SAS rumored to be planning purchase of LOT shares

The Swedish press is reporting that talks are under way between SAS and Swissair on the repurchase by the Swedish airline of a 37.6% stake in Poland's national carrier, LOT. Quoting unofficial SAS sources, Sweden's biggest-selling economic daily Dagens Industri says that the rumors are in line with a statement made by new SAS chairman Joergen Lindegaard at the beginning of the month in which he said that the company's focus would be on expanding its operations in the Baltic area, including Poland. Spokesman for LOT, Leszek Chorzewski, declined to comment on the reports. However, he did stress that its cooperation with Swissair was very good for the Polish carrier, and that LOT's market position had improved as a result. The rumors of the SAS bid come just a few weeks after the company's decision to halt flights into the northwestern Polish city of Szczecin, and LOT's announcement of plans to expand its operations in Sweden to the city of Goteborg. (Rzeczpospolita, p.B3, Puls Biznesu, p.17) M.T.