After nearly a century, LOT Polish Airlines has placed an Airbus order for the first time, with an agreement to buy up to 84 Airbus A220 family planes.
LOT Polish Airlines Orders Up To 84 A220 Jets: First-Ever Airbus Order
The deal, announced today at the Paris Air Show, includes:
- 20 A220-100s – confirmed order
- 20 A220-300s – confirmed order
- 44 additional A220s – option
LOT Polish CEO Michał Fijoł announced the deal at a press conference:
“Today’s decision is about the future. The Airbus A220 family aircraft, which will start joining our fleet in 2027, open up new opportunities for development and growth – key pillars of our strategy. These modern, efficient, and passenger-focused aircraft will allow us to compete effectively in the European skies, strengthen our position as the preferred carrier in Central and Eastern Europe, and prepare LOT for its role as a leading airline at the Central Communication Port.
“We truly believe that the Airbus A220 is the right aircraft for the future of LOT. It simply very well suits our strategy. Firstly, it serves for growth and our plan is to grow; to increase the number of aircraft, to increase the number of destinations and to serve more passengers. Secondly, the quality. We believe that the A220 is an aircraft which provides best passenger experience with a modern cabin with more space, both for passengers and for luggage. Thirdly, sustainability. The A220 is an aircraft which burns less fuel, and, combined with that, produces less CO2.”
Deliveries will begin in the summer of 2027.
Airbus and Embraer had fought fiercely over this order, but Fijoł added that Airbus “wanted us more.”
A First For LOT Polish
LOT Polish is just a few years away from its centennial birthday, but despite being a Central European carrier, has never had an Airbus aircraft in its fleet. Prior to World War II, it flew Douglas DC-2 and Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra. Behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War, it flew Soviet-made aircraft like the Antonov An-24, Ilyushin Il-18, Tupolev Tu-134, and Ilyushin Il-62.
After the fall of communism, LOT shifted back to Western aricraft, flying a mix of Boeing 737 and 767 jets starting in 1989. It would later acquire Boeing 787 and 737 MAX jets and also build a regional fleet out of Brazilian Embraer aircraft.
But many of LOT’s Embraer E170 aircraft are approaching 20 years old and a fleet renewal plan has been in the works for over a year. The choice of Airbus over Embraer will also allow LOT Polish to increase capacity, since the A220-300 can hold up to a 1/3 more passengers than the largest Embraer E190.
CONCLUSION
LOT Polish chose Airbus over Embraer, marking the Polish carrier’s first-ever Airbus order in its 97-year history. With 40 confirmed orders and options on 44 more, LOT Polish will be able to increase capacity in a customer-favorite jet with large windows and only one middle seat per row.
image: Airbus
“Airbus wanted us more”, i.e., Airbus was prepared to almost give them away for cost price, and Embraer wasn’t.
It has been no secret that LOT has not been pleased with the performance of either its 787s or the 737 Max 8 which of course isn’t either a popular aircraft with passengers. The move to Airbus has been predicted for quite some time and this will see the end of the Max and the Embraer fleet.
And why would any European airline (apart from Ryanair) want to buy anything from Trumptariff Land these days?
Considering the direction Boeing has been going in for the past 25 years, I feel safer riding Airbus.
A sad day when I will no longer be flying unmarked, unpainted leased LOT embraers
The A220 is a great aircraft to fly, so I really applaud this decision. I think it makes LOT’s short haul services more competitive with the likes of Air Baltic, and others in the region.