118-532: LOT Polish Airlines , legally incorporated as Polskie Linie Lotnicze LOT S.A. ( Polish pronunciation: [lɔt] , flight ), is the flag carrier of Poland . It is a founding member of IATA and remains one of the world's oldest airlines in operation. With a fleet of 80 aircraft as of August 2024, LOT Polish Airlines is the 18th largest operator in Europe, serving 105 domestic and international destinations across Europe, Asia and North America. The airline
236-644: A public company or a state-owned enterprise , while others have been completely privatized . The aviation industry has also been gradually deregulated and liberalized, permitting greater freedoms of the air particularly in the United States and in the European Union with the signing of the Open Skies agreement. One of the features of such agreements is the right of a country to designate multiple airlines to serve international routes with
354-799: A state-owned enterprise (Przedsiębiorstwo Państwowe Polskie Linie Lotnicze 'LOT'), which would mainly fly Soviet-built aircraft, owing to the tensions of the Cold War and Poland being a member of the Warsaw Pact . In 1946, seven years after service was first suspended, the airline restarted its operations after receiving ten Soviet-built ex-Air Force Lisunov Li-2 Ts, then further passenger Li-2Ps and nine Douglas C-47s . Both domestic and international services restarted that year, first to Berlin, Paris, Stockholm and Prague . In 1947 there were added routes to Bucharest, Budapest, Belgrad and Copenhagen. Five modern, although troublesome SE.161 Languedoc joined
472-579: A Polonez Lounge at Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport in 2018. It is an exclusive zone within LOT Business Lounge Polonez where passengers can work peacefully and have rest in a comfort. It includes quiet relaxation zone, place to work and upgraded food and beverage menu. It's a business lounge that offers unique views of the apron. Flag carrier A flag carrier is a transport company, such as an airline or shipping company, that, being locally registered in
590-509: A blue tail fin and rudder. The Polish flag was much larger on the tail, while the crane logo was above the flag, on a white circle. There was also another Polish flag on the cheatline, behind the cockpit. On Il-18s and Il-62s, the cheatline was narrower, below the window line. LOT's iconic livery was introduced in 1977 and has undergone no major changes. The livery is essentially a predominantly white scheme with elements of traditional aviation design incorporated. The latter elements were visible in
708-799: A certificate under Section 401 of the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 (i.e., any U.S.-based airline operating internationally), and any ship registered in the United States is known as a U.S. flag vessel . The term "flag carrier" is a legacy of the early days of commercial aviation when governments often took the lead by establishing state-owned airlines because of the high capital costs of running them. However, not all such airlines were government-owned; Pan Am , TWA , Cathay Pacific , Union de Transports Aériens , Canadian Pacific Air Lines and Olympic Airlines were all privately owned, but were considered to be flag carriers as they were
826-399: A charter flight and a regular flight to New York City in 1973. LOT began service on its first Far East destination – Bangkok via Dubai and Bombay in 1977. In 1977 the airline's current livery (despite occasional changes, notably in corporate typography) designed by Roman Duszek and Andrzej Zbrożek, with the large 'LOT' inscription in blue on the front fuselage , and a blue tailplane
944-433: A codeshare agreement with JetBlue to increase the number of onward connections available to its customers. In July 2012 it was announced that a planned sale of a major stake in the airline to Turkish Airlines would not go ahead. The main problem was the inability of Turkish Airlines to own a majority stake as it is a non- European Union company. Amidst a restructuring plan which saw the airline return to profitability for
1062-792: A development company established in 1994 by Prime Minister Rafic Hariri . The city has hosted both the Asian Club Basketball Championship and the Asian Football Cup, and has hosted the Miss Europe pageant nine times: 1960–1964, 1999, 2001–2002, and 2016. Rafic Hariri was assassinated in 2005 near the Saint George Hotel in Beirut. A month later about one million people gathered for an opposition rally in Beirut. The Cedar Revolution
1180-448: A given sovereign state , enjoys preferential rights or privileges accorded by the government for international operations. Historically, the term was used to refer to airlines owned by the government of their home country and associated with the national identity of that country. Such an airline may also be known as a national airline or a national carrier , although this can have different legal meanings in some countries. Today, it
1298-570: A huge fire erupted in an oil and tyre warehouse in the port's duty-free zone, on 10 September 2020. Beirut sits on a peninsula extending westward into the Mediterranean Sea . It is flanked by the Lebanon Mountains and has taken on a triangular shape, largely influenced by its situation between and atop two hills: Al- Ashrafieh and Al-Musaytibah. The Beirut Governorate occupies 18 square kilometres (6.9 sq mi), and
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#17327651827651416-482: A massive garbage crisis, mainly from July 2015 up to March 2016. The issue began when authorities shut down the main landfill site originally used for Beirut's garbage south-east of the city and failed to provide any alternative solutions for months. As a result, garbage mounted in the streets in Greater Beirut and caused protests to erupt, which sometimes invoked police action. This problem was commonly blamed on
1534-703: A milestone passengers-carried figure of 3 million customers in one year; such an expansion led to the reconstruction of much of LOT's ground infrastructure, and by 2002 a new central Warsaw head office was opened on Ul. 17 Stycznia. On 26 October 2003, LOT, after the collapse of the Qualiflyer Group , became the 14th member of the Star Alliance . By 2006 a new base of operations, with the reconstruction of Warsaw Chopin Airport , had opened, thus allowing LOT's full transit airline potential to be developed for
1652-427: A net loss of US$ 365.2 million in 2020, with a loss in sales of $ 138.1 million. Currently, the airline is wholly owned by Polish Aviation Group (Polish: Polska Grupa Lotnicza S. A. ), a Polish state-owned holding company. LOT was intended to be privatised in 2011. Although advanced talks were undertaken with Turkish Airlines a deal failed to materialise. This was largely due to the inability of Turkish Airlines, as
