LOT Polish Airlines Launches Direct Route From Delhi to Warsaw

LOT Polish Airlines launched its inaugural New Delhi to Warsaw flight on September 12^th, 2019, celebrating the airline&rsquos 90-year anniversary. The flights will operate five days a week between Indira Gandhi International airport, Delhi and Warsaw Chopin airport. The eight hour direct flight costs INR 43,000 for economy passengers and INR 130,000 for business class, with the option of premium economy also available.

With Bollywood entertainment options, Indian cuisine and Hindi-speaking cabin crew on board, LOT Polish airlines has rolled out all the bells and whistles to attract the Indian traveller. Legally incorporated as Polskie Linie Lotnicze LOT S.A., the flagship carrier of Poland was established in 1931. The routes were disrupted during World War II in 1939, and started again six years later.

LOT Polish is trying to make its niche as the largest network airlines in central Europe with hubs in Warsaw, Poland and Budapest, Hungary, where it acts as the de facto flagship carrier. In recent months the airlines has also launched routes to Seoul, Miami, Beirut, Beijing and Colombo. In India, the airline operates only out of New Delhi, but is looking to expand into other major cities. As a part of the Star Alliance, LOT Polish has code sharing with Air India to facilitate domestic travel within the country.

As of 2018, LOT Polish had 80 aircrafts, 104 routes and 9 million passengers. The airline is targeting 10 million passengers for 2019. Their short-haul fleet includes aircrafts like the Boeing 737 800 and Boeing 737 Max 8, which is currently grounded. The long-haul flight out of India is on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which has a capacity between 12,500 &ndash 13,500kgs and an increased cabin pressure for a more comfortable journey.

LOT Polish is marketing itself as a gateway to Europe from India, offering flights to Warsaw, Krakow, Paris, London city and Prague, among others. The Warsaw Chopin airport is located in the city center, but there are plans of a new airport 36kms away with an expansion possibility of a 100 million passengers within the next 10 years.

While the airline needed state aid in 2012, it has steadily doubled its fleet and passengers from 2015 onwards, with new and modern aircrafts. LOT Polish had previously flown out of India in the 1980s, however, this new route offers a direct and comfortable journey into Poland, and consequently, the rest of Europe.