LOT Polish Airlines Flight 7 increased engine wear, since the engines were under greater load. NK-8-4 engines were not reliable enough. Warranty service life was only 5000 hours, and about half of LOT engines failed after 2000–3000 hours. Because of this, Polish pilots often called the Il-62 "flying coffins". In spite of the low reliability, the airline decided to increase overhaul life intervals to reduce the frequency of repairs, which were carried out in Soviet factories and quite expensive. LOT sent a letter to the Ilyushin Design Bureau containing the results of a test in which it was found that the engines could operate normally
Aeris (airline) Aeris (airline) Aeris was an airline company based in Toulouse, France. It was founded in 1999 and was defunct in 2003 after being unable to raise additional capital. Aeris could be viewed as a low-cost carrier. According to Aeris' marketing director A. Scherer, the aim was to lure business travellers from small-and-medium-sized companies away from the national giant. Perpignan was one of these battlegrounds, with Air France operating four daily round-trips from Paris, and Aeris three. The BBC reported on the apparent success of Aeris in 2003: "Waiting in the departure lounge for the 13:25 Aeris flight to Orly, Hadji