Poland’s LOT Dismisses CEO Pirog in Struggle for Profitability

Polish airline LOT dismissed Chief Executive Officer Marcin Pirog, citing the performance of the state-owned company under his leadership.

Pirog will be replaced on an interim basis by Chief Financial Officer Zbigniew Mazur, Warsaw-based LOT, as Polskie Linie Lotnicze Lot SA is known, said in an e-mailed statement.

The airline’s supervisory board, which decided to fire Pirog at a meeting today, is still confident an existing turnaround plan will lead to “profitability in a very short time and will bring stabilization,” the company said.

LOT lost a potential buyer in June when Turk Hava Yollari (THYAO) AO, or Turkish Airlines, ended talks because of European Union rules capping outside ownership.

With Poland poised to enter recession for the first time since communism fell, LOT is now seeking to sell stakes in a domestic arm together with catering, casino and fuel operations.

To contact the reporter on this story: Alex Webb in Frankfurt at awebb25@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Chad Thomas at cthomas16@bloomberg.net