1770-700: A new flight to Beijing, but this lasted just a month, in the period before the Olympics. The reason for failure to continue this service was given as the need to route aircraft via an air corridor to the south of Kazakhstan (as LOT did not have permission for flights over Siberia from the Russian government) which was making the services too long and thus unprofitable. LOT started new services to Yerevan , Armenia, Beirut , Lebanon and resumed Tallinn , Estonia, Kaliningrad , Russia, Gothenburg , Sweden and Bratislava , Slovakia with its newly acquired Embraer aircraft in
1888-731: A new national government involving all the political adversaries. As a result of the Doha Agreement , the opposition's barricades were dismantled and so were the opposition's protest camps in Martyrs' Square . On 19 October 2012, a car bomb killed eight people in the Beirut's neighborhood of Achrafiyeh , including Brigadier General Wissam al-Hassan , chief of the Intelligence Bureau of the Internal Security Forces . In addition, 78 others were wounded in
2006-401: A non-EU airline, to buy a majority of the airline. LOT lost 145.5 million złote (PLN) in 2011, compared to a 163.1 million PLN loss in 2010. LOT saw a return to profitability in 2016, with profits of 183.5 million and more than 280 million PLN respectively. The profits led the then finance minister Mateusz Morawiecki to suggest they were a result of his government's policies. He also accused
2124-401: A private company called Venus Towers Real Estate Development Company to destroy the ruins (archaeological site BEY194) in the $ 500 million construction project of three skyscrapers and a garden behind Hotel Monroe in downtown Beirut. Two later reports by an international committee of archaeologists appointed by Layoun, including Hanz Curver, and an expert report by Ralph Pederson, a member of
2242-677: A regional intellectual capital, becoming a major tourist destination and a banking haven, especially for the Persian Gulf oil boom. Beirut International Airport was opened on 23 April 1954. This era of relative prosperity ended in 1975 when the Lebanese Civil War broke out throughout the country, During most of the war, Beirut was divided between the Muslim west part and the Christian east. The downtown area, previously
2360-422: Is any international airline with a strong connection to its home country or that represents its home country internationally, regardless of whether it is government-owned. Flag carriers may also be known as such due to laws requiring aircraft or ships to display the state flag of the country of their registry . For example, under the law of the United States, a U.S. flag air carrier is any airline that holds
2478-511: Is determined by miles flown during one calendar year with specific partners. Membership levels include Basic (no minimal threshold), Frequent Traveller (Silver, 35,000-mile threshold), Senator (Gold, 100,000-mile threshold), and HON Circle (Black, 600,000-mile threshold over two calendar years). All non-basic Miles & More status levels offer lounge access and executive bonus miles, with the higher levels offering more exclusive benefits. LOT operates, in cooperation with PPL (Polish State Airports),
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#17327651827652596-468: Is mild and rainy; frost has never been recorded. Summer is prolonged, hot and humid. The prevailing wind during the afternoon and evening is from the west (onshore, blowing in from the Mediterranean); at night it reverses to offshore, blowing from the land out to sea. The average annual rainfall is 825 millimetres (32.5 in), with the large majority of it falling from October to April. Much of
2714-530: Is the capital and largest city of Lebanon . As of 2014 , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the fourth-largest city in the Levant region and the sixteenth-largest in the Arab world . The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coast. Beirut has been inhabited for more than 5,000 years, making it one of
2832-453: The 5th Macedonian and the 3rd Gallic Legions . Berytus's law school was widely known; two of Rome's most famous jurists, Papinian and Ulpian , were natives of Phoenicia and taught there under the Severan emperors. Ecclesiastical historian Sozomen studied at the law school in Beirut between 400-402. When Justinian assembled his Pandects in the 6th century, a large part of
2950-637: The Battle of Tigranocerta , Armenia forever lost their holdings in Syria and Beirut was conquered by Roman general Pompey . Laodicea was conquered by Pompey in 64 BC and the name Berytus was restored to it. The city was assimilated into the Roman Empire , soldiers were sent there, and large building projects were undertaken. From the 1st century BC, the Bekaa Valley served as a source of grain for
3068-794: The Boeing 767-300 in March 1990, ATR 72 in August 1991, Boeing 737-500 in December 1992 and finally the Boeing 737-400 in April 1993. From the mid-1980s to early 1990s LOT flew from Warsaw to Chicago, Edmonton, Montreal, Newark, New York City and Toronto. These routes were primarily inaugurated to serve the large Polish communities ( Polonia ) present in North America. LOT was among the first Central European airlines to operate American aircraft when
3186-790: The German Crusade of 1197 . John of Ibelin , known as the Old Lord of Beirut, was granted the lordship of the city in 1204. He rebuilt the city after its destruction by the Ayyubids and also built the House of Ibelin palace in Beirut. In 1291 Beirut was captured and the Crusaders expelled by the Mamluk army of Sultan al-Ashraf Khalil . Under the Ottoman sultan Selim I (1512–1520),
3304-629: The Polish spelling reform of that year from Polskie Linje Lotnicze 'LOT' to Polskie Linie Lotnicze 'LOT'. That same year, a well-publicised transatlantic test flight from Los Angeles via Buenos Aires, Natal , Dakar to Warsaw, aimed at judging the feasibility of introducing passenger service on the Poland-United States route, was successfully executed. There were plans to open services to London and Moscow, and even transatlantic service in 1940. The airline had carried 218,000 passengers before
3422-490: The Polish white and red flag was added on a rudder. From the early 1950s, a thin blue cheatline was introduced below the window line, starting with a stylized bird in front. Some aircraft flew in military schemes (green and light blue or olive drab and grey). This livery featured blue mid-level broad cheatline on the window line, with the fuselage a white colour above the cheatline and unpainted below. Early versions of this livery also featured thin blue stripes above and below
