aster

Speaking of the MAX, just when you thought it couldn't get any worse after the 787 fiasco... the MAX has put an even greater dent in Boeing's already tarnished image. Is it true one of the head honchos of LOT is already claiming that the company's MAX aircraft will definitely be flying again this year?

On the funny side, this aircraft is supposedly being completely REBRANDED by some with Ryanair removing the MAX logo from it's newly bought junk, using the 737-8200 marking instead.

There has been some good news too though... namely that LOT will also consider Airbus aircraft in the future. I wouldn't put my money on it though...

hugolover

Would rather the Polska military had my back that the underfunded, under-gunned, under-tanked, under-shipped, just about under-everything German one.

Now where would such a successful Defence Minister find herself... ah.... with our dear Politburo Comeraden.

Regarding the NS lounge, its been like that after just a few weeks. The Jalpax toilets were OOS since an age. Why does the door to the washrooms have a lock on it? I just lock out the pax.

aster

Today 'Polska military' sounds like an oxymoron. All capable, hi-ranking military officials have been expelled because the current banana-republic gov't only wants obedient clowns at its disposal (I wonder why?). Contracts for any serious weaponry have been cancelled, with only propaganda talk given instead (F35s... LMAO).

The biggest "investment" right now is actually in a boy scout-type brigade where delusional idiots pretend they are the first line of defense against "green men" from across the eastern frontier. The only problem is that those "green men" are actually elite, well-trained special forces, whereas the local "boy scouts" pretending to play toy soldiers are a bunch of amateurs on a camping trip. What a joke. It would actually be funny if this wasn't Polska military 2019...

megaloman

Name `-8200` was used since 2017 for high density version of 737-MAX8 which Ryanair has ordered. More on FlightGlobal.

aster

Exactly.

Ryanair wants the MAX reference to disappear completely, instead choosing to use an old, obscure reference. They simply DO NOT WANT to see the letters MAX shown on their MAX 8 after a combined 346 people have already died onboard Boeing's state-of-the-art aircraft.

Interesting times indeed.

N1003U

I am sure that helps, and they can save by bundling the service contract with the existing F-16s. On the other hand, SOMEONE on the EU continent has to have a functional air force...

marcoos

AlicorporateUK

aster

Lots of countries do. What's really needed though is more European integration that eventually leads to EU forces and military units being formed to protect the EU's external borders.

Otherwise in case of any real scenario it'll be a toss up as to which NATO countries react and in what way, especially with the White House run by a Putin-loving moron.

iLied

The MAX’s are in the system now for February at least

hugolover

AlicorporateUK

lhrpete

LOT is apparently thinking big about long haul expansion:

https://airlinerwatch.com/lot-polish...widebody-jets/

I think the odds on an A220/A350 order are tiny and they will go for more Embraers and the 787.

Oh that they would replace their 7M8s with A20Ns!

megaloman

I guess it's 50/50 they could replace Embraers with A220s... Boeing will give LOT big enough reason to stick with 787s.

A350 would be lovely, but with their small fleet it makes no sense - A350 is so different to 787s/7M8s that only full fleet replacement would make sense, but doubt LOT can afford it.

yurtripper

G beat me to the punch here but I totally agree. The EU would take 6 months just to decide on a resolution endorsing a military response (and then still have to debate how to go about implementing it). The examples from Former Yugoslavia and Libya are very instructive when it comes to the enormous difficulties of non nation-state actors (other than NATO) providing rapid or effective military responses. And let's not even talk about the UNPROFOR debacles in places like Bosnia.

Also, the UK - which is soon to leave the EU - provides 40% of its military power, 50% of its nuclear capability and 50% of its UNSC votes. So not exactly a great platform for the EU to shape itself as a military entity once the UK is gone.

There's a great book about what happened in FY with UNPROFOR etc during the civil wars called "Trusted Mole" by Milos Stankovic (who worked for the British). Here's a quote from it.

"Net result: NATO first, Croats second, Serbs third, Muslims fourth and UN last. Ironic, isn’t it? The winner in a peace support operation is a warfighting machine. The loser is the peace organisation. And, the very people the international community was hell-bent on helping came last in the local league."