Some years ago this was not an unknown name to the Indian air passengers. It was a direct
link between India and Poland, but the link broke, the service stopped operating. LOT, the state-owned airline of Poland
stopped its operations to India. Whatever may have been the reasons behind this move whether it was little movement of
traffic or some other economic decision. Polskie Linie Lotnicze LOT better known as LOT Polish Airlines, is the flag
carrier of Poland. Based in Warsaw, LOT was established in 1929, making it one of the world's oldest airlines still in
operation.
But things have changed visibly fast in Poland which has opened its economy to the global market and has been privatizing over 800 state-owned companies since the turn of the tide in the 90s.
The Polish government owns 68 per cent of shares in LOT, the remaining 32 are employees and others. Initial indications were that LOT would be privatized in 2011. In December 1992 the airline became a joint stock company, as a transitional step towards partial privatisation, which was effected in late 1999. However, technical details seems to have delayed the privatization stretching it to next year.
Before the disintegration of the Soviet Union into smaller States, Poland had been using the Russian Ilyushins – Il-14, Il-18, Il-62, Tupolev Tu-134 and the Antonov An-24. Many of these aircraft had outlived their ‘age’. It was a Tu-154M that crashed near Smolensk on 10 April 2010 killing the President of Poland, Lech Kaczynski, his wife and many other high ranking officials. After this accident the Ministry of National Defence of the Republic of Poland leased 2 E-175 aircraft from LOT. However, after the fall of communism in Poland in 1989 the fleet shifted to Western aircraft beginning with 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.
LOT is also using the Brazilian Embraers E-170, E-175 and E-195 in good numbers in addition to the Boeings 737s, 767s and is awaiting 787s to open new routes to Asia.
Tokyo, Beijing and Shanghai could be the next destinations for LOT now. Next could be Bangkok, Singapore, New Delhi. A lot, however, would depend upon the process of privatization.
As far as direct flights to New Delhi are concerned, the economic viability has to be considered by the airline keeping in view the sparse movement between India and Poland. About 20,000 Indians fly to Poland each year and only 10000 Poles fly to India in a year.
But things have changed visibly fast in Poland which has opened its economy to the global market and has been privatizing over 800 state-owned companies since the turn of the tide in the 90s.
The Polish government owns 68 per cent of shares in LOT, the remaining 32 are employees and others. Initial indications were that LOT would be privatized in 2011. In December 1992 the airline became a joint stock company, as a transitional step towards partial privatisation, which was effected in late 1999. However, technical details seems to have delayed the privatization stretching it to next year.
Before the disintegration of the Soviet Union into smaller States, Poland had been using the Russian Ilyushins – Il-14, Il-18, Il-62, Tupolev Tu-134 and the Antonov An-24. Many of these aircraft had outlived their ‘age’. It was a Tu-154M that crashed near Smolensk on 10 April 2010 killing the President of Poland, Lech Kaczynski, his wife and many other high ranking officials. After this accident the Ministry of National Defence of the Republic of Poland leased 2 E-175 aircraft from LOT. However, after the fall of communism in Poland in 1989 the fleet shifted to Western aircraft beginning with 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.
LOT is also using the Brazilian Embraers E-170, E-175 and E-195 in good numbers in addition to the Boeings 737s, 767s and is awaiting 787s to open new routes to Asia.
Tokyo, Beijing and Shanghai could be the next destinations for LOT now. Next could be Bangkok, Singapore, New Delhi. A lot, however, would depend upon the process of privatization.
As far as direct flights to New Delhi are concerned, the economic viability has to be considered by the airline keeping in view the sparse movement between India and Poland. About 20,000 Indians fly to Poland each year and only 10000 Poles fly to India in a year.
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