3540-548: The Roman provinces of the Levant and even for Rome itself. Under Claudius , Berytus expanded to reach the Bekaa Valley and include Heliopolis (Baalbek) . The city was settled by Roman colonists who promoted agriculture in the region. As a result of this settlement, the city quickly became Romanized , and the city became the only mainly Latin-speaking area in the Syria-Phoenicia province . In 14 BC, during
3658-534: The oldest cities in the world. Beirut is Lebanon's seat of government and plays a central role in the Lebanese economy , with many banks and corporations based in the city. Beirut is an important seaport for the country and region, and rated a Beta + World City by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network . Beirut was severely damaged by the Lebanese Civil War , the 2006 Lebanon War , and
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3776-446: The "Flying Crane" (designed by a visual artist from Warsaw , Tadeusz Gronowski, and still in use today) was picked as the winning entry of the airline's logo design competition. In the same year, the company's first multi-segment international flight along the route Warsaw – Lwów – Czerniowce – Bucharest was launched. In next years there followed services to Berlin , Athens , Helsinki , Budapest , including some waypoints. By 1939
3894-531: The "main national airline" and often a sign of their country's presence abroad. The heavily regulated aviation industry also meant aviation rights are often negotiated between governments, denying airlines access to an open market. These Bilateral Air Transport Agreements similar to the Bermuda I and Bermuda II agreements specify rights awardable only to locally registered airlines, forcing some governments to jump-start airlines to avoid being disadvantaged in
4012-679: The 'Polonez' Business Lounge at Warsaw Chopin Airport . The lounge is accessible to anyone with a business class ticket for travel with LOT or any other Star Alliance member airline, and those who are members of a Star Alliance 'Gold' loyalty program (such as Miles & More Senator status) or the Polish State Airports authority's 'Good Start' program. Some examples of services offered to passengers include business conferencing facilities, internet access, workspace, local, national and foreign-language media (newspapers and television) and individual access to an Apple iPad . LOT also opened
4130-560: The 2020 massive explosion in the Port of Beirut . Its architectural and demographic structure underwent major change in recent decades. The English name Beirut is an early transcription of the Arabic name Bayrūt ( بيروت ). The same name's transcription into French is Beyrouth , which was sometimes used during Lebanon's French mandate . The Arabic name derives from Phoenician bēʾrūt ( 𐤁𐤀𐤓𐤕 bʾrt ). This
4248-886: The Boeing 767 was introduced; the 767s were used to operate LOT's longest-ever connection, to Singapore. By the end of 1989 LOT had achieved much: it had hosted that year's IATA congress and reached a milestone annual load-factor of 2.3 million passengers carried over the year. In 1990 LOT's third Boeing 767-300 landed at Warsaw Chopin Airport and not long after Boeing 737 and ATR 72 aircraft were acquired for use on LOT's expanded route network, which began to include new international destinations such as Kyiv , Lviv , Minsk and Vilnius . Soon thereafter, in 1993, LOT began to expand its Western-European operations, inaugurating, in quick succession, flights to Oslo , Frankfurt and Düsseldorf ; operations at Poland's other regional airports outside Warsaw were also duly expanded around this time. In 1994
4366-454: The Empire. The council was elected by an assembly of city notables and played an instrumental role governing the city through the following decades. In 1888, Beirut was made capital of a vilayet (governorate) in Syria, including the sanjaks (prefectures) Latakia, Tripoli, Beirut, Acre and Bekaa. By this time, Beirut had grown into a cosmopolitan city and had close links with Europe and
4484-600: The IDF targeted Hezbollah's main media outlets. There were then artillery raids against targets in southern Lebanon, and the Israeli cabinet held Beirut responsible for the attacks. Then on 13 July 2006 Israel began implementing a naval and air blockade over Lebanon; during this blockade Israel bombed the runways at Beirut International Airport and the major Beirut-Damascus highway in Eastern Lebanon. In May 2008, after
4602-496: The Levant immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks. On 4 August 2020, a massive explosion in the Port of Beirut resulted in the death of at least 203 people (with an additional three missing) and the wounding of more than 6,500. Foreigners from at least 22 countries were among the casualties. Furthermore, at least 108 Bangladeshis were injured in the blasts, making them the most affected foreign community. The cause of
4720-527: The Middle East, and eventually launching transatlantic flights to North America in the early 1970s. In the post-1989 era, following the fall of communism in Poland , LOT transitioned to Western aircraft, including the acquisition of Boeing 767 for long-haul routes. The airline joined the Star Alliance in 2003. In 2012, LOT became the first European operator of Boeing 787 Dreamliner . In recent years,
4838-610: The Ottoman parliament and President of the Municipality of Beirut. Given his modern way of life, the emergence of Salim Ali Salam as a public figure constituted a transformation in terms of the social development of the city. In his 2003 book entitled Beirut and its Seven Families , Yussef Bin Ahmad Bin Ali Al Husseini says: The seven families of Beirut are the families who bonded among each other and made
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4956-516: The Ottomans conquered Syria including present-day Lebanon . Beirut was controlled by local Druze emirs throughout the Ottoman period. One of them, Fakhr-al-Din II , fortified it early in the 17th century, but the Ottomans reclaimed it in 1763. With the help of Damascus , Beirut successfully broke Acre's monopoly on Syrian maritime trade and for a few years supplanted it as the main trading center in
5074-587: The Polish Aviation Group (Polska Grupa Lotnicza or PGL) announced that it would acquire Condor Flugdienst . On 2 April 2020 it was announced that the sale had fallen through. The company temporarily suspended operations on 15 March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic , and domestic Polish flights restarted only on 1 June 2020, while international flights were resumed on a very limited basis from 1 July 2020. In July 2021, LOT Polish Airlines recorded
5192-573: The Polish and Russian governments in November 2011. As a result of the new agreement, LOT received new take-off and landing slots at Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport . Although delayed from the original plans, LOT began flights to Tokyo on 13 January 2016, with flights three times per week. In 2010/11 LOT also announced its new 'East meets West' route expansion policy, which saw the airline add several new Asian destinations to its schedule over
