TK e LOT estendono la propria collaborazione

[kenyaprince]

LOT Polish Airlines (LO, Warsaw Chopin) has signed a letter of understanding with Turkish Airlines(TK, Istanbul Atatürk) in which the two carriers have pledged to enhance cooperation in the Polish, Turkish and beyond markets. Though the final model of cooperation has yet to be decided, both airlines have said they aim to enter into a joint venture initiative.

Turkish Airlines and LOT have been codesharing on each other’s Istanbul Atatürk-Warsaw Chopinflights since October 2000. In 2014, the scope of the codeshare agreement was extended to include Turkish Airlines flights from Istanbul to Amman Queen Alia, Cairo Int'l, and Ankara Esenboga and LOT's flights from Warsaw to Vienna and Kraków.

As part of their enhanced cooperation, the airlines will now codeshare on each other’s flights from Istanbul and Warsaw to domestic destinations in Turkey and Poland, as well as to points in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

“This strategic partnership will enable both carriers to enhance their presence in their respective markets while enhancing efficiency on existing routes," Temel Kotil, CEO of Turkish Airlines, said. "Considering that LOT and Turkish are members of the same airline alliance, one can say the strategic partnership will also benefit Star Alliance."

ch-aviation

 

[kenyaprince]

LOT Polish Airlines CEO Sebastian Mikosz has resigned after the Polish government again delayed the flag carrier’sprivatization process. Several local media outlets have reported the privatization delay is due to upcoming elections.
“Yes, I will [leave the company]. No privatization, so I go,” Mikosz told ATW on Tuesday. Mikosz is expected to leave LOT by mid-September.
Mikosz, who had resigned as CEO in September 2010, was reappointed to the position in February 2013. Mikosz had been the carrier’s 13th CEO and had been widely credited with turning around the company under his current leadership.
The Star Alliance member is 99.9% owned by the Polish treasury, which stated that due to Poland’s political situation, it was suspending its decision to sign a letter of intent to sell LOT’s shares, Rzeczpospolita reported.
Mikosz's resignation comes at a time when LOT is beginning to show signs of recovery and has an ambitious growth plan starting from next year.
LOT was raising the prospect of an initial public offering (IPO) following the carrier’s reported first profit for seven years in 2014.
“As long as LOT [is not] controlled by a new owner, the privatization could not happen because nobody wants to buy 49% in LOT when the rest of the company remains in the hands of the government, Mikosz told ATW in May.
LOT plans to grow ASKs at least 30% starting in 2016, when a European Union ban is lifted prohibiting the carrier from growing capacity or adding routes until it completes restructuring.
Within the next five years, the Star Alliance member plans to double in size, transporting 10 million passengers annually and wants to become the leading carrier in the region, which it calls the “New Europe.”
By 2020, LOT is targeting up to 80 destinations (up from more than 49); revenues should rise to PLN9 billion ($2.42 billion) from less than PLN3.5 billion. The fleet should growfrom around 40 aircraft close to 80 aircraft, including up to 18 long-haul aircraft.

atwonline