Poland to Strength Regional Aviation Sector by Establishing Polish Aviation Group
Latvian and South Korean Foreign Ministers sign an Air Traffic Agreement
2019 ON SALE! Tickets for Dreamed Travels with LOT Available now
From Krakow to Tel aviv. LOT to connect another Polish cities with Israel
New Boeing 787-9 and 737 MAX Painted in the National Colors Arrived in Warsaw
LOT anounces its new flight from Hungary
LOT’S New Connection to London city
Boeing 787-9 Painted in the National Colours of Poland to arrive in warsaw in june
Orolia Awarded $34 Million Contract to Deliver Personnel Recovery Devices to the US Army
Airbus C295 MPA for Korea Press Conference
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LOT took off to SINGAPORE "VISIT THE LION CITY"
LOT’s Dreamliner took off on its first scheduled flight from Warsaw to Singapore. From now on the Polish airlines will operate that route regularly initially three and then four times a week. Singapore is LOT’s fifth destination in Asia and the fourth long-haul connection launched in 2018. LOT’s Dreamliners will operate direct flights between Singapore and Warsaw three times a week until the end of June and four times a week afterwards – from July until the end of summer. LOT will be the first airlines in the Central and Eastern Europe to connect such a large number of European cities with Singapore. The route will operate with the following schedule: LO 67 WAW-SIN Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays 23:00-17:15 LO 68 SIN-WAW Mondays, Thursdays, Saturdays 00:05-06:15 Between July and the end of October 2018: LO 67 WAW-SIN Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays 23:00-17:15 LO 68 SIN-WAW Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays 00:05-06:15 “Our flights connect the two hubs directly: the one in Warsaw which is the major transportation hub for passengers travelling from the Central Europe, and that in Singapore being a major transit airport in the south-eastern Asia. In that way we have released tourist and business potential on that route,” said Rafał Milczarski, LOT’s CEO. Singapore is one of the most dynamically growing economies of the region and is also among the richest countries in the world per capita (its GDP (PPP) per year exceeds USD 90.500). That Asian tiger ranks fifth as regards Asian investments (among the ASEAN countries) in Poland and sixth in the entire European Union. Changi Airport Group’s (CAG) Chief Executive Officer Mr Lee Seow Hiang said, “We are delighted to welcome LOT’s new service which now connects us to Poland. This marks Singapore’s first non-stop link to Central and Eastern Europe, and will provide passengers with greater convenience and travel options. It also presents growth opportunities for leisure and business travel in both regions. Changi Airport Group has been actively strengthening Singapore’s connectivity to Europe, with four new city links (Athens, Dusseldorf, Stockholm, Warsaw) added to Changi’s network over the past 18 months.” “The flight from Singapore to Warsaw during which LOT’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner travels the distance of 9,500 km, lasts approx. 12 hours. I hope that also business passengers will be interested in travelling with us on that route and will appreciate the comfort and top-quality business and premium economy product on board of our Dreamliners,” adds LOT’s CEO. The Lion City is not only Asian business center, but it is also a gateway to flights to other regional destinations in Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia and Australia. The Polish carrier established co-operation with airlines operating flights from these countries to Singapore. From now on, under one LOT booking reservation, connections from Singapore will be operated by JetStar Group carriers, e.g. Singapore Airlines (a code-share agreement), and Qantas and Air New Zealand (an interline agreement). With just one ticket, LOT passengers will be able to travel via Singapore to many cities in places such as Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Myanmar, the Philippines as well as Australia and New Zealand (at very attractive prices).This year LOT has opened its own ticket office in Australia. “Nearly 3 million passengers travel between Europe and Singapore each year. The country is a gateway to other destinations in Asia, Australia and Oceania. Even if LOT does not operate those flights on its own, our passengers from Poland and Europe can benefit from connecting flights thanks to agreements entered into with other airlines. The launch of LOT’s new connection is an excellent chance for the passengers travelling from Europe to visit Singapore and become familiar with numerous advantages of that country,” said Rafał Milczarski. Among the greatest advantages of the new connection to Singapore is the shortest travel time not only from Poland, but also from other countries in the region. The new flight is also a convenient travel option for passengers from the South-Eastern Asia who want to travel to Europe. Thanks to a well-thought out schedule and convenient connecting flights from the Warsaw Chopin Airport, LOT ensures the passengers travelling from Asia flights to all destinations as part of its extensive network of connections, e.g. to Kiev, Budapest, Riga, Vilnius, Tallinn, Prague, Munich, Frankfurt, Brussels, London, Amsterdam, Paris and Barcelona with a maximum connecting time of less than an hour. The flights on the new route will be operated exclusively by Boeing 787 Dreamliners, the world’s state-of-the-art wide-body aircraft. Passengers travelling by the Dreamliners can choose from three travel classes: LOT Business Class with lie-flat seats and premium restaurant cuisine; LOT Premium Economy Class with larger, individual space and footrests, comfortable thigh support, cocktail tables and extensive menu as well as LOT Economy Class with modern seats and individual on-board entertainment screens as well as USB ports, and also fresh and varied meals served during the flight. Products featuring regional elements will be also available on board, such as the Singapore-style menu. The launch of the connection from Warsaw to Singapore is part of the profitable growth strategy which LOT has been implementing since the early 2016. Since then LOT has announced the launch of 58 flights, including from Warsaw to Los Angeles, Newark, Tokyo, Seoul and Astana, and from Kraków to Chicago. This year it has launched flights, among others, from Budapest to JFK and Chicago, and from Rzeszów to Newark.