5310-761: The Romanian government. For the duration of the Second World War, the airline suspended operations. After the Soviet occupation of Poland, from August 1944 until December 1945 the Polish Air Force maintained basic transport in the country; from March 1945 there were regular routes maintained by Civil Aviation Department of the Air Force. On 10 March 1945 the Polish government recreated the LOT airline, as
5428-642: The Rue el Arz area, are two sites discovered by Lorraine Copeland, Peter Wescombe , and Marina Hayek in 1964 and examined by Diana Kirkbride and Roger Saidah. One site was behind the parking lot of the Byblos Cinema and showed collapsed walls, pits, floors, charcoal, pottery and flints. The other, overlooking a cliff west of the Rivoli Cinema, was composed of three layers resting on limestone bedrock. Fragments of blades and broad flakes were recovered from
5546-484: The United States. It also became a centre of missionary activity that spawned educational institutions such as the American University of Beirut . Provided with water from a British company and gas from a French one, silk exports to Europe came to dominate the local economy. After French engineers established a modern harbour in 1894 and a rail link across Lebanon to Damascus and Aleppo in 1907, much of
5664-462: The airline faced a failed privatization attempt and a temporary suspension of operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic . Most of the destinations originate from its hub at Warsaw Chopin Airport . Since 2018, LOT has maintained one long-haul route from Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport in Hungary where it operates regularly scheduled flights to Seoul all year round. When the airline
5782-531: The airline signed a codesharing agreement with American Airlines on flights to and from Warsaw as well as onward flights in the United States and Poland operated by both companies; flights to Thessaloniki, Zagreb and Nice were inaugurated, and according to an IATA report, in this year LOT had the youngest fleet of any airline in the world. After years of planning, in 1997 LOT set up a sister airline, EuroLOT, which, essentially operating as its parent airline's regional subsidiary, took over domestic flights. The airline
5900-678: The approval of the Minister of the State Treasury, begun a process of selling shares to the Swiss company SAirGroup Holding, this then led to the airline's incorporation into the then-nascent Qualiflyer Group. Expansion of LOT's route network continued in the early 2000s and the potential of the airline's hub at Warsaw Chopin Airport to become a major transit airport was realised with more and more success. In 2000 LOT took delivery of its largest-ever order of 11 aircraft and by 2001 had reached
6018-531: The area. Beirut IV ( Furn esh-Shebbak , river banks) was also on the left bank of the river and on either side of the road leading eastwards from the Furn esh Shebbak police station towards the river that marked the city limits. The area was covered in red sand that represented Quaternary river terraces . The site was found by Jesuit Father Dillenseger and published by fellow Jesuits Godefroy Zumoffen, Raoul Describes and Auguste Bergy. Collections from
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#17327651827656136-436: The autumn and spring rain falls in heavy downpours on a limited number of days, but in winter it is spread more evenly over many days. Summer receives very little rainfall, if any. Snow is rare, except in the mountainous eastern suburbs, where snowfall occurs due to the region's high altitudes. Hail (which can often be heavy) occurs a few times per year, mostly during winter. Lebanon, especially Beirut and its suburbs, suffered
6254-473: The blast is believed to be from government-confiscated and stored ammonium nitrate . As many as 300,000 people have been left homeless by the explosion. Protesters in Lebanon called on the government on 8 August 2020 for the end of the alleged negligence that resulted in the 4 August explosion. On 10 August 2020, as a result of the protests, Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced his resignation. Weeks later,
6372-519: The bombing. It was the largest attack in the capital since 2008. On 27 December 2013, a car bomb exploded in the Central District killing at least five people, including the former Lebanese ambassador to the U.S. Mohamad Chatah , and wounding 71 others. In the 12 November 2015 Beirut bombings , two suicide bombers detonated explosives outside a mosque and inside a bakery, killing 43 people and injuring 200. The Islamic State of Iraq and
6490-434: The central government. Moreover, Beirut has a lack of green areas with just two main public gardens (sanayeh and horch Beirut). In fact, concrete roofs cover 80% of the capital area. Beirut is divided into 12 quarters ( quartiers ): These quarters are divided into 59 sectors ( secteurs ). Badaro is an edgy, bohemian style neighborhood, within the green district of Beirut ( secteur du parc ) which also include
6608-627: The centre of the Marxist–Leninist world, and to Vienna . Services to London and Zürich were not re-established until 1958, and to Rome until 1960. Nine Ilyushin Il-18 turboprop airliners were introduced in June 1961, leading to the establishment of routes to Africa and the Middle East, and in 1963 LOT expanded its routes to serve Cairo . In the 1970s there were added lines to Baghdad , Beirut , Benghazi , Damascus and Tunis . The Antonov An-24
6726-399: The cheatline and a white tail, with small black crane logo on the fin and medium-size Polish flag on the rudder. Above the cheatline there was black inscription in italics: POLSKIE LINIE LOTNICZE »LOT« . There was also a long black stylized crane below the cockpit on most aircraft. In the early 1960s, the scheme was modernized and featured the blue cheatline without upper and lower stripes, and
6844-464: The city into a major port and commercial center. This boom in cross-regional trade allowed certain groups, such as the Sursock family , to establish trade and manufacturing empires that further strengthened Beirut's position as a key partner in the interests of imperial dynasties. Meanwhile, Ottoman power in the region continued to decline. Sectarian and religious conflicts, power vacuums, and changes in
6962-443: The city's metropolitan area 67 square kilometres (26 sq mi). The coast is rather diverse, with rocky beaches, sandy shores and cliffs situated beside one another. Beirut has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate ( Köppen : Csa , bordering on As , Trewartha : Csal ) characterized by mild days and nights, as its coastal location allows temperatures to be moderated by the sea . Autumn and spring are warm, but short. Winter
