Lotos teams up with Skytanking to take on Petrolot

"Lotos Partner, part of the refinery group, and German Skytanking plan to create a joint venture refueling planes at Polish airfields later this year. It should cater services to foreign carriers," said a person close to the company. The new entity would compete with Petrolot, formed by LOT Polish Airlines and PKN Orlen, and would, it is envisaged, service around 70 companies. According to a Puls Biznesu source, Grupa Lotos might be able to benefit from offering fuels at 'European prices,' which are much lower than current domestic ones. "The new company would have little room to maneuver, as it would have the same costs [as Petrolot]," remarked Jan Kujawa, head of Petrolot, adding that prices might even go up. (Puls Biznesu, p. 8) M.M.