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LOT Launched Air Service between Budapest and New York. On May 5 It will start Flights to Chicago
LOT Polish Airlines introduced the first non-stop long-haul connection between Budapest in Hungary and the USA. On May 5 it is launching the next one. The Polish air carrier is responding to the enormous demand for non-stop flights between Hungary and New York/Chicago, two important metropolis in North America From today flights to New York will be served by the latest B787 Dreamliners four times a week: on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays aircraft will depart from Budapest at 11:55. The non-stop flight will take only 9 hours and 45 minutes. Flights to Chicago will be operated twice a week: on Tuesdays and Saturdays with the total travel time of 10 hours 15 minutes. The last time Hungary had a non-stop connection with the United States was in 2011. Since then after the national carrier Malev went bankrupt, the number of passengers travelling from Budapest to the USA - despite the lack of non-stop flights - has continued to grow, creating a large, but so far untapped market. Currently over 170 thousand passengers travel on this route annually. “Our decision to launch non-stop flights shows how much we believe in Hungary as one of the key markets in Central and Eastern Europe for LOT. We aim to win the hearts of passengers from Hungary and the surrounding countries with the best product on the market, which the non-stop flights definitely are. For LOT it is also a completely new chapter in its history. For the first time in its 90-year history LOT is launching a connection to North America from outside Poland” says Rafał Milczarski, LOT’S CEO. „I am very proud that with joint efforts with our Polish friends we have reached this milestone in the history of Budapest Airport. Let me also use this opportunity to thank Hungarian and Polish political leaders and diplomats who helped to create the framework for the operation of these new LOT-flights from Budapest and thus contributed to the creation of new jobs in the aviation sector in Hungary” remarked Jost Lammers, CEO of Budapest Airport. He added: „LOT Polish airlines would offer extra comfort and a unique travel experience to the passengers on board Boeing 787 Dreamliner traveling both to New York and Chicago. These flights are sure to become great success among tens of thousands of business travelers, tourist and people visiting their relatives and friends overseas.” LOT employed Hungarian crews to serve the non-stop connection between Budapest and New York/Chicago. Initially, flights will be operated with mixed, Polish-Hungarian personnel onboard. However the connection will be ultimately operated solely by Hungarian crews. Launching non-stop flights between Budapest and New York/Chicago means that one of LOT’s Dreamliners will have its permanent base in Budapest. Also a service base of LOT AMS, a company of Polska Grupa Lotnicza PGL Holding built around LOT, will be open there. "We want passengers from Hungary to believe that LOT may fullfil the gap in lack for the national carrier. As the only legacy carrier in Europe we focused on non-stop, long haul connections starting from Budapest. Currently local passengers are forced to transfer mainly in Frankfurt, Paris, Amsterdam and London on their way to New York and Chicago, which makes their journey considerably longer. We believe the residents of Budapest and the surrounding area deserve a much better product dedicated to their needs" adds Rafał Milczarski. According to detailed analyses performed by LOT, non-stop flights from Budapest will be used not only by residents of the Hungarian capital, but also of other Hungarian cities, eastern Austria, Slovakia, western Romania, and Balkan countries. More than 8 million people live within a distance of just two hours’ drive from the Budapest airport and the new connections are for them. “Many people, who come from this part of Europe, live in New York and Chicago. Economic relations are also developing. The new non-stop connections will certainly provide an additional stimulus for an increase in the volume of passengers and cargo operations” says LOT’S CEO. “Importantly the transatlantic connections from Budapest will supplement the offer of flights from Warsaw, rather than be a direct competition” he adds. The new LOT flights are not only important for passenger traffic but also for their approx. 12 tons/flight belly cargo capacity – both ways. Flights between Budapest and New York/Chicago will be operated exclusively with Boeing 787 Dreamliners, which are the most technologically-advanced aricraft in the world. LOT offers a truly Hungarian experience onbard – with an access to the entertainment system in the Hungarian language, traditional cuisine across all cabin classes as well as the local press and the selection of original wines for LOT Premium Economy and Business class. After the connections between Hungary and the USA are launched, LOT will operate a total of 9 connections to North America, including 8 to the USA: from Warsaw to New York JFK, Newark, Chicago, Los Angeles and Toronto, from Budapest to New York JFK and Chicago, from Cracow to Chicago and from Rzeszów to Newark. For LOT Polish Airlines, launching flights from Budapest is another step in implementing the profitable growth strategy, which, besides building an air transport hub in Warsaw, involves tapping into the market potential of other airports in the region.
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15 Dreamliners by the End of 2019... LOT POLISH AIRLINES Orders more BOEING 787s
Polish Airlines LOT announced that an order has been placed for the next three Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners to be delivered in 2019. In total LOT’s fleet now includes eight smaller B787-8s and one larger B787-9. Given all contracts signed by LOT, six Dreamliners will be added to its fleet in 2018-2019 LOT signed operational lease agreements with Avolon Aerospace Leasing Limited companies for three new machines, Boeing 787-9s, to be delivered straight from the Boeing Everett factory. The deliveries are scheduled for May 2019 (two machines) and for October 2019 (another aircraft). The term of the lease agreements is 12 years. “The new aircraft mean new connections. We are glad that thanks to another contract for new Dreamliners, we will be able to continue to develop our network of long-haul connections in record time. In total by the end of 2019 we will have had as many as 15 Boeing787s, which not only is LOT’s historical record but also evidence that we can actually recognize our strategy as successfully implemented. LOT betted on an aircraft larger than its B787-9s with a seating capacity of 294 and hit the bull’s eye as the interest in our services among passengers has been steadily increasing” says Adrian Kubicki, Head of LOT’s Corporate Communications. “At present we operate 13 direct long-distance flights and each new machine is an opportunity to launch another one or two new routes,” adds he. Until now LOT has had four Boeing 787-9s contracted. After placing the new order, their total number went up to seven. The first aircraft of that type has already been delivered and another one is scheduled to be delivered in May 2018. The first Boeing 787-9 has been operating regular flights to Chicago and Toronto, the other machine will be used to operate the flights on the Warsaw-New York City route (JFK) as well as some flights to Seoul. All in all by October 2019 LOT will have had 15 Boeing 787 Dreamliners which means that also that aspect of LOT’s strategy for 2016-2020 will be successfully implemented ahead of time. LOT has also been negotiating the purchase of another three wide- and narrow-body aircraft. LOT’s fleet has been growing in record time. Apart from new Dreamliners, LOT has also been waiting for the delivery of four out of six Boeing 737 MAX 8s which have been ordered, and five out of six Embraer 195s. Two more Bombardier Q400s are going to be added to LOT’s fleet for at least 6 months as well. “Each new machine means new jobs and promotion opportunities available both to pilots and cabin crew” says Adrian Kubicki from LOT. “One new Dreamliner means employment or promotion opportunities for 15 captains and 10 first officers and jobs for approx. 100 new members of the cabin crew. In that way LOT remains to be the largest and also the most attractive employer among the airlines in Poland” adds Kubicki.
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Satellite Spectrum Advocacy and Promotion of Industry Value Proposition Affirmed as Coalition’s First Priorities
Six of the world’s leading satellite industry associations have established the “Global Satellite Coalition” (GSC), an international group through which targeted initiatives will be coordinated and implemented with the combined support of hundreds of member companies based in every world region. The coalition will drive industry priorities with one voice, unlocking opportunities for industry growth and ensuring the future for millions of stakeholders who depend on satellite-based solutions. The GSC’s ultimate objective is to secure an ecosystem that allows every world citizen to be connected. The founding partners of the GSC include the following organizations: · Abrasat (Brazil) · APSCC (Asia Pacific) · CASBAA (Asia Pacific) · EMEA Satellite Operators Association (Europe, Middle East, Africa, CIS) · Global VSAT Forum (World) · Satellite Industry Association (USA) “Following the success of satellite industry collaboration for WRC15, the GSC presents a natural next step to further strengthen the satellite communications sector,” said David Hartshorn, GVF Secretary General. Responding to the rapid pace of change in the digital world and huge demands for connectivity, the GSC will foster awareness and understanding of game-changing satellite industry innovations and their implications for spectrum and regulatory policymaking and market development. The GSC’s priority is to advocate the role of satellite in achieving complete connectivity from contributing to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Broadband Commission’s connectivity objectives to realizing the Network of Networks required for 5G. In addition, it will work on ensuring satellite services are an essential element of national broadband strategies, universal service programs and disaster preparedness efforts.