7080-617: The coming years. The policy aimed to take advantage of LOT's perspectives as a transit airline and the substantial passenger growth seen on Europe-Asia flights in recent years. Also, in line with this policy LOT introduced premium economy class on all Boeing 787 aircraft. Additionally, lie-flat seats are available in business class and all of the airline's new long-haul aircraft have been fitted with Thales personal entertainment systems. In June 2012 LOT announced all services to New York would be centralized from Newark and JFK Terminal 4 to JFK Terminal 1 from October 2012. It would also enter into
7198-598: The corpus of laws was derived from these two jurists, and in AD 533 Justinian recognised the school as one of the three official law schools of the empire. In 551, a major earthquake struck Berytus, causing widespread damage. The earthquake reduced cities along the coast to ruins and killed many, 30,000 in Berytus alone by some measurements. As a result, the students of the law school were transferred to Sidon . Salvage excavations since 1993 have yielded new insights in
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#17327651827657316-500: The country's political situation. This garbage crisis birthed a movement called " You Stink " which was directed at the country's politicians. In March 2016, the government came up with a so-called temporary solution to establish two new landfills East and South of the city to store the garbage, while several municipalities across the country, in an unprecedented move, began recycling and managing waste more efficiently, building waste-management facilities and relying on themselves rather than
7434-427: The delivery of new Boeing 787 long-haul aircraft in 2011/12, LOT introduced a new livery. This design was intended to retain the tradition and spirit of LOT with no major or radical changes to the livery applied to the airline's aircraft. The blue nose and broad cheat-line were removed; the 'POLSKIE LINIE LOTNICZE' title on each aircraft's starboard side was replaced with the words 'POLISH AIRLINES'. The tailplane's design
7552-478: The design of the LOT livery as an area of dark blue under the cockpit windscreen, the long cheat-line painted down the side of the fuselage and the large traditional logo which is emblazoned on the tailplane. Ilyushin Il-62 aircraft were named after famous Polish people, with the first-named Mikołaj Kopernik . The five Boeing 767s LOT ordered from Boeing were named after Polish cities. The used and short term leased 767s LOT operated did not get names. This practise
7670-449: The eastern quarter of the city, but Christian militias defeated multiple attempts by Syria's elite forces to capture the strategic area in a three-month campaign later known as the Hundred Days' War . Another destructive chapter was the 1982 Lebanon War , during which most of West Beirut was under siege by Israeli troops. In 1983, French and US barracks were bombed , killing 241 American servicemen, 58 French servicemen, six civilians and
7788-421: The face of foreign competition. Some countries also establish flag carriers such as Israel 's El Al or Lebanon 's Middle East Airlines for nationalist reasons or to aid the country's economy, particularly in the area of tourism. In many cases, governments would directly assist in the growth of their flag carriers typically through subsidies and other fiscal incentives. The establishment of competitors in
7906-426: The famous historical agreement with the governor of the Syrian Coast in 1351 to protect and defend the city of Beirut and its shores, and chase the invaders and stop their progress towards it. After World War I and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, Beirut, along with the rest of Lebanon, was placed under the French Mandate . Lebanon achieved independence in 1943, and Beirut became the capital city. The city remained
8024-416: The first layer of black soil, above which some Bronze Age pottery was recovered in a layer of grey soil. Pieces of Roman pottery and mosaics were found in the upper layer. Middle Bronze Age tombs were found in this area, and the ancient tell of Beirut is thought to be in the Bourj area. The Phoenician port of Beirut was located between Rue Foch and Rue Allenby on the north coast. The port or harbour
8142-475: The first time in seven years, a 22 June 2015 press conference revealed details about the airline's prospects. These include reinstating routes renounced as part of EU sanctions imposed following Polish government aid granted to ensure the airline's survival, as well as new long haul routes to Asia and North America. Air Lease Corporation confirmed on 13 October 2016, the placement of six Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft with LOT, and options to lease five further aircraft of
8260-452: The first time. The new airport is much larger than any previous airport in Poland. In that same year, Pope Benedict XVI returned to Rome on a LOT flight following his pilgrimage to Poland. LOT created low-cost arm Centralwings in 2004; however, the company was dissolved and reincorporated into LOT after just five years of operating due to its long-term unprofitability and LOT's wish to redeploy aircraft within its fleet. In 2008 LOT opened
8378-482: The fleet for a short period in 1947–1948, followed by five Ilyushin Il-12 B in 1949; 13–20 Ilyushin Il-14s then followed in 1955–1957. After the end of Stalinism in Poland, few Western aircraft would be acquired; five Convair 240s in 1957 and three Vickers Viscounts in 1962 proved to be the last until the 1990s. After that, the composition of the airline's fleet shifted exclusively to Soviet -produced aircraft. Only in 1955 LOT inaugurated services to Moscow , being
8496-406: The form of other locally registered airlines may be prohibited or heavily regulated to avoid direct competition. Even where privately run airlines may be allowed to be established, the flag carriers may still be accorded priority, especially in the apportionment of aviation rights to local or international markets. Near the end of the 20th century, many of these airlines have been corporatized as
8614-599: The government decided to disband Hezbollah's communications network (a decision it later rescinded), violent clashes broke out briefly between government allies and opposition forces, before control of the city was handed over to the Lebanese Army . After this a national dialogue conference was held in Doha at the invitation of the Prince of Qatar. The conference agreed to appoint a new president of Lebanon and to establish
