LOT Polish Airlines

Turkish low-cost carrier Pegasus Airlines has announced a transformative $179 million (€154 million) acquisition of Czech carrier Smartwings and its shareholder Czech Airlines, pending regulatory approval. The deal, announced December 8, 2025, represents a major expansion milestone for Pegasus and concludes months of speculation surrounding the Czech carrier’s future ownership. The acquisition ends competitive bidding efforts by Poland’s LOT Polish Airlines, which had appeared close to securing Smartwings in November 2025. Under the agreement, Pegasus will acquire both Smartwings and Czech Airlines, which served as a holding company following its 2024 absorption into the Smartwings Group.

A LOT Polish Airlines Embraer E170 encountered a runway excursion at Vilnius Airport in Lithuania on November 26, 2025, prompting emergency response procedures and temporary airfield closures. Flight LO771, arriving from Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport, touched down at 13:43 local time but veered off the runway surface while taxiing toward the terminal stand. According to airport officials and Flightradar24 data, the aircraft—registered as SP-LDK—departed Warsaw at 12:01 local time and completed its approach to Vilnius without incident before encountering difficulties during ground operations. All passengers were successfully evacuated from the aircraft, and authorities confirmed no injuries resulted from the incident.