LOT opens two routes from Budapest

LOT Polish Airlines has launched its 12th and 13th routes from Hungary’s capital city.

Poland’s flag carrier LOT Polish Airlines has opened two new routes from Hungary’s capital Budapest, connecting the city to two of its largest unserved markets.

The Star Alliance member began flying from Budapest Airport (BUD) to Dubrovnik (DBV) in Croatia and Varna (VAR) in Bulgaria on July 4. Both routes will be operated once per week on board Embraer E195 aircraft.

“LOT’s partnership with Budapest Airport continues to drive forward and our dedicated work with the airline has come to fruition,” BUD head of airline development Balázs Bogáts said.

“Both new destinations and schedules are perfect for week-long holidays to the idyllic coastal resorts and welcome returns to our route map.”

Sabre Market Intelligence data shows Dubrovnik was BUD’s largest unserved market in Croatia in 2019, while Varna was the largest unserved market in Bulgaria.

On July 1, LOT resumed scheduled international services for the first time since the suspension of passenger flights in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Despite the pandemic restrictions in effect, we are expanding our flight network route from week to week, complementing the resumed domestic and international flights with popular holiday destinations and now also with long-haul flight connections,” LOT CCO Michał Fijoł said.

“Many flight connections have already been sold out, and we plan to increase the frequency on selected routes.”

LOT CEO Rafał Milczarski added that the airline is “working intensively” to restore full operational capacity.

“Currently, passengers can already use the offer of about 250 flights per week and this number is still growing,” Milczarski said. “Just a few weeks after the resumption of passenger flights within Poland, we have restored almost 70% of the destinations planned for 2020, including several dozen international flights and the first long-haul flights.”