8732-582: The head of Tyche , goddess of fortune; on the reverse, the city's symbol appears: a dolphin entwines an anchor . This symbol was later taken up by the early printer Aldus Manutius in 15th century Venice . After a state of civil war and decline the Seleucid Empire faced, King Tigranes the Great of the Kingdom of Armenia conquered Beirut and placed it under effective Armenian control. However, after
8850-476: The home of much of the city's commercial and cultural activity, became a no man's land known as the Green Line . Many inhabitants fled to other countries. About 60,000 people died in the first two years of the war (1975–1976), and much of the city was devastated. A particularly destructive period was the 1978 Syrian siege of Achrafiyeh , the main Christian district of Beirut. Syrian troops relentlessly shelled
8968-566: The institute of Nautical Archaeology and now teaching in Marburg , Germany, dismissed the claims that the trenches were a port, on various criteria. The exact function of site BEY194 may never be known, and the issue raised heated emotions and led to increased coverage on the subject of Lebanese heritage in the press. In 140 BC, the Phoenician city was destroyed by Diodotus Tryphon during his conflict with Antiochus VII Sidetes for
9086-508: The later Principality of Mount Lebanon, which was the basis for the establishment of Greater Lebanon, today's Lebanon. As a trading center of the eastern Mediterranean , Beirut was as important as Acre (in modern-day Israel ) during the Middle Ages . From 1110 to 1291, the town and Lordship of Beirut was part of the Kingdom of Jerusalem . The city was taken by Saladin in 1187 and recaptured in 1197 by Henry I of Brabant as part of
9204-648: The layout and history of Roman Berytus. Public architecture included several bath complexes , Colonnaded Streets , a circus and theatre; residential areas were excavated in the Garden of Forgiveness , Martyrs' Square and the Beirut Souks. Beirut was conquered by the Muslims in 635. Prince Arslan bin al-Mundhir founded the Principality of Sin el Fil in Beirut in 759. From this principality developed
9322-421: The lines were extended to Beirut , Rome , Copenhagen , reaching 10,250 km (6,370 mi) of routes. The Douglas DC-2 , Lockheed Model 10A Electra and Model 14H Super Electra joined the fleet in 1935, 1936 and 1938 respectively (During this period, LOT had 10 Lockheed 10, 10 Lockheed 14, 3 DC-2 and 1 Ju 52/3mge ). Several Polish aircraft designs were tested, but only the single-engined PWS-24 airliner
9440-539: The meantime. This was again a product of European intervention, and also a general realization amongst the city's residents that commerce, trade, and prosperity depended on domestic stability. After petitions by the local bourgeois, the governor of Syria Vilayet Mehmed Rashid Pasha authorized the establishment of the Beirut Municipal Council, the first municipality established in the Arab provinces of
9558-586: The new Warsaw Okęcie Airport in 1934. However, the outbreak of World War II in 1939 led to the suspension of services and evacuation of most of LOT's aircraft. Post-war, LOT was reestablished in 1945 as a state enterprise , primarily operating Soviet-built aircraft due to Poland becoming a Soviet satellite state in 1948. Resuming both domestic and international flights, LOT operated a fleet consisting of Ilyushin Il-18 , Ilyushin Il-62 , Tupolev Tu-134 , and Antonov An-24 , among others, serving routes across Europe,
9676-543: The new CEO of LOT, Marcin Piróg, announced that the airline was considering to open services to Baku, Sochi, Stuttgart, Oslo, Gothenburg, Dubai, Kuwait and Ostrava from its Warsaw hub in the near future. Previously planned flights to Donetsk in Ukraine had already been inaugurated, as had Tokyo, and the resumption of Beijing flights. This became feasible since the finalizing of an agreement on Siberian overflight permits for LOT by
9794-473: The political dynamics of the region culminated in the 1860 Lebanon conflict . Beirut became a destination for Maronite Christian refugees fleeing from the worst areas of the fighting on Mount Lebanon and in Damascus. This in turn altered the religious composition of Beirut itself, sowing the seeds of future sectarian and religious troubles there and in greater Lebanon. However, Beirut was able to prosper in
9912-498: The previous Civic Platform government of leading the airline to either bankruptcy or "accelerated privatisation". LOT Polish Airlines serves a network of European destinations in addition to flights in Asia, the Middle East, and North America. LOT Polish Airlines has codeshare agreements with the following airlines: As of October 2024, LOT Polish Airlines operates the following aircraft: To be retrofitted from 2026. With
10030-567: The region. During the succeeding epoch of rebellion against Ottoman hegemony in Acre under Jezzar Pasha and Abdullah Pasha , Beirut declined to a small town with a population of about 10,000 and was an object of contention between the Ottomans, the local Druze, and the Mamluks . After Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt captured Acre in 1832, Beirut began its revival. After the Albanian fighter Tafil Buzi
10148-475: The reign of Herod the Great , Berytus became a colony , one of four in the Syria-Phoenicia region and the only one with full Italian rights ( ius Italicum ) exempting its citizens from imperial taxation. Beirut was considered the most Roman city in the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire. Furthermore, the veterans of two Roman legions were established in the city of Berytus by emperor Augustus :
10266-503: The result that there is no single "flag carrier". The chart below lists airlines considered to be a "flag carrier", based on current or former state ownership or other verifiable designation as a national airline. Minority (20.05%) in the Lufthansa Group acquired in 2020 was sold in 2022. Beirut Beirut ( / b eɪ ˈ r uː t / bay- ROOT ; Arabic : بيروت , romanized : Bayrūt )
10384-982: The same type. Long haul plans saw the addition of further Boeing 787 aircraft, increasing the total to 16. The airline is currently evaluating the economics of future narrow body and wide body acquisitions to broaden expansion initiatives. The airline's CEO stated they are evaluating the Airbus A220 and Embraer E-Jet-E2 families, as well as the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Airbus A350 XWB offerings. In May 2018, LOT Polish Airlines started scheduled flights from outside Poland beginning with long-haul routes to New York and Chicago from Budapest airport in Hungary. In May 2019, it started flying from Lithuanian capital Vilnius to London City airport and from Estonian capital Tallinn to Brussels and Stockholm two months later. The latter two flights were suspended in early 2020 due to coronavirus pandemic On 24 January 2020, Owner of LOT,
