EUROLOT, S. A.: 17 Stycznia Str. 3900906, Warsaw, PL-00908, Poland; Phone 48 (2) 606-6467; Fax 48 (2) 606 6169; Http://www. eurolot. com. pl; Code ELO; Year Founded 1996. Eurolot is established at Warsaw on December 19, 1996 as a fully owned subsidiary of LOT Polish Airlines, S. A. With the mission of taking over the flag carrier’s domestic and regional services, especially the thin money-losing routes, President Marek Rymkiewicz’s new regional is equipped early in 1997 with eight Aero International (Regional) ATR72-202s leased from the parent.
On July 1, the ATRs launch 200 weekly roundtrips frequencies from Warsaw to 5 other Polish cities, Poznan, Krakow, Wrocklaw, Gdansk, and Szczecin. Plans are made to acquire additional turboprops and to undertake regional flights to cities in Scandinavia, Germany, Austria, and the Baltic States. Enplanements during the year total 318,500.
Five ATR42-320s are ordered in February 1998, along with three options. The first three of the new aircraft arrive in late June and permit Eurolot to develop new point-to-point city services and to operate to smaller regional airports such as Lodz and Rzeszow.
A homepage is opened on the World Wide Web in October.
Passenger boardings during the 12 months accelerate 9% to 350,000.
Airline employment at the beginning of 1999 stands at 148.
Eurolot is entirely reorganized into a purely low-cost service division of LOT Polish Airlines, S. A. on August 1,2000, losing its autonomous status. As a result, all management functions, such as sales and ticketing, revenue management, route planning, and purchasing are transferred back to the parent airline. All aircraft are now wet-leased from LOT. The changeover is part of a LOT program to rationalize its activities and cut costs.
World History
