Lot Polish Airlines is partnering with Estonian carrier
Nordica, including plans to take as much as 49 percent of shares in Nordica
subsidiary Regional Jet as part of a strategy to consolidate markets in Central
and Eastern Europe.
On Nov. 19, Lot will begin carrying out flights between the
Estonian capital of Tallinn and each Amsterdam; Brussels; Oslo; Stockholm; Kiev,
Ukraine; Trondheim, Norway; and Vilnius, Lithuania. Regional Jet will operate
those flights. Lot also will base one of its own aircraft in Tallinn to serve
Munich. Flights will be available for booking through both Lot's and Nordica's
websites.
Additionally, Lot will use two—and eventually three—Regional
Jet aircraft for flights from Warsaw, which will make Lot's operations more
flexible, according to Lot CEO Rafał Milczarski.
Nordica, founded in 2015 after Estonian Air ceased
operations, uses Slovenian carrier Adria Airways to operate its flights, but that
agreement will end when the Lot agreement commences. Because Nordica will maintain
aircraft in Tallinn and staff them with Estonian crews, the partnership allows
Lot to "offer synergy and joint development without having to give up the
national identity," a model it hopes to carry out with other carriers in
the region, according to Milczarski.
"Contrary
to our Western competitors, we understand the national, historical and cultural
specificity of Central and Eastern Europe," he said in a statement. It's
worth it for airlines like Nordica to partner with Lot "since the few
unfortunate examples from recent years show that losing a carrier always
results in significant restrictions regarding connections with the world, as
well as outflow of foreign investments."