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LOT Announced New Service from Warsaw to Zaporizhzhia as of july
Starting 2nd July, LOT will launch direct connection between Warsaw and Zaporizhzhia. Flights will be operated as many as 6 times a week by modern Embraer jets. It’s LOT’s 9th route to Ukraine and 6th from its Warsaw hub. Tickets are available via all LOT sales channels starting today. Thanks to that Polish carrier have become the largest European Union airline operating on the Ukrainian market Currently LOT is the only EU airline to provide passengers from Zaporizhzhia with offer of transfers to Europe and the world. It’s also the sixth Ukrainian destination from Warsaw added into LOT’s network, next to Kharkiv, Odessa, Lviv, Kiev-Boryspil and Kiev-Zhuliany. Last year, the Polish carrier decided to launch three regional services from Poznań, Bydgoszcz, Olsztyn to Lviv. In total, LOT shall serve as many as 84 flights weekly between Poland and Ukraine in Summer 2018. LOT Embraers will take-off from Warsaw at 11:00 arriving to Zaporizhzhia International Airport at 14:00 on Mondays, Fridays and Sundays. The return flight will take passengers from Zaporizhzhia to Warsaw at 14:40 landing at the Chopin Airport at 15.55. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays airplanes will depart from Warsaw at 14:20 a.m. to land in Ukraine at 17.20. Passengers will be able to take flight from Zaporizhzhia at 18:00 to land in Warsaw at 19:15. The schedule between Warsaw and Zaporizhzhia was planned to provide passengers from that region with the most convenient transfers to Western Europe and North America via LOT’s hub in Warsaw. Passengers need minimum 35 minutes of transfer time via Warsaw to continue their journey to western and central European destinations such as Brussels, Amsterdam, Paris, Geneva and Milan. It takes only 1 hour of transfer at Warsaw Chopin Airport to continue travel to LOT’s airports in the North America – to Chicago, New York JFK/Newark and Los Angeles in the USA or Toronto in Canada. Besides that short transfers will be offered to those travelling between Zaporizhzhia and Moscow Domodedovo, Budapest, Prague, Tallinn, Vilnius, Kaunas and Kosice. “We are pleased to announce today the new service from Warsaw to Zaporizhzhia. By opening this route we are sure to provide our customers with top quality service and the best connectivity to worldwide destinations via Central Europe. Zaporizhia is one of the most economically developed business centre in the Eastern Ukraine. I am sure that many passengers travelling on business and for leisure pourposes will take advantage of convenient flights to Poland and via Warsaw hub to further destinations in Europe or North America” – says Adrian Kubicki, Director of Corporate Communications and Spokesperson. “Zaporizhzhia airport is the priority infrastructure project for the city, and on this project we concentrate all financial and managerial efforts. As the airport is not just an important logistics network, it is a signal to the potential investors, visitors of the city that Zaporizhzhia has been developing and is aimed to the future. We are working hard on the modernization of the Zaporizhzhia airport. Being supported by the Cabinet of Ministers, we have launched the project of a new passenger terminal construction that will be corresponded to all world standards. However, the passenger flow and flights increase is a key driver of the airport development. Therefore, we welcome the opening of the new route to Warsaw, which performs by LOT. This new flight will become a connecting bridge between Zaporizhzhia and Europe. We are confident that our cooperation will give a forceful impact to the further development of Zaporizhzhia, to the strengthening of relationships between Ukraine and Poland, to our integration into the European community” – says Volodymyr Buryak, Mayor of Zaporizhzhia. Zaporizhzhia – Warsaw service is operated using Embraer jets, with capacity from 70 to 82 seats in three cabin class: economy, premium economy and business. Also today, LOT has increased its presence in in Kiev Zhulyany: starting as of 2nd August LOT will operate flights two times a day to Kiev-Zhuliany in addition to two daily operations to Kiev-Boryspol. In total, as many as 27 flights a week are offered between Warsaw and Kiev providing passengers with the most flexible offer currently available on the market. The launch of the new Warsaw - Zaporizhzhia route is an element of LOT’s 2016-2020 profitable growth strategy that the Polish carrier has been consistently implementing. Based on its underlying assumptions, LOT intends to become the first-choice airline not only among passengers travelling from Poland but also from other CEE countries. LOT forecasts that its annual passenger traffic will reach over 10 m passengers by 2020 meaning that the number of its passengers will double in four years. In 2017 LOT announced the launch of 27 connections, including from Warsaw to: Los Angeles, Newark, Astana and Singapore, from Budapest to New York City and Chicago, from Kraków to Chicago and from Rzeszów to Newark. New services to Billund, Dubrovnik, Nuremberg, Oslo and Skopje will also be opened in the first half on 2018. All long-haul flights in LOT’s network are operated by Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. Each of them offers 252 seats in three classes: 18 in business, 21 in premium economy and 213 in economy. LOT was the first European airline to have introduced Dreamliners into its fleet. “B787 is currently the most technologically advanced wide-body passenger aircraft in the world. Its composite structure and state-of-the-art engines reduce fuel consumption and offer higher levels of comfort compared to other planes” – says Adrian Kubicki from LOT.
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Visit Skopje and Podgorica with LOT Which now offers as many as 12 Balkan Destinations
Starting from 1 June the Polish airlines are going to launch the first direct flights to the capital city of Macedonia. 1 June 2018 also marks the launch of regular flights to Montenegro’s capital city. In total, LOT is going to operate as many as 12 flights to Balkan destinations. LOT has been consistently expanding its network of flights to destinations located in the south of Europe. The number of flights to the two new Balkan destinations will be the same: six per week. The flights to Skopje in Macedonia will be operated daily apart from Sundays whereas to Podgorica in Montenegro LOT will be flying daily apart from Wednesdays. The flights to the two destinations will be operated by Embraer 170 and 175. Depending on the version of the aircraft there will be 70 - 82 seats available in three travel classes: economy, premium economy and business. “Skopje in Macedonia is a completely new destination offered by LOT. That country has been increasingly popular every year among tourists, enchanting them with its history, regional cuisine and cultural diversity. It is also an ideal starting point for trips to neighboring countries: Greece, Bulgaria and Albania,” says Adrian Kubicki, Director of Corporate Communications and Spokesperson. “Our passengers had an opportunity to get to know different tourist values of Podgorica, Montenegro, in the previous summer season. In our opinion that destination has such potential that we decided to significantly increase the frequency of our flights there,” adds he. Timetables were designed in such way that also the passengers travelling from Skopje and Podgorica have access to fast and convenient connecting flights from the Warsaw Chopin Airport to among others, destinations in the United States of America, Canada and Western Europe, e.g. Scandinavia. In total LOT now operates flights to 12 destinations in the Balkans. Apart from Skopje and Podgorica, in the summer season the airlines also fly to: Dubrovnik (a new connection starting from May - six flights per week), Zagreb (the increase from 10 to 14 flights per week), Split (two flights per week), Pula (one flight per week), Zadar (two flights per week), Belgrade (the increase from 9 to 11 flights per week), Ljubljana (the increase from six to seven flights per week), Sofia (19 flights per week), Bucharest (three flights per day) and Cluj-Napoca (six flights per week). This year LOT has already announced the launch of four new destinations: from Warsaw to Skopje, Podgorica and Moscow Domodedovo Airport (the second largest airport in Moscow) and from Kraków to Budapest. In 2017 LOT announced the launch of 27 connections, including from Warsaw to: Los Angeles, Newark, Astana and Singapore, from Budapest to New York City and Chicago, from Kraków to Chicago and from Rzeszów to Newark. In 2017 LOT’s passenger traffic totaled 6.8m which means that the figure went up by nearly 1.5m year-to-year. During that time four new Boeings were delivered to LOT: two B787 Dreamliners and two B737 MAXs. 12 more machines will be added to LOT’s fleet in 2018: three B787-9s (a larger version of the Dreamliner), three B737 MAX 8s and six EMBRAER 195s.
