Wow: LOT Ditches Embraer, Adding Airbus A220s

Intro

The flag carrier of Poland, LOT Polish Airlines, has recently been talking about its plans to significantly grow. In the past, we have seen LOT choose the Embraer as its designated short-haul/regional fleet (as well as the 737), but this is set to change very soon with the airline taking a different approach going forward.

The Details

LOT Polish Airlines has come out publicly and stated that the airline has placed a firm order for the following:

• 40 Airbus A220s

  • 20 A220-100s

  • 20 A220-300s

It seems that the airline will begin to take delivery of these jets by 2027 (who knows if this timeline will stick), and additionally, the airline has an option to order 44 more.

I quite like LOT as a carrier, not perfect, but prices reflect that.

This Is Exciting

Looking at this from an outsider's perspective, this is quite an exciting development for a number of reasons, including the following:

• The A220 series typically holds a lot more passengers compared to the Embraer, meaning more seats will be available. Additionally, the A220 will also hopefully** offer a proper business class (let's see, it is Europe), seeing as it doesn't make that much of a difference going from a 2-2 to a 2-3. They might do what AF does, but I hope not.

• But to me, this signals something stronger. With the new Warsaw airport currently in the works, it seems that with the opening of the new airport set to occur in 2032, LOT is going all in. On paper, the size difference of the aircraft might be marginal, but with the new airport, it seems that there will be a lot more jetbridges compared to the current one... (which is ridiculous)

Final Thoughts

LOT Polish Airlines has come out today to signal that it has decided to go against Embraer in its future plans, and has placed an order for 40 Airbus A220s. This is an exciting look, not only for the passengers, but for the airline moving forward. Now we just need that new aircraft...