LOT Polish Airlines company does not fly to Ukrainian cities from the first day of Russia’s aggression, i.e. from February 24. The national carrier also stopped flying to Russia very soon after the outbreak of the war, although, previously, it made direct flights to Moscow and Saint Petersburg. The closed Ukrainian, Belarusian and Russian markets account for approximately 13% of the overall volume of LOT transport.
Krzysztof Moczulski, LOT spokesman says that the company flew to many cities in Ukraine. “The situation in Ukraine and the flight ban has affected us, so we are trying to compensate for it through additional rotations and new destinations”.
LOT has recently resumed scheduled connections to Košice and Nice and announced new routes to Sarajevo and Baku. The company is currently preparing the final summer network of directions including flights to India again.
In May, the passenger route Warsaw – Mumbai will be launched. The Boeing 787 will fly there on Tuesdays and Saturdays. On routes to India, LOT has prepared a dedicated product for passengers, containing Indian elements – regional cuisine meals, an on-board entertainment system available in Hindi, as well as Bollywood films.
After a two-year break caused by the pandemic situation in India, LOT resumes flights to New Delhi. The direction will be operated by Dreamliner versions 787-8 and 787-9 three times a week and from May five times a week. The first Boeing 787 will take off on a passenger flight from the Chopin Airport to the capital of India on Tuesday, March 29.
The flights to the United States will be an important point in the new aviation network. The number of passengers on these destinations has returned to the high levels of 2019, i.e. before the coronavirus pandemic.
Moczulski commented “We’re going back to Los Angeles. The first flight after the connection is re-established will take place on March 27. We are strengthening our presence on traditional destinations, i.e. Newark, JFK and Chicago. On these routes, in terms of the number of passengers, we have already reached the level from 2019 and we are very pleased with it”. He announced that LOT is not planning any additional fees related to the situation on the fuel market.
“Like every carrier, LOT also has a fairly flexible policy regarding fuel purchases. We are not planning to introduce additional fuel charges. Due to the unstable situation on the raw materials market, it is impossible to predict how the situation will develop”, the spokesman assessed.
Arkadiusz Słomczyński