10502-403: The services were suspended after the outbreak of World War II on 1 September 1939 and during the following German occupation of Poland; most of LOT's aircraft were evacuated to Romania, two to Baltic states , and three L-14H to Great Britain. In 1939 there were 697 employees, including 25 pilots, most of which were evacuated along with the planes. 13 airliners that got to Romania were seized by
10620-528: The site were made by Bergy, Describes and another Jesuit, Paul Bovier-Lapierre . Many Middle Paleolithic flint tools were found on the surface and in side gullies that drain into the river. They included around 50 varied bifaces accredited to the Acheulean period , some with a lustrous sheen , now held at the Museum of Lebanese Prehistory . Henri Fleisch also found an Emireh point amongst material from
10738-472: The site, which has now disappeared beneath buildings. Beirut V ( Nahr Beirut , Beirut River ) was discovered by Dillenseger and said to be in an orchard of mulberry trees on the left bank of the river, near the river mouth , and to be close to the railway station and bridge to Tripoli . Levallois flints and bones and similar surface material were found amongst brecciated deposits . The area has now been built on. Beirut VI (Patriarchate)
10856-837: The summer of 2010, and in October of the same year LOT resumed service to Asia, with three weekly flights on the Warsaw – Hanoi route. In addition to this, new services to Tbilisi , Damascus and Cairo were inaugurated. In 2010 LOT cancelled flights, after 14 years of operation, between Kraków and the US destinations of Chicago and New York, citing profitability concerns and lack of demand. The last US-Kraków flight departed on 27 October 2010 from Chicago O'Hare. The aircraft previously used on this route were then re-deployed to serve LOT's Warsaw-Hanoi route. This route to Hanoi (the Vietnamese capital)
10974-409: The tail, and a small black inscription: POLSKIE LINIE LOTNICZE „LOT" under or above the window line. Before 1939, there was also a rounded inscription: LOT above passenger doors (apart from Ju 52, which also differed in having black engine covers and nacelles). After World War II, the aircraft mostly wore a similar all-natural metal scheme, with the airline name above the window line. In the late 1940s,
11092-620: The throne of the Hellenistic Seleucid monarchy. Laodicea in Phoenicia was built upon the same site on a more conventional Hellenistic plan. Present-day Beirut overlies this ancient one, and little archaeology was carried out until after the civil war in 1991. The salvage excavations after 1993 have yielded new insights into the layout and history of this period of Beirut's history. Public architecture included several areas and buildings. Mid-1st-century coins from Berytus bear
11210-516: The time of the crusades , the city was known in French as Barut or Baruth . The earliest settlement of Beirut was on an island in the Beirut River, but the channel that separated it from the banks silted up and the island ceased to be. Excavations in the downtown area have unearthed layers of Phoenician, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Crusader, Persian and Ottoman remains. Beirut
11328-450: The trade was carried by French ships to Marseille . French influence in the area soon exceeded that of any other European power. The 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica reported a population consisting of 36,000 Muslims, 77,000 Christians, 2,500 Jews, 400 Druze and 4,100 foreigners. At the start of the 20th century, Salim Ali Salam was one of the most prominent figures in Beirut, holding numerous public positions including deputy from Beirut to
11446-493: The two suicide bombers. Between 1989 and 1990 parts on East Beirut were destroyed in fighting between Lebanese army units loyal to General Aoun and Samir Geagea 's Maronite Christians Lebanese Forces with the Syrian Armed Forces -backed Elias Hrawi and Salim Al-Huss Lebanese army forces. Since the end of the war in 1990, the people of Lebanon have been rebuilding Beirut, whose urban agglomeration
11564-410: The withdrawal of Il-18 and Tu-134 aircraft from LOT's fleet in the 1980s, and were deployed successively on most European and Middle East routes. In 1986 transatlantic charter flights also reached Detroit and Los Angeles . After the fall of the communist system in Poland in 1989 the fleet shifted back to Western aircraft, beginning with acquisitions of the Boeing 767-200 in April 1989, followed by
11682-528: Was a modification of the Canaanite and Phoenician word bīʾrōt later bēʾrūt , meaning " wells ", in reference to the site's accessible water table . The name is first attested in the 14th century BC, when it was mentioned in three Akkadian cuneiform tablets of the Amarna letters , letters sent by King Ammunira of Biruta to Amenhotep III or Amenhotep IV of Egypt . Biruta
11800-601: Was a site discovered while building on the property of the Lebanese Evangelical School for Girls in the Patriarchate area of Beirut. It was notable for the discovery of a finely styled Canaanean blade javelin suggested to date to the early or middle Neolithic periods of Byblos and which is held in the school library. Beirut VII, the Rivoli Cinema and Byblos Cinema sites near the Bourj in
11918-500: Was acquired in any number. In 1934, after five years of operating under the LOT name, the airline received new head offices, technical facilities, hangars, workshops, and warehouses located at the new, modern Warsaw Okęcie Airport . This constituted a move from the airline's previous base at Pole Mokotowskie , as this airport had become impossible to operate safely due it gradually becoming absorbed into Warsaw's outlying urban and residential areas. In 1938, LOT changed its name, following
12036-507: Was also mentioned in the Amarna letters from King Rib-Hadda of Byblos . The Greeks hellenised the name as Bērytós ( Ancient Greek : Βηρυτός ), which the Romans latinised as Berytus . When it attained the status of a Roman colony , it was notionally refounded and its official name was emended to Colonia Iulia Augusta Felix Berytus to include its imperial sponsors. At
12154-413: Was changed only slightly, with the colours of the traditional encircled crane logo being inverted and the circle becoming a more simple outline ring. Several Embraer aircraft have special advertising liveries, while one E-175 was repainted as a retrojet into the 1945 livery that was used with some modifications until the 1970s. Airliners featured all-natural metal silvery color, with a black crane logo on
12272-423: Was delivered from April 1966 (20 used, on domestic routes), followed by the first jet airliners Tupolev Tu-134 in November 1968 (which coincided with the opening of a new international terminal at Warsaw's Okęcie Airport). The Tu-134s were operated on European routes. The Ilyushin Il-62 long-range jet airliner inaugurate the first transatlantic routes in the history of Polish air transport to Toronto in 1972 as
