There is a crisis in this market just like anywhere else in Europe. Plenty of pilots, both more and less experienced, looking for work, which there is none of.

Only decent airline "hiring" or so they say.. is Wizzair, and have a very strange selection process from what I understand and hear.

And even for the occasional and rare job opening, without a type rating, or the will to buy your own, and usually some good connections you are pretty much **** out of luck.

Edit : Yes, maybe euroLOT soon is the rumor, but there have already been a few rumors like that since the last intake. Last recruitment took on a handful of guys, from what I heard pay for your own residence throughout training, 5 year bond, during which they take 1,000PLN from your already poor salary to pay off the 60,000PLN for the type-rating. I suppose a decent deal for someone with perhaps no job and other options/perspectives in this market.

:ugh:

That was the case for the last intake, which was into the right seat of the ATR. No intakes yet for the Dash. What deal they will come up with for the Dash is another question. You can probably be safe to assume itll be similar to the guys on the ATR. Good luck boys and girls! Tough market, but there is work out there, just got to know the right people to get it :ok:

Eurolot looking for 60 pilots for Dash Q400 -- anyone who speaks Polish and holds 500 TT (preferably with MCC) stands a chance!

Good news! 60 is a lot? Like for 10 airplanes?

Unfortunately, LOT wants to lay off about 100 pilots, so there is still status quo.
It is connected with the fact that LOT gives back all EMB170s and all 737s.

Its actually not confirmed yet with LOT. 600 employees to go, but exact numbers of pilots not yet confirmed. It is going to flood the market though. Depending how they fire these guys... from the bottom or the top. :eek:

What a year!
At the beginning, there was no chances, that I'll find a job, than, when OLT start's their short life, it was almost sure, that I'll have a job, because a lot of pilots, go for OLT. Than, OLT bankrupt, laid off hundred of pilots, again, no chances for a work, than Eurolot announces, that they will buy another Q-400, and will hire 60 pilots, yeeeee here I come, untill LOT announces, that they will get rid of some pilots, because of poor financial situation.
Year more like that, and I'll have heart attack.!!
It's time to move to Indonesia?....

So it must be a joke on aviationsjobs.me site that LOT is hiring EMB170 pilots added just 3 days ago? Sad joke...

^ Somebody has a good sense of humor. :D

From the Wall Street Journal:
Ailing Polish Airline LOT to Shrink - Emerging Europe Real Time - WSJ

Nie dobrze, as they say in Poland! But there seems to be a silver lining for EuroLOT, as they will pick up LOT's domestic routes and a number of European ones. In such a price-sensitive market, flying turboprops on domestic and short(ish) regional routes is probably the only cost-effective option.

Does anyone have a link to ELO's Financial health, as they seem to be doing much better than the parent airline?

Cheers :cool:

If I were a LOT Embraer Captain I would bid that 787 as an FO just to get the marketable type rating.

Is Wizzair not still hiring in Poland? Hopefully some LOT pilots could find positions with Wizzair.

Incident: Travel Service B738 at Katowice on Mar 12th 2013, overran runway on landing

Cheers :cool:

KTW
 

EPKT/KTW airport runway when wet, or snowy is very slippery. Or at least it was when I was based there for 12 months in 2009/10.

It was at the time, a block paving former Eastern bloc type runway. Not sure whether it still is, but I suspect so.

Our airport briefings package was updated to a CAT B airport status, in order to reflect this phenomena. I believe that Ryanair also followed suit - or at least made reference to this in their subsequent crew briefs.

It looks a nice, long runway. But, the reality to based crews was that when the above conditions existed was that the runway was deemed about 25 - 33% shorter than declared TODA/LDA.

It still is a concrete-slab Warsaw Pact-era runway - anything but smooth. There are plans to either build a new parrallel runway and turn the current 09/27 into a parrallel taxiway, or to have it fully resurfaced in (hopefully grooved) tarmac. Maybe these plans will now get some urgency...

Cheers :cool:

Bingo airways are hiring quite a lot of pilots - 12 in total. Probably no chance for non TR guys...

