Siberia opens airspace for LOT airlines
PR dla Zagranicy
John Beauchamp
16.11.2011 12:00
Poland’s national carrier, LOT Polish Airlines has been given the go-ahead by Russian authorities to fly over Siberia, with more Asian destinations planned for 2012 as a result.
LOT 787 Dreamliner; photo - LOT
The announcement came as Marcin Pirog, the Chariman of LOT told Polish Radio, Wednesday morning, that the airline’s losses for 2011 will be less by some 300 million zloty (68 million euro), “not taking into account the price of oil and currency exchange rates.”
Pirog stated the airline plans to make a profit in 2012, hinting that privatisation would be a good move for the company.
“[This] would allow for certain changes quickly and efficiently,” Pirog said, adding that “it will be easier to gain access to capital.”
Meanwhile, the opening up of Siberian airspace has meant that LOT is planning to open routes when the airline takes delivery of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliners next year.
Apart from opening a route to Beijing in first half of 2012, “we are thinking about Tokyo, Shanghai, Seoul, and Delhi,” LOT’s Marcin Pirog said.
LOT is expecting to exchange its fleet of 767s – one of which had an emergency landing in Warsaw on 1 November – with eight 787s by 2015. (jb)