Lufthansa's anointed chairman Christoph Franz gave a broad
hint on Thursday that the German flag carrier will make LOT Polish Airlines its
next acquisition.
Speaking to the Munich-based newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung about LOT's planned privatization in 2011,
Franz said, "This is a change in ownership which we cannot ignore. Poland
needs a strong airline. It cannot be in the country's interests if other
airlines gain marketshare at the expense of LOT."
Lufthansa confirmed to BTN
that the comments were reported accurately but refused to elaborate further.
The two airlines held exploratory talks about a sale in May
2009 at a time when LOT was struggling severely with the global financial
crisis. Since then, its performance has improved significantly. In the first
seven months of 2010, it carried 2.2 million scheduled passengers, 9 percent
above the same period in 2009 and also above its comparable 2008 figures.
Losses have reduced substantially.
In recent years, Lufthansa also has acquired Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and BMI British Midland. Currently deputy chairman,
Franz will replace Wolfgang Mayrhuber as chairman in January.