry into service: 2011 |
| Embraer E-170 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 70 (-/70) | Launch customer 1 in Star Alliance livery |
| Embraer E-175 | 10 | 2 | 12 | 82 (-/82) | |
| Total | 55 | 14 | 18 | Information from LOT[11] |
- On 7 September 2005 the airline ordered seven (with two options and five purchase rights) Boeing 787-8s for its long haul operations for delivery in 2011 (originally for 2008).[12]
- On 19 February 2007 the airline converted one option to make a total of eight Boeing 787-8s on order.[13]
- On 4 May 2010, LOT converted 4 Embraer 175 orders, to 4 Embraer 195 orders. These aircraft are due to start being delivered in 2011.
- On 8 June 2010 Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej leased 2 E-175 aircraft from LOT to be used to transport the highest officials of Poland, after the Polish Tu-154M crashed near Smolensk on 10 April 2010 killing the former President of Poland, Lech Kaczynski, his wife, and many other high ranking officials. The lease is to end in 2013, while there is a option for the Government to shorten the lease or extended it. One of the aircraft already had its maiden flight under the colors of the Polish Government, carring the Polish Prime Minister, Donald Tusk to Brussels from Warsaw.
Previously operated
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A LOT Tupolev Tu-134; now retired
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Incidents and accidents
- 19 December 1962 — Vickers Viscount 804, on a scheduled flight LO 248 from Brussels to Warsaw with a stop in Berlin crashed at the threshold of runway 33 at Warsaw while making a second approach using instrument landing at night in fog and in winter conditions. There were 33 fatalities (all on board).[14]
- On 20 August 1965 - Vickers Viscount SP-LVA of crashed at Jeuk, Belgium after entering a thundercell. All four people on board were killed.[15]
- 2 April 1969 — Antonov An-24W, flight LO 165, crashed in the Polish mountains in Zawoja, off course, on a scheduled domestic flight from Warsaw to Kraków-Balice. There were 53 fatalities (all on board).[16]
- 17 May 1977 — Antonov An-12, SP-LZA, a cargo plane leased by LOT Polish airlines from the Polish Air Force along with its crew, flying with a cargo of fresh strawberries crashed in Lebanon, 8 kilometers from Beirut airport, all onboard were killed.
- 30 August 1978- Tupolev Tu-134, flight LO 165 was hijacked by East German citizens and forced to land at Tempelhof Central Airport.
- 14 March 1980 — Ilyushin Il-62, flight LO 007, crashed near Warsaw airport after starting an overshoot due to a landing gear problem. When takeoff thrust was applied, the no.2 engine failed, severing the control cables for the elevator and rudder. There were 87 fatalities with polish singer Anna Jantar(all on board).[17]
- 9 May 1987 — Ilyushin Il-62M, flight LO 5055. Shortly after departure from Warsaw, the aircraft's no.1 engine suffered an uncontained engine failure. Parts of the engine penetrated the fuselage and damaged the elevator control systems, causing a loss of elevator authority and eventually a loss of control of the aircraft. There were 183 fatalities (all on board), making this Poland's worst air disaster.[18]
- 2 November 1988 - Antonov An-24W, flight LO 703, had to make emergency landing on a field 32 km from Rzeszow after both engines failed. One passenger died and the rest were seriously injured.[19]
See also
- Centralwings
- Transportation in Poland
- Wizz Air
- Tadeusz Gronowski (Creator of the LOT logo, winner of a 1929 competition for the airline's logo) (Polish)
References
- ↑ ICAO 8585 Edition 144 p. 1-63
- ↑ "History 2000-2009". LOT Polish Airlines. http://www.lot.com/web/lot/history. Retrieved 9 July 2010.
- ↑ "Airline Membership". IATA. http://www.iata.org/membership/Pages/airline_members_list.aspx?All=true.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Adam Jońca, Samoloty linii lotniczych 1931-1939, WKiŁ, Warsaw 1985, ISBN 83-206-0504-0
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Adam Jońca, Samoloty linii lotniczych 1945-1956, WKiŁ, Warsaw 1985, ISBN 83-206-0529-0
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Adam Jońca, Samoloty linii lotniczych 1957-1981, WKiŁ, Warsaw 1986, ISBN 83-206-0530-X
- ↑ History, LOT.com. Link accessed 28 May 2008.
- ↑ "History of LOT’s logo", LOT.com. Link accessed 28 May 2008.
- ↑ Flight International 5–11 April 2005
- ↑ "Dreamlinery to oczywista oczywistość..." (in Polish). Pasazer.com. http://pasazer.com/in-5123-lot,czas,na,konkrety,w,kwestii,floty.php. Retrieved 10 July 2010.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Fleet". LOT Polish Airlines. http://www.lot.com/web/lot/fleet. Retrieved 9 July 2010.
- ↑ Boeing Press Release (September 2005)
- ↑ Boeing Press Release (February 2007)
- ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, crash of aircraft registration: SP-LVB". Aviation Safety Network. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19621219-0.
- ↑ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19650820-2. Retrieved 7 October 2009.
- ↑ "Aviation Sefety Network, crash of aircraft registration: SP-LTF". http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19690402-1.
- ↑ "Aviation Sefety Network, crash of aircraft registration: SP-LAA". http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19800314-1&lang=en.
- ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, crash of aircraft registration: SP-LBG". http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19870509-0&lang=en.
- ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, crash of aircraft registration: SP-LTD". http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19881102-0&lang=en.
External links
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