New ports of call
German national carrier Lufthansa plans to launch international flights from regional airports in Poland next spring. "Poland is one of the most important markets for us ... we want to start flying from one or two new Polish airports," said Karsten Benz, the airline's vice president for sales and services in Europe. He did not disclose the names of the airports. Currently, Lufthansa is present at six Polish hubs - Gdańsk, Katowice, Kraków, Poznań, Warsaw and Wrocław. That leaves Łód, Szczecin, Bydgoszcz and Rzeszów as possible choices.
Lufthansa's expansion could raise concerns for Lot. The Polish national carrier's market share fell from 43.81 percent at the end of 2005 to 34.9 percent after H1 of this year. Competition from Lufthansa (the fifth-largest player on the Polish airline market) would make it even more difficult for Lot to regain its lost market share, especially with the continued expansion of budget airlines.
But Benz plays down such worries. "All our decisions with regard to the Polish market are made after consultations with Lot," he said. The spokesperson for Lot, Leszek Chorzewski, also sees no need for concern. He explained that Lot and Lufthansa cooperate closely because of their partnership in Star Alliance. "Our connections are mutual. They display our connections as their own, we show Lufthansa's flights as ours," Chorzewski said. "If this [expansion] takes place, it will be a joint undertaking," he adds. Together Lot and Lufthansa have more than 200 flights to and from Poland per week.