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BILLUND - LOT's Fifth Scandinavian Destination
Billund is LOT’s fifth destination in Scandinavia with flights to be operated throughout a week on a daily basis, including Monday through Friday twice a day. The first flight from Warsaw to Billund is scheduled for 2 July. Tickets are going on sale starting today. Billund is a hub for several cities in Jutland, in Western Denmark, including Esbjerg, Herning, Silkeborg, Aarhus, Horsens and Odense. Located in its direct vicinity, Legoland Amusement Park is the largest family theme park in the world. No other theme park in Europe has an international airport located that close. The flights on the Warsaw-Billund route will be operated Monday through Friday twice a day ensuring great travel flexibility to LOT’s passengers. With the decrease in demand for flights on Saturdays and Sundays, LOT is going to operate one flight a day on that route. The flight on the Warsaw-Billund route will last approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes and will be operated by Embraer 170s and 175s with the seat capacity of 70 - 82 seats in three travel classes: business, economy premium and economy. The flights are scheduled to be operated as follows: on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays WAW 08:20 – BLL 10:00 BLL 10:35 - WAW 12:20 WAW 17:30 – BLL 19:10 BLL 19:50 - WAW 21:35 On Saturdays there will be one morning flight only and on Sundays - one afternoon flight. Such timetable allows LOT to offer the most attractive connections between Billund and various destinations of the Central and Eastern Europe, Balkans, Central Asia, the Far East and North America, e.g. Kraków, Kiev, Kharkov, Vilnius, Moscow, Bucharest, Astana, Beijing, Tokyo, Seoul, Singapore, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. On the other hand, the timetable allows passengers from many cities in the Central and Eastern Europe and Asia to travel to Billund with a convenient transfer (usually in less than 2 hours) at LOT’s Warsaw Chopin Airport. There are several companies headquartered in Western Denmark which operate in Poland, for example, Lego, JYSK, Arla, Velux and DONG Energy. “Billund is one of more important business and scientific centers in Scandinavia while Southern Jutland is among the areas with the highest GDP per capita in Scandinavia. What’s important, a few dozen thousand Poles live in Western Denmark. The new connection will certainly be appreciated also by passengers travelling to Billund and neighboring areas on holiday or to visit family and friends,” says Adrian Kubicki, Director of Corporate Communications and Spokesperson. “An extensive network of flights and the largest hub in the Central and Eastern Europe are our assets,” adds Adrian Kubicki. LOT’s new route is targeted both at passengers travelling on business whom the Polish airlines are able to offer very attractive fares in the business and premium classes as well as those travelling on leisure. After Nuremberg, Stuttgart, Gothenburg and Luxembourg, Billund is also another important midsize business center in the Western Europe providing LOT with an opportunity to develop its network of connections. “We are proud to welcome LOT to Billund and delighted that LOT have seen the potential in the West Danish market. We know that business traffic between Poland and West Denmark is extensive. The tight links between our two regions will only be strengthened by the route,” says CEO Kjeld Zacho J?rgensen, Billund Airport. “Furthermore, the new flight from Warsaw will make the journey from West Denmark to Polish and other Central and Eastern European destinations easier and faster going forward. Finally, the new LOT route is also great news to Polish children who want to visit the Legoland Billund Resort, as the amusement park is right on the doorstep to Billund Airport,” stresses he. The launch of the new Warsaw-Billund route is an element of LOT’s 2016-2020 profitable growth strategy that the airlines have been consistently implementing. Based on its underlying assumptions, LOT intends to become the first-choice airlines not only among passengers travelling from Poland but also from other CEE countries. LOT forecasts that its annual passenger traffic will have reached over 10 m passengers by 2020 meaning that the number of its passengers will have doubled in four years. In 2017 LOT announced the launch of 27 connections, including from Warsaw to: Los Angeles, Newark, Astana and Singapore, from Budapest to New York City and Chicago, from Kraków to Chicago and from Rzeszów to Newark. All long-haul flights in LOT’s network are operated by eight Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners. Each of them offers 252 seats in three classes: 18 in business, 21 in premium economy and 213 in economy. LOT was the first European airline to have introduced Dreamliners into its fleet. “B787 is currently the most technologically advanced wide-body passenger aircraft in the world. Its composite structure and state-of-the-art engines reduce fuel consumption and offer higher levels of comfort compared to other planes” – says Adrian Kubicki from LOT. In 2017 LOT’s passenger traffic totaled over 6.8m which means that the figure went up by nearly 25% year-to-year. During that time four new Boeings were delivered to LOT: two B787 Dreamliners and two B737 MAX 8s. 12 more machines will be added to LOT’s fleet in 2018: three B787-9s (a larger version of the Dreamliner with 42 additional seats), three B737 MAX 8s and six Embraer 195s.
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LOT Announced new Connection between Budapest and Krakow
Starting from May LOT is going to operate regular flights between Budapest and Kraków six times a week. Also today, LOT has increased its frequencies on Kraków-Chicago route. The first flight operated from Kraków to Budapest by LOT is scheduled for 28th of April. Until 20 May LOT will operate on that route five times per week. Starting from 21 May until the end of the summer season, i.e. until 27 October, one more frequency a week will be added. Therefore, LOT passengers will be able to fly six times a week on the Kraków-Budapest route: on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The schedule was planned in such way that the departure flight from the Kraków-Balice Airport is scheduled for 7.55 am and the arrival in the capital city of Hungary is scheduled for 9.00 am. Departure flights from Budapest to Kraków are scheduled for 9.35 am to arrive in Kraków an hour later at 10.35 am. The flights on that route will be operated with Bombardier Q400s with seating capacity of 78 passengers and three travel classes. Tickets for the flights on the new Budapest-Kraków flight will be on sale one month after LOT announced the increased number of flights to and from Budapest and Warsaw. Just to remind, starting from 25 March the Polish airlines will be operating five daily flights on the Warsaw-Budapest route. Those flights will be mainly operated using Bombardier Q400s, and sporadically also Embraer 170s. “Hungary is now among LOT’s key Central and Eastern European markets. We strive to ensure the best services and the highest number of available flights to the passengers from the region. Direct flights from Kraków mean not only a greater number of flights to the second largest city in Poland but also connecting flights to other destinations, including Chicago,” says Adrian Kubicki, Director of Corporate Communications. “Our passengers have told us for a long time that a direct flight to Kraków is high on their wish list. the potential market is more than 30,000 passenger – so it’s great to have finally solved this travel problem for them with our increasingly important partner LOT Polish Airlines,” says Kam Jandu, CCO, Budapest Airport. “The travel time by road is around eight hours by car – the flight time is just over one hour – so that is a significant time-saving for all,” confirms Jandu. Starting from 3 May LOT Polish Airlines will operate regular flights from Budapest to New York City and from 5 May to Chicago, offering the first direct non-stop service to the U.S. from Hungary for years. Tickets are already going on sale. LOT will be flying from Budapest to New York City 4 times a week on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays. The flights to Chicago will be operated twice a week: on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Budapest is now the largest European market without direct flights to the U.S. Every year more than 165,000 passengers fly from the capital city of Hungary to New York City and Chicago transferring at other airports. The situation is bound to change in May. These will be the first direct flights to the USA from outside Poland in the history of LOT. In Budapest LOT is going to station one of its eight wide body state-of-the-art aircraft - B787 Dreamliner. The convenient schedule of connections on Kraków-Budapest route, increased number of weekly flights between Kraków and Chicago as well as a timetable of long haul flights on Budapest-Chicago route were complemented to provide passengers with the most suitable offer of travels between Kraków, Budapest to Chicago four times a week. All in all LOT will be operating 15 weekly services to/from Chicago: 11 to/from Warsaw Chopin, 2 from Krakow and 2 from Budapest. “Thanks to the non-stop service between Kraków and Chicago, we enable our passengers to travel directly and most conveniently from Małopolska region to Illinois. Direct flights enriched our offer of long-haul connections between Kraków and Chicago via Warsaw and via Budapest. Since the route launch in 2017, we have been observing increased passenger demand on that route. The most recent data show that over 90 thousand passengers choose to travel by air between Kraków and Chicago annually” – adds Adrian Kubicki. In 2017 LOT announced the launch of 27 connections, including from Warsaw to: Los Angeles, Newark, Astana and Singapore, from Budapest to New York City and Chicago, from Kraków to Chicago and from Rzeszów to Newark. In 2017 LOT’s passenger traffic totaled 6.8m which means that the figure went up by nearly 1.5m year-to-year. During that time four new Boeings were delivered to LOT: two B787 Dreamliners and two B737 MAXs. In 2018 12 more aircraft will be added to LOT’s fleet: B787-9 (a larger version of the Dreamliner), B737 MAX 8 and Embraer 195. Tickets for LOT’s new flights from Budapest are available via LOT’s Contact Centre, at www.lot.com, and from sales agents.
