Economy

Grounded Boeings costs LOT airline $50,000 a day

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — LOT Polish Airlines is losing $50,000 a day due to the grounding of its two Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes, according to government information made public on Wednesday.

LOT, a deeply indebted state-run airline, was the first European one to get the Dreamliners. Deputy Treasury Minister Rafal Baniak put total losses due to the grounded planes Wednesday at 8 million zlotys ($2.5 million).

The global grounding of Dreamliners due to problems with its lithium batteries has been a big blow to the airline. It is still waiting for six more 787s to be delivered, several of them early this year.

Treasury Ministry information given Wednesday to a parliamentary committee said the grounding is causing LOT to lose $50,000 a day, without taking into account the cost of passenger complaints and some other costs, the news agency PAP reported.

Boeing has not said how much the 787 grounding will cost it. Imperial Capital analyst Ken Herbert estimated last week that it could cost Boeing $25 million per month in direct costs, with the total price tag climbing past $1 billion, including spending to fix the problem and expenses for delayed deliveries.

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