LOT Polish Airlines plans to open new long-distance connections, waits for the visa waiver to the USA, talks with Airbus about diversifying its fleet and draws attention to market difficulties. Rafał Milczarski, the company’s president, talked about all these issues at the Air Market Congress.
New connections
– Long distance connections are an essential element in creating a network of airline connections. We will develop them and do it in a sustainable way. We want transatlantic connections to 'weigh’ as much as Asian, or in the longer term – African. When CPK (Central Communication Port – ed.) is built, we will have connections to every continent – said PLL LOT president Rafał Milczarski.
The visa waiver
– LOT Polish Airlines has engaged in the action to lift visas to the US, there are many indications that we will meet the criterion of descent below 3 percent refusals. The US Ambassador Georgette Mosbacher plays a big role here, I hope this is the last year we go to the USA with compulsory visas. Then we will announce very interesting connections with the USA – said Milczarski.
Conversations with Airbus
– We talked to Airbus, who could sell us planes, but we made the decision based on economic arguments. We are now running a fleet project comparing Dreamliners from Boeing with their Airbus counterparts. We will negotiate calmly and quietly. We will need about 50 planes, we urge Airbus to take LOT Polish Airlines seriously as its potential client – said the CEO of PL LOT. When asked about compensation from Boeing for withdrawing his aircraft from service, Milczarski confirmed that the case was pending, but noted that after security tests that are currently taking place, Boeing 737 MAX will probably be the safest passenger aircraft on the market.