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LOT Announced Flights to the Second Airport in Moscow
Starting June this year LOT will open a new connection to Moscow Domodedovo Airport. This is the second airport in the capital of Russia where to the Polish carrier will be operating flights. Tickets are available on sale starting today. The first flight from Warsaw Chopin Airport to Moscow Domodedovo Airport will take-off on June 3rd. Within first month LOT planes will be operating on that route six times a week: on Mondays, on Tuesdays, on Wednesdays, on Thursdays, on Saturdays and on Sundays. From July 1st LOT offers its passengers a regular connections to the second airport in Moscow every day. This schedule remains until at least October 27th, i.the end of the summer season. The estimated flight time between Warsaw and Domodedovo takes approx. 2 hours and 10 minutes. The airplanes will take-off from Warsaw at 8:00 p.m. to land in Moscow at 11:10 p.m local time. The flight from Domodedovo to Warsaw is scheduled at 8:00 a.m. and the landing at Warsaw Chopin Airport at 9:20 a.m. “We have decided to launch flights from Warsaw to Moscow Domodedovo Airport to offer wide access to numerous domestic flights in Russia to our passengers who begin their travels in Poland and other European countries. Analysys proves that there is a great potential of air market in Moscow. The total of over 105 thousand passengers travelled between Warsaw and Moscow last year. Our schedule enables passengers from Moscow to transfer via LOT’s hub in Warsaw on their way to many cities in the region, including Budapest, Prague, Kiev, Vilnius, Riga, Tallinn, Sofia, Bucharest, Ljubljana or Madrid. We hope that the new offer will attract both business passengers and tourists. This way, our passengers can choose to fly from Moscow via Poland to further destinations in Europe and return on the same day in the evening” says Adrian Kubicki, Director of Corporate Communications. All flights to the second airport in Moscow will be operated by Embraer jets. That means, on the way to and from Moscow passengers have between 70 and 112 seats at their disposal, in three cabin classes: business, economy premium and economy. Until now LOT has been offering to passengers interested in travelling to Moscow tickets for flights to Sheremetyevo airport only (designated as SVO by the International Air Transport Association IATA). The airport is located in the northern part of the Russian capital. LOT offers flights to Sheremetyevo 14 times a week with frequencies of 2 times a day. Additional frequencies are available thanks to the code-share agreement with Aeroflot. Domodedovo airport (IATA code: DME) is located approx. 40 km to the south-east from the centre of Moscow. According to the recent data, it is among the largest Russian airports in terms of passenger and cargo traffic. “Our initiative to start operations to the second airport in Moscow results in increasing the flexibility and the attractiveness of our offer dedicated to our passengers. If we take into account all flights in Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo, LOT’s offer includes in total 21 weekly flights to Moscow. Moscow has become frequently chosen direction in LOT’s network and one of the key destinations in Eastern Europe. We are sure that the flights to Domodedovo are in favour of passengers travelling to the southern part of the agglomeration”, says Adrian Kubicki. On the Russian market LOT offers regular connections to Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Kaliningrad. The 21st FIFA World Cup shall take place between June 14th and July 15th in Russia. There are two stadiums in Moscow on which the matches shall be played: Luzhniki and Otkrytije Arena. The total of 12 matches shall be played in Moscow, including the opening and the final match. At the beginning of 2016 LOT announced the launch of 50 routes in total, including the ones from Warsaw to Tokyo, Los Angeles, Newark and Astana, and from Cracow to Chicago. In 2018 LOT will fly for the first time among others from Rzeszów to: Tel Aviv (on March 11th) and Newark (on April 30th), and from Warsaw to: Dubrovnik (on May 3rd) and Singapore (from mid May). In 2017 LOT carried over 6.8 million passengers, which is nearly 1.5 million more than a year before and 2.5 million more than in 2015. LOT forecasts that it will have reached the result of 10 million passengers a year by 2020. The tickets for new connection to Moscow Domodedovo Airport are available through all sales channels, i.e. at www.lot.com, via LOT Contact Centre, at LOT Travel offices and at its agents.
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LOT launched its special offer for travels in 2018
LOT launched its special offer for travels in 2018. For the next two weeks starting today tickets for round trips from Seoul to many destinations in Poland and Europe will be available on sale! a TTickets for flights to more than 70 destinations all over the world via LOT’s hub in Warsaw are available at reduced prices. Starting from 12th February up to 15th December passengers from South Korea will be able to travel to Poland and the most attractive cities in Europe, such as Kraków, Wrocław, Prague, Zagreb, Vinius, Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin, Budapest with a discount of up to 50%. For example, flights from Seoul to Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, Kiev, Copenhagen or Budapest via Warsaw start at just 700000 KRW round trip! This special offer is a great opportunity to plan out travels to Poland and other cities in Europe regardless of the season. Since 2016 LOT has announced 50 new connetions, among others, to Newark, Kraków-Chicago, Los Angeles, Astana which are also included in the special offer. LOT continues to increase its presence in Asia - First LOT’s Dreamliner will take-off to Singapore from Warsaw launching new non-stop service to Far East Asia as of 15th May. As many as three travel classes can be chosen by passengers on all of LOT international flights: LOT Business Class, LOT Premium Class and LOT Economy Class. Moreover all of LOT’s long-haul connections to Asia and North America are operated by the state-of-the-art aircraft, Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Since 2017, LOT has been adding to its fleet the most modern narrow body aircraft to operate on its short-haul and middle-haul flights - Boeings 737 MAX 8. Tickets on sale at special reduced prices for LOT connections are available from the 10th until 23rd January at lot.com, LOT Contact Centre, at LOT Travel offices and its agents.