12390-476: Was developed with the hope that it would increase transit passenger-flow through Warsaw's Chopin Airport, whilst at the same time providing capacity on routes with smaller load factors and play a part in developing LOT's reputation as the largest transit airline in Central and Eastern Europe. By 1999 LOT had purchased a number of small Embraer 145 regional jets in order to expand its short-haul fleet, and had, with
12508-503: Was excavated and reported on several years ago and now lies buried under the city. Another suggested port or dry dock was claimed to have been discovered around 1 kilometre (0.62 miles) to the west in 2011 by a team of Lebanese archaeologists from the Directorate General of Antiquities of Lebanese University . Controversy arose on 26 June 2012 when authorization was given by Lebanese Minister of Culture Gaby Layoun for
12626-491: Was founded in 1928, Poland's State Treasury had 86% shares in the line, with the rest belonging to the Province of Silesia and the city of Poznań . At the beginning of the 1930s, in addition to existing services from Warsaw to Kraków , Poznań , Gdańsk and Lwów , new service to Bydgoszcz and Katowice was introduced. In 1932, LOT began flying to Wilno . It was also at this point, in 1931, that LOT's well-renowned logo,
12744-625: Was founded on 29 December 1928 by the Polish government during the Second Polish Republic as a self-governing limited liability corporation, taking over existing domestic airlines Aerolot (founded in 1922) and Aero (founded in 1925), and began operations on 1 January 1929. During the 1930s, LOT expanded its domestic and international routes, leading to a network spanning over 10,250 km by 1939. It also expanded its fleet, acquiring Douglas DC-2 and Lockheed Electra and various other aircraft. The airline moved its operations to
12862-554: Was interned and then pardoned by the Ottoman administration for his constant uprisings, he raised 3,000 Albanian mercenaries to fight in Lebanon; some of them became notorious shortly afterwards for having been responsible for the widespread disorders in Beirut. By the second half of the nineteenth century, Beirut was developing close commercial and political ties with European imperial powers, particularly France. European interests in Lebanese silk and other export products transformed
12980-747: Was introduced, the 1929-designed Tadeusz Gronowski logo, however, despite many changes in livery, was kept through the years, and to this day remains the same. In the autumn of 1981, commercial air traffic in Poland neared collapse in the wake of the communist government's crackdown on dissenters in the country after the rise of the banned 'trade union' dissident Solidarity movement , and some Western airlines suspended their flights to Warsaw. With 13 December declaration of Martial Law that same year , all LOT connections were suspended. Charter flights to New York and Chicago resumed only in 1984, and eventually, regular flight connections were restored on 28 April 1985. Tupolev Tu-154 mid-range airliners were acquired, after
13098-414: Was largely under-utilised by European carriers and has proved very successful for LOT in the beginning. On 31 May 2010, CEO of LOT Sebastian Mikosz stated that the airline will be replacing its fleet to meet a goal of one-third new by 2011. Replacement already started with Embraer E-Jets 175/170. For domestic expanded operations, LOT purchased Dash 8 -Q400 over ATR 72 -600 aircraft. On 5 February 2011,
13216-549: Was listed as "the town of Beirut" ( French : Beyrouth ville ) by Louis Burkhalter and said to be on the beach near the Orient and Bassoul hotels on the Avenue des Français in central Beirut. The site was discovered by Lortet in 1894 and discussed by Godefroy Zumoffen in 1900. The flint industry from the site was described as Mousterian and is held by the Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon . Beirut II ( Umm el-Khatib )
13334-426: Was mainly constituted during war time through an anarchic urban development stretching along the littoral corridor and its nearby heights. By the start of the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict the city had somewhat regained its status as a tourist, cultural and intellectual centre in the Middle East and as a center for commerce, fashion, and media. The reconstruction of downtown Beirut has been largely driven by Solidere ,
13452-540: Was not continued upon arrival of LOT's Boeing 787s and the introduction of the airline's updated livery. Only LOT's sixth 787, SP-LRF, was named 'Franek' after an online vote organised by the airline. LOT uses Lufthansa's frequent-flyer program , called Miles & More . Miles & More members can earn miles on LOT flights and Star Alliance partner flights, as well as through LOT credit cards and purchases made through LOT Polish Airlines shops. Status within Miles & More
13570-627: Was settled over 5,000 years ago, and there is evidence that the surrounding area had already been inhabited for tens of thousands of years prior to this. Several prehistoric archaeological sites have been discovered within the urban area of Beirut, revealing flint tools from sequential periods dating from the Middle Palaeolithic and Upper Paleolithic through the Neolithic to the Bronze Age . Beirut I ( Minet el-Hosn )
13688-464: Was suggested by Burkhalter to have been south of Tarik el Jedideh, where P.E. Gigues discovered a Copper Age flint industry at around 100 metres (328 feet) above sea level . The site had been built on and destroyed by 1948. Beirut III ( Furn esh-Shebbak ), listed as Plateau Tabet , was suggested to have been located on the left bank of the Beirut River . Burkhalter suggested that it
13806-488: Was the largest rally in Lebanon's history at that time. The last Syrian troops withdrew from Beirut on 26 April 2005, and the two countries established diplomatic relations on 15 October 2008. During the 2006 Lebanon War, Israeli bombardment caused damage in many parts of Beirut, especially the predominantly Shiite southern suburbs of Beirut. On 12 July 2006, the "Operation Truthful Promise" carried out by Hezbollah ended with 8 Israeli deaths and 6 injuries. In response,
13924-412: Was west of the Damascus road, although this determination has been criticized by Lorraine Copeland . P. E. Gigues discovered a series of Neolithic flint tools on the surface along with the remains of a structure suggested to be a hut circle . Auguste Bergy discussed polished axes that were also found at this site, which has now completely disappeared as a result of construction and urbanization of
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