WARSAW – LOT Polish Airlines has acquired yet another E-Jet – the 15th Embraer E175. This is also the 44th Embraer in LOT’s fleet. The new aircraft arrived in Warsaw on Monday January 24.
The additional aircraft will increase LOT’s capacity when the Q400s were withdrawn from the fleet on January 1. This
Embraer (MSN17000340) carrying the SP-LIR registration, is leased from Nordic