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Boeing Global Aviation Market Prospect Press Conference
Boeing held a press conference on the global aviation market prospect at its Korea branch office on June 16 and expected the traffic volume in Northeast Asia to grow by 2.2% annually over the next 20 years on the strength of the rapid growth of low-cost aviation market in Korea. Randy Tinseth, vice president of marketing for Boeing commercial airplanes, said Korea's low-cost airlines account for more than 50 percent of the domestic market, which is the highest level in Northeast Asia. Introducing Boeing's outlook for the next 20 years for Notheast Aisa, Tinseth said, "Due to the rapid growth of low-cost airlines in Korea, the number of annual travelers to and from Korea since 2010 has doubled and continues to record. On the strength of the revival of the middle class and the increased number of flights to new destinations, the number of travelers will continue to increase over the next 20 years." ▲ Randy Tinseth, vice president of marketing for Boeing commercial airplanes, introduced Boeing's outlook for the next 20 years for Northeast Asia. Boeing expects airlines in Northeast Asia will need 1,470 units between 2017 and 2036, and a new commercial aircraft worth more than US $320 billion. Based on this, a total of 1,510 aircraft will be operated by 2036. Approximately 620 units, which is about half of these aircraft, will be occupied by widebody models such as the 787 and 777, and other 660 units will be narrow-body models such as 737 MAX and 660. Tinseth foresees that large network airlines in Northeast Asia region will reconfigure operating aircraft to meet dynamic market needs. He said, "Over the past two decades, large network airlines in the region have opted for changes to increase the number of flights and destinations, instead of reducing the number of seats by 20 percent." He also stated, "These changes demonstrate that efficient new widebody aircrafts such as the Boeing 787 are contributing to expanding the market and leading customers to new destinations. “ Korean Air, which is actively responding to these changes in the aviation market, is headed by the first 787 Dreamliner earlier this year and plans to operate five of the ten 787s ordered by the end of 2017. ▲ The global trend is driven by LCC and increasing demand for air travel, driven by demand or technological innovation. Global airfreight volume increased 8% from last year and domestic airfreight market profitability rebounded. In Korea, airfreight volumes of Korean Air and Asiana increased 12% and 15% respectively in the second quarter of this year. Boeing expects to introduce 130 medium-sized freightters worth US $50 billion over the next 20 years. Tinseth said, "The airfreight market achieved the most successful first half-year performance since the global financial crisis in 2010. With Asian airlines including Korean Air and Asiana Airlines, all the regions are growing this year. New efficient freighters such as Boeing 747-8F and 777F currently operated by Korean Air will contribute significantly to the airfreight market in the future." Boeing foresees that airlines around the world will invest US $ 6.1 trillion for delivery of 41,030 new aircraft over the next 20 years. More detailed prospects can be found on the Boeing.com web page. ▲ Boeing has a proven civil aircraft lineup ranging from single-passenger compact aircrafts to widebody bumper-type aircrafts. ▲ The 787, which had been produced 12 units in a month, will be produced 14 units by 2019. Victory of technology innovation. Q1. (Acrofan) ADEX 2017 will start from October 17th. Today, there is also an IPO host company announcement by T'way Air. In addition, domestic LCC companies are becoming increasingly popular. In the midst of this trend, last week, Airbus announced to launch and showcase A330neo. What is Boeing's response plan? (Randy Tinseth) Boeing is also participating in ADEX 2017. A simulator will be installed on site to provide opportunity to the flight of 787. In the airshow site, we plan to take both a commercial and military approach. I think it was a good thing to have introduced A330neo aircraft on Airbus earlier. Because they are in a situation where they have to make an urgent order. This sounds like a humor. Looking at the market, LCC performance was very good. What would be the next step? In the previous examples, LCCs are aiming to operate longer distances. Looking at other LCCs around the world, Scoop and Jetstar, which operate 787 model, are already in business. In the long term, it is expected that LCCs will aim at this model. Q2. With the opening of Incheon International Airport Terminal 2, expect to the increase of the number of flight slots for accommodating widebody models in relation to long distance routes is huge. At Boeing, do you think the opening of Terminal 2 will contribute to increasing aircraft demand? (Randy Tinseth) Basically, I think that long-term growth plan is very important for the organization. One step of long-term growth at Incheon International Airport will be the opening of Terminal 2. This provides better service in long-term to customers based in Seoul, and improves cargo transportation performance to and from Korea. Of course, with the opening of a new terminal, the market will be expanded and better services will be provided. This will eventually lead to more opportunities for all airlines to and from Korea. It will not only contribute to the LCC and the network in Korea, it will be useful for everyone who travels to Korea.
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LOT Polish Airlines Celebrated Delivery of First B737 MAX
LOT Polish Airlines and Boeing [NYSE:BA] celebrated the delivery of the first 737 MAX for the carrier, ushering in the new and improved 737 airplane into the central and east Europe market. The jet is also the first MAX placed by leading airplane lessor Air Lease Corporation (NYSE: AL) (ALC). LOT, the Polish flag carrier, plans to take delivery of additional MAX airplanes as part of its strategy to profitably grow its airline. “We are proud to be one of the first carriers in the world with the state-of-the-art Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in our short- and middle-haul fleet,” said Rafal Milczarski, chief executive officer, LOT Polish Airlines. “We are already one of the fastest growing European airlines and I am certain that this big step forward will help us achieve our goals of increasing our operational effectiveness and improving our service. With the most modern Boeing 787 Dreamliners and brand new 737 MAX we are the most comfortable airline for our customers, more cost efficient and last, but not least, friendlier to the environment. Thanks to the cooperation with our partners, LOT is again one step ahead to set the tone for shaping the future of aviation industry in our region.” The 737 MAX delivers the highest efficiency, reliability and passenger comfort in the single-aisle market by incorporating the latest technology CFM International LEAP-1B engines, Advanced Technology winglets, the Boeing Sky Interior, large flight deck displays, and other improvements. The efficiency gains have helped made the MAX the fastest selling airplane in Boeing history with more than 4,000 orders to date from 92 customers worldwide. “We are very pleased to announce this first 737 MAX lease placement with LOT, which is the first of six new 737 MAX 8s on long-term lease to the airline. The MAX 8 offers new efficiencies and an enhanced passenger experience that will better serve LOT’s growing route networks,” said Steven F. Udvar-Hazy, Air Lease Corporation’s Executive Chairman. ALC has 129 more 737 MAX airplanes on order. “LOT has been a valued customer for decades and we are delighted that it has become one of the first operators of the MAX in Europe,” said Monty Oliver, vice-president Europe Sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “The 737 MAX will provide LOT unmatched efficiency, range, reliability and operating costs all while continuing to provide a premium on-board experience for its passengers.” Apart from the six 737 MAX 8s, LOT plans to expand its fleet of super-efficient and passenger-pleasing Dreamliners by adding four more 787-9s by the end of 2019. The airline is using the new airplanes to grow its network. Since 2016, LOT has announced the launch of 42 routes, including long-haul service from Warsaw to Los Angeles, Newark and Kraków to Chicago. In May 2018, LOT will launch connections from Warsaw to Singapore as well as from Budapest to New York City and Chicago.
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NEW LARGER DREAMLINERS TO SERVE LOT’s USA AND CANADA ROUTES
Three new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft seating 294 passengers each are scheduled to start operating on LOT’s routes to Chicago, New York and Toronto in the spring and summer of next year. Tickets for the connections served by the Polish carrier’s new planes are already available for sale There are currently eight wide-body Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft in LOT’s fleet. Each of them offers 252 seats in three classes: 18 in business, 21 in premium economy and 213 in economy. The deliveries of larger 787-9 Dreamliners are expected to commence in the spring of next year. Each of them will be capable of accommodating as many as 294 passengers (24 in business, 21 in premium economy and 249 in economy class). The Polish carrier has ordered the total of four larger B787 aircraft, with three of them starting service in 2018, and the last one joining the fleet in 2019. Three of the four new planes will appear next year on selected long-haul routes departing Warsaw. They will be added to LOT’s flight network based on the following time schedule: > to Chicago - from late March / early April > to New York (JFK) - from the beginning of May > to Toronto, Canada - from the beginning of July. Furthermore, this specific variety of the Dreamliner may be also used on selected flights to the South Korean capital city of Seoul. The 787-9 - the larger version of the Dreamliner - is almost 63 meters long, which makes it six meters longer than the 787-8 variant. It has been equipped with new generation Rolls-Royce Trent TEN engines that are interchangeable with the powerplants used in the smaller version of the Dreamliner, currently operated by LOT. The range of LOT’s new 787-9 aircraft exceeds 13,350 km and is by approx. 700 km longer than in the case of the 787-8. The 42 additional seats available aboard offer a considerable reduction in the per-passenger cost. According to Boeing’s data, the larger 787-9 is more efficient and more environmentally friendly than the 787-8. It consumes less fuel per passenger and boasts a longer range. “LOT was the first European airline to have introduced the Boeing 787 into its fleet. It was a far-sighted move that has been paying off ever since. Today the Dreamliner is our flagship plane and the pillar of our long-haul fleet. Acquisition of additional, larger versions of the Boeing 787 fits in with the company’s sustainable growth strategy for 2016-2020” – says Rafał Milczarski, LOT CEO. “The Dreamliner is currently the most technologically advanced wide-body passenger aircraft in the world. Its composite structure and state-of-the-art engines reduce fuel consumption and offer higher levels of comfort compared to other planes” – stresses Milczarski. The Boeing 787-9 - similarly to the smaller 787-8 version - will feature lie-flat business class seats. Laid out in the 2-2-2 configuration, they will provide passengers with ample room, offering the opportunity to sleep in very comfortable conditions. In addition to restaurant-type meals, the menu will also include a broad selection of wines, including original products also from Polish wineries. The premium economy class offers very comfortable seats in the 2-3-2 configuration, with a lot of legroom. The highly versatile meals are served on traditional, porcelain dishes, and the passengers enjoy a wide selection of beverages. Economy class seats will be available in the 3-3-3 configuration and are equipped with 6-way adjustable head- and footrests. Each of the seats, regardless of the travel class, will feature an individual In-Flight Entertainment (IFE) screen, a power socket and a USB port. What changes will be introduced in the 787-9 passenger cabin? Willing to meet the passengers’ expectations and striving to comply with their recommendations, LOT has introduced several meaningful modifications in the new plane. The IFE screens for first row business class seats will be installed on the wall, in front of the passengers, and not in the armrest, as it has been the case so far. This will enable the passengers to use the IFE system throughout the entire flight. The pitch of premium economy seats will be increased by LOT from 38 to 42 inches. Such a solution will provide the passengers with more freedom while moving throughout the cabin. A toilet available to premium economy passengers will be present in this section of the plane as well. LOT has opted for the more comfortable Zodiac Z300 economy class seats that are equipped with larger 10.6’ IFE screens. “The technology used in the Dreamliner allows us to offer the level of air travel comfort that cannot be matched by any other passenger plane, providing LOT with a competitive advantage over many other carriers operating on the market. Due to air humidity and cabin pressure values being higher than those experienced on other aircraft types, as well as thanks to LED lighting and electrochromic windows that can be dimmed at the push of a button, the designers have managed to minimize the effects of jet lag” - explains Rafał Milczarski. There are eight Boeing 787 aircraft in LOT’s fleet today. With the additional four expected in 2018 and 2019, their total number will increase to 12. But this is not all. LOT’s profitable growth strategy assumes that there will be at least 16 wide-body Dreamliner aircraft in the carrier’s fleet by the end of 2020. LOT is currently in the process of acquiring narrow-body and regional aircraft as well. The airline plans to receive six Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft between December 2017 and May 2019. These will be operated on the most popular short - and medium-haul routes. They will take LOT’s passengers, inter alia to London, Madrid, Tel Aviv, Vienna, Amsterdam, Paris, Frankfurt and Barcelona. In addition, LOT’s fleet will be expanded by six Embraer 195 planes capable of accommodating 116 passengers each (four more than currently) with the seats installed in the 2+2 configuration. These aircraft will be used, inter alia, to feed the Warsaw hub with passengers traveling from Central and Eastern European airports. According to LOT’s estimates, the number of passengers using the airline each year is expected to exceed 10 million by 2020, meaning that the number of customers will be doubled compared to the 2016 result. From mid-2019, the LOT capital group plans to have the fleet of 75 aircraft at its disposal. This number includes: planes operated currently by LOT (supplied by Boeing, Embraer and Bombardier), machines ordered by LOT, with their deliveries to be completed by mid-2019 (Boeing 787-9 and 737 MAX 8, as well as Embraer 195) and aircraft of the Estonian Nordica airline (primarily Bombardier CRJ), with some of them already operating within LOT’s network.
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Delta Board of Directors Names Ash Carter as Newest Member
Delta Air Lines' Board of Directors today announced Ash Carter as its newest member, effective immediately. Carter is Director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School and an Innovation Fellow at MIT. He served as U.S. Secretary of Defense from 2015 to 2017. Secretary Carter has served directly and indirectly under 11 Secretaries of Defense in both Democratic and Republican administrations. He served as Deputy Secretary of Defense from 2011 to 2013, functioning as the department's chief operating officer; as Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics from 2009 to 2011; and as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy from 1993 to 1996. Outside of government service, Secretary Carter was most recently a distinguished visiting fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution and a Senior Executive at the Markle Foundation. He earned bachelor degrees at Yale University and a doctorate in theoretical physics from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar.
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Hainan Airlines Launches Non-Stop Service between New York and Chengdu and Chongqing
Hainan Airlines, a unit of HNA Group and mainland China's only Skytrax Five-Star airline, this week begins two new routes between New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and the Chinese cities of Chengdu and Chongqing. In conjunction with the route launches, Services to Chongqing commence on October 21 and to Chengdu on October 27 from JFK's Terminal 4. Each route will operate twice weekly on Hainan Airline's fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. With a capacity for over 60,000 passengers per year, it is the only non-stop service offered between New York City and China's rapidly growing Sichuan province. Chongqing to New York will be Hainan Airlines' longest flight route—nearly 7573 miles. Sun Jianfeng, Hainan Airlines President said, "We're excited to be offering the only non-stop flights between the U.S. East Coast and the major cities of Chengdu and Chongqing. These new services represent the 13th and 14th non-stop trans-Pacific routes, following our West Coast launch earlier in the year. The opening of the new route is expected to significantly enhance exchanges and collaborations concerning culture, the economy, and politics between the two countries and to further improve both Chengdu and Chongqing's status as key global economic centers." HNA Group's focus on the New York routes is a sign of confidence in the relationship between the U.S. and China as a primary travel and tourism partner. According to statistics from the National Travel and Tourism Office, 2016 saw almost 3,000,000 Chinese tourists enter the USA (an increase of 466% since 2009), with more than 800,000 visitors to New York alone. The total Travel and Tourism Exports for the year was more than $32 billion. Commenting on HNA's tourism strategy, Adam Tan, CEO of HNA Group said: "We are continuing our expansion in the tourism and travel sectors globally, as we strive to build closer connections for world travelers. Through a range of strategic travel investments—from gategroup aircraft hospitality suppliers, to MRO specialists SR Technics, to the recent acquisition of a 25% share in Hilton Hotels, HNA Group remains committed to building the tourism sector across the globe. The opportunity for us to connect New York with the fastest growing Chinese regional centers of Chengdu and Chongqing is expected to lead to additional trade opportunities throughout China and the US." In conjunction with the new route launches, HNA Group is sponsoring a week of local activities in support of its commitment to New York City, including hosting a major corporate event and concert at the Alice Tully Hall of Lincoln Center for partners and the travel sector. The concert will showcase the extraordinary talents of U.S. and Chinese artists, including the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and renowned violinist Lu Siqing. HNA will also be sponsoring a range of high-profile annual gala events over the course of the coming weeks as it showcases its commitment to New York City. HNA will be the title sponsor of the annual Lincoln Center Fall Gala (October 23), the Asia Game Changer Diplomacy Champion Partner at the Asia Society Asia Game Changer Awards (November 1), and the presenting sponsor of the China Institute Blue Cloud Gala (November 2). Each event is the partner organization's biggest of the year and highlights HNA's growing presence in the U.S. At the Asia Game Changer Awards, in particular, HNA will recognize the important role of Chengdu's Giant Pandas, which have been an integral symbol of bilateral diplomacy between China and the U.S. over the past 45 years. Connecting the US to China's growing regional centers is a core element of HNA Group's strategy, supporting increased capacity and expanding cultural exchanges between the two nations. Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, is widely recognized for its Giant Panda Breeding Center. But this traditional home of Sichuanese cooking city is fast-becoming the latest stop on the global food trail, as Chengdu is Asia's first UNESCO City of Gastronomy. Chengdu also strikes the perfect balance of traditional Chinese customs and modern cultural elements, from the many traditional tea houses to the 150 museums it boasts. Chongqing is a major commercial center of 30 million people, renowned for its distinctive spicy cuisine, and its busy port along the Yangtze River. Chongqing is the home of the UNESCO World Heritage site of The Dazu Rock Carvings and Chinese religious sculptures and carvings that date back to the 7th Century. As the provisional capital of China from 1937 – 1945, Chongqing also has a rich wartime history.
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The 5th Anniversary of Peach Airline Korea-Japan Route Celebration Press Conference
Peach Airline held a press conference celebrating its 5th anniversary at the President Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul on August 31st at 2:00 pm on the 5th anniversary of the launch of route to Korea. The press conference was organized to present Peach's future plans and performance in Korean market, with the attendance of representatives including Shinichi Inoue, CEO of Peach Airline, and Jeon Seon-ha, CEO of GSA Korea. ▲ Shinichi Inoue, CEO of Peach Airline Peach Airline, which has bases at Kansai International Airport and Naha Airport, currently operates 12 domestic and 13 international flights. At the end of this month, two domestic and international flights based on Sendai will be added, respectively, so it will have 29 routes in total. In particular, Peach Airline has decided to make its first international destination to Korea, and as of the 5th anniversary of its launch, seven flights are operated through Incheon International Airport and Gimhae Airport every day. Starting with Seoul(Incheon) to Osaka(Kansai) flights in May 2012, Peach Airline has been used by more than 2.45 million passengers over the past five years in Korea. In particular, the number of passengers increased by about three times compared to the first year on the basis of safety as a top priority of flight quality and reasonable prices. Therefore, it is considering the establishment of base airports in the Asian region including Korea, and it plans to play a role as its motto, 'Asia Bridge' by expanding the market between Korea and Japan. ▲ The evaluation received by the users became a pronoun representing Peach Airline. ▲ With the rapid growth of Korea route's performance, it also contributes to the creation of Korean jobs through the recruitment of Korean crew. ▲ As an advance guard for attracting foreigners who visit Japan, Peach Airline is optimizing the overall strategy. Shinichi Inoue, CEO of Peach Airline, said, "It is no exaggeration to say that Korea is the key market for Peach Airline to be the first international airline destination and it is the driving force behind the remarkable growth of the Peach brand." And, "We will work hard to enhance the enjoyment and benefits of traveling in Japan through various promotional plans as well as reinforcement of service for customer convenience improvement such as call center system renewal." At the Q&A session after the presentation, Acrofan asked if there is an increase plan for the number of flights regarding the opening of Incheon International Airport Terminal 2, and as for the trend of rapidly increasing number of passengers, if the company is going to carry out two-track strategy like competitors by operating the aircraft with higher class of weight in addition to the current Airbus A320-200. Shinichi Inoue, CEO of Peach Airline, answered, "I am glad to hear that the number of Incheon International Airport slots will continue to increase. If we have the opportunity to increase flights in the future, we would like to consider it positively." Also, he said, "Regarding the model policy, there is no plan to buy another model so far. We will continue to pursue the policy of operating a unified model in the future." Meanwhile, Peach Airline started to operate an independent system under the mission of Peach in May 2011, after the establishment of the LCC joint project preparation room in All Nippon Airways (ANA). In March of the following year, Osaka(Kansai) - Sapporo(New Chitose) and Fukuoka routes will start operating. Currently, there are four routes in Korea: Seoul(Incheon) - Osaka(Kansai), Okinawa(Naha), Tokyo(Haneda) and Busan - Osaka(Kansai).
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Delta and the Seattle Seahawks Renew 12status Program for 2017-2018 Season
After providing Seattle Seahawks fans with more than 50 million miles last season, Delta Air Lines' 12status fan engagement program returns for the Seahawks' 2017 season with upgraded rewards for fans and an all-star team of ambassadors. This year, Delta will double the opportunities to earn miles by giving 12status members one mile for each passing yard during all home and away games. 12status is open to fans in the state of Washington; 2016 members can renew their eligibility by visiting www.12status.com. Fans can sign up for 12status at 12status web site to unlock perks and receive merchandise and exclusive experiences. 12status members are eligible for the following perks and rewards: One mile for every yard thrown by the Seahawks on the field at both home and away games Priority Boarding on all Delta flights out of Sea-Tac during the NFL season beginning Aug. 17, 2017 During each home game, two 12status members will be selected for an exclusive Game Day Experience that includes: Reserved parking spot in the North Parking lot at CenturyLin Field Two Delta Sky360 Club Level seats Pre-game sideline passes When the Seahawks take on the Atlanta Falcons (Nov. 20) - twelve 12status members and one guest each will win the Ultimate 12status VIP Experience that includes: Reserved parking in the North Parking lot at CenturyLink Field Two tickets in the "12status Section" where seats will be identified and recognized during the game on the Video Board Seahawks merchandise from the Pro Shop Pre-game sideline passes Post-game opportunity to kick a field goal on the turf at CenturyLink Field Twelve 12status members will receive a $120 Seahawks Pro Shop gift card each month during the season 12status members can stop by the Delta Air Lines booth in Touchdown City before each home game to pick up a special gift This season, three Seahawks players – Pro Bowl wide receiver Doug Baldwin, three-time All-Pro Linebacker Bobby Wagner, and two-time All-Pro return specialist Tyler Lockett – will serve as program ambassadors. The players will participate in campaign videos, special events and surprise appearances. The 12status digital hub allows members to keep track of miles earned during the season, as well as to keep updated on perks and exclusive offers. The hub also includes each member's official 12status SkyMiles membership badge to be used for priority boarding at Sea-Tac. In 2015, Delta and the Seahawks celebrated the extension of their sponsorship and Delta's status as Official Airline of the Seattle Seahawks. Delta provides charter service for the team to and from each road game. Delta is also represented at CenturyLink Field with a wraparound entitlement space and the Delta Sky360 Club, which spans the entire Club Level at CenturyLink Field. The airline also supports the team's five-state, 48-station Delta Air Lines Radio Network. 12status is an extension of the airline's You Can't Stop Seattle brand campaign, which reveres Seattleites for their ideas and ambition and celebrates the momentum of the city while telling the story of how Delta helps fuel Seattle's pursuits. It celebrates Delta's relationships with the city's beloved, local teams – including the Seahawks – as well as its support of community organizations close to the hearts of Delta people.You Can't Stop Seattle represents Delta's significant investments in Seattle, which have driven changes across the competitive landscape – from product enhancements, to facility improvements, to financial benefits and community investment.