LOT Polish Airlines Classic 737
 

According to “world air fleets” LOT has still two classic 737 in service

LOT Polish Airlines Fleet of B737 (Active) | Airfleets aviation
Is that true? And if yes I wonder why? Wouldn`t it be better to run a homogeneous fleet in order to reduce costs (Crew training, spare parts etc.)?

Eurolot...
 

Hi guys, do you have any updates on new Dash 8 deliveries and potential jobs in ELO (time scale for deliveries, numbers of aeroplanes to come and pilots to hire)? Thanks a lot.

Acc to latest news LOT Polish will return 15 Embraers, lease out 2 B787s, lay off 800 eployees and stop flying to Athens, Beirut, Barcelona, Zurich, Dusseldorf, Helsinki, Cairo and Berlin.

From Anna.aero:

"eurolot has inaugurated two operations on 3 September. The first network addition is between Rzeszów (RZE) in Poland and Paris Beauvais (BVA) in France. The new 1,430-kilometre sector is being offered twice-weekly by the airline partnered with LOT Polish Airlines and uses Bombardier Q400s to serve its only French destination. The second introduction is being offered to Rome Fiumicino (FCO), the carrier’s only Italian destination. The new route is also offered twice-weekly using Bombardier Q400s and has a 1,194-kilometre sector length. Both new services marketed by the Polish carrier have no competition and are the airline’s only flights from Rzeszów. Paris Beauvais cancelled its plans for a route launch celebratory water arch, however Rzeszów saved the day with a double arch to salute the two operations launched by eurolot that day".

Cheers :cool:

LOT significantly improves its financial results

16th December 2013


The Polish air carrier this year expects to lose some zł.120 million less than previously expected


Instead of the previously projected zł.142 million loss for 2013, Polish state-owned air carrier LOT now estimates that its net loss should be at zł.20 million, CEO Sebastian Mikosz said while announcing the airline’s latest financial results last week.


The troubled national carrier has been losing money for years now, and earlier in 2013 received some zł.400 million in state aid to avoid bankruptcy. This financial help has been the subject of investigation by the European Commission over whether it was in line with EU competition laws. Mr Mikosz expects to have the decision announced within the next few months.

In order to justify the state aid, the company had to make several concessions. It reduced its employment and the number of planes it uses, also slimming its route network significantly. Furthermore, starting from April 2014, LOT will fly internationally from Warsaw Chopin airport only.

Such cuts have helped save the company money, despite fewer passengers – a drop of five percent – flying so far this year. In January-November 2013, LOT improved its net result on core operations by zł.111 million compared to the plan. The third quarter was especially good, the firm said, as it had a net profit on core operations of zł.100.5 million compared to zł.20 million in Q3 2012.

Mr Mikosz added that the company hopes to become profitable next year and bring zł.71 million in profits for 2014. The rescue plan is supposed to be in force until late 2015. Only after that date will LOT be able to expand its flight network.

Dreamliner compensation

LOT and Boeing have also announced that they have reached a settlement on compensation for the grounding of the carrier’s 787 Dreamliner fleet.

All of the latest Boeing planes were out of service between January and June, with the Polish air carrier estimating that it has lost some zł.100 million due to the grounded planes. Both companies did not reveal the details of the agreement, with LOT CEO Sebastian Mikosz saying only that the deal is satisfactory for both parties. According to various media reports, the Polish airline received about zł.100 million in compensation, which is what it asked for initially.

LOT currently has five Dreamliners, with the sixth scheduled to join the fleet in March. The plane will most likely have to be leased out as the reduction in routes means the Polish air carrier will have no use for it.

Still in need

However, despite an improvement in financial results, the company will still need additional help from the treasury. Mr Mikosz said that the company is postponing such a decision so that the aid will be as small as possible, but with the worst months for air travel – January and February – fast approaching, it likely won’t be able to avoid it. According to its rescue plan, LOT was supposed to receive an additional zł.380 million from the state, but Mr Mikosz maintains that it won’t need that much.

Jacek Ciesnowski

From Warsaw Business Journal

Cheers :cool: