Dreamy future for LOT?
LOT is in danger of missing the deadline for reserving the prime 7E7 Dreamliner production slot unless it makes up its mind soon.
Boeing's vice president of marketing, Randy Baseler, said other airlines would jump at the chance of securing a vacant early production slot. "Timing on orders is very difficult because of production timetables," he said.
At the moment, LOT is weighing up whether to replace its ageing fleet of Boeing 767s with the Airbus A330 or the new 7E7-which would make it one of the first in the world to fly the new jet. The contract is expected to be worth around zł.1.5 billion.
Baseler was on a whirlwind PR trip last week to promote the aircraft manufacturer as it trails in the wake of European rival Airbus, which scored a massive publicity coup with the launch of its giant new A380. Boeing also has to make up ground in terms of aircraft deliveries where it has lagged behind Airbus for the past two years.
The airline initially indicated it would reveal which company had won the contract at the end of last year. It postponed the decision until early January but no decision has yet been announced.
Baseler also highlighted how LOT could miss out on a wealth of technical and training support that Boeing would supply to ensure that the early models were glitch free.
"Typically when you are part of the launch team of a Boeing aircraft we have a lot of support, with training and so forth."
Boeing's vice president of marketing, Randy Baseler, said other airlines would jump at the chance of securing a vacant early production slot. "Timing on orders is very difficult because of production timetables," he said.
At the moment, LOT is weighing up whether to replace its ageing fleet of Boeing 767s with the Airbus A330 or the new 7E7-which would make it one of the first in the world to fly the new jet. The contract is expected to be worth around zł.1.5 billion.
Baseler was on a whirlwind PR trip last week to promote the aircraft manufacturer as it trails in the wake of European rival Airbus, which scored a massive publicity coup with the launch of its giant new A380. Boeing also has to make up ground in terms of aircraft deliveries where it has lagged behind Airbus for the past two years.
The airline initially indicated it would reveal which company had won the contract at the end of last year. It postponed the decision until early January but no decision has yet been announced.
Baseler also highlighted how LOT could miss out on a wealth of technical and training support that Boeing would supply to ensure that the early models were glitch free.
"Typically when you are part of the launch team of a Boeing aircraft we have a lot of support, with training and so forth."
