LOT Polish Airlines is planning a fleet renewal for 50 regional aircraft
LOT Polish Airlines is planning a major fleet renewal process that will involve an order for 50 aircraft. The airline is currently deciding between the Airbus A220 and the Embraer E2, and it is anticipating its first deliveries in 2024.
The Polish flag carrier has launched a fleet replacement process that will see it replace its 49 regional aircraft with at least 50 aircraft that are more efficient and environmentally sustainable.
The airline is evaluating both the Airbus A220 and the Embraer E2 aircraft for this purpose, Fly4free reports, and it is hoping to see the first deliveries in 2024.
LOT’s Chief Operating Officer, Maciej Wilk, said the following: “It will be a strategic decision that will be of key importance for our operations for the next two decades. (…) The machines we choose now will fly at least until the 40s decade of the 21st century.”
The first to leave the fleet will be the Bombardier Q400 aircraft type. LOT Polish has 12 of these and it is already agreeing the schedule of their return with the leasing firms.
In the early months of 2022, LOT will return the first few Dash 8 aircraft. The process will last several months but will be completed in 2022. Once the final one of these 12 Dash 8 aircraft is returned, LOT Polish will formally have retired the aircraft model from its fleet for good.
Both the Dash 8 and the current Embraer mixed fleet will be replaced by new, greener aircraft, and all of the replacement will come from a single order of at least 50 aircraft.
For this major order, LOT Polish is currently evaluating both the Embraer E2 and the Airbus A220. The airline is hoping that deliveries of whatever model it chooses can start in 2024.
The Polish flag carrier has made multiple announcements last year to indicate that it plans to make major changes to its fleet.
On several occasions, LOT also expressed its dissatisfaction with Boeing over the lack of compensation payments for the 737 MAX grounding and also the ongoing issues with the Boeing 787s. The airline made it clear that it was considering placing an Airbus order in the immediate future.
The issues with the 787s are a particular problem in the eyes of LOT Polish because the airline has had to postpone its long-haul network expansion due to the Dreamliner model being unreliable.
LOT even chose not to pick up two of its Dreamliners and 10 of its Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. Finally, it even launched court proceedings against Boeing. simpleflying.com