At the launch of the Paris Air Show being held at the Paris–Le Bourget Airport in France, LOT Polish Airlines announced that it has placed a firm order for 40 Airbus A220 aircraft.
The order is split evenly, with 20 for the smaller A220-100 and 20 for the larger -300. They have also added 44 options to the order, meaning if they fully exercise the contract, they could be looking at 84 A220s joining the fleet over the next few years.
“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,” said Michał Fijoł, LOT Executive Officer.
Prior to this order, LOT Polish was an all-Boeing and Embraer operator. However, with the airline eyeing growth in the next few years, they have decided to phase out its entire Embraer fleet which consists of a combination of E170s, E175s, E190s, E195s and newer E195-E2s.
This obviously comes as a blow to Embraer, but the A220s win on range and capacity, which fits in with LOT’s plans for expansion. Depending on cabin configuration, the A220-100 can serve the 100-135 seat market, while the larger A220-300 is suited for the 120-160 seat market.
The A220 is powered by Pratt and Whitney’s latest-generation PW1500 GTF engines and offers a 50% smaller noise footprint compared to the previous generation of aircraft.
