LOT plans to double passengers carried, add 11 787s by 2020

LOT Polish Airlines said it plans to more than double the number of passengers it carries annually from 4.3m in 2015 to 10m by 2020. In a strategy paper, the carrier said the growth will be achieved via a combination of short-haul expansion in Central and Eastern Europe, long-haul expansion to the US and Asia, and a growing number of transfer passengers at its Warsaw hub. The plan includes growing its Boeing 787 fleet from six currently to 17 by 2020. “Taking maximal advantage of the fact that the market [for] air services in Poland and Central and Eastern Europe is bound to grow at a much quicker pace than in other European countries is a starting point for our plan,” LOT CEO Rafał Milczarski said, adding, “We have estimated that in Poland alone the number of passengers is going to grow at about 5% per year. It is a huge opportunity for us.” In terms of long-distance flying, “we are mostly going to focus on developing flights to North America and the most important business centers in Asia,” Milczarski said. LOT will launch service to Seoul Incheon later this year and to New York Newark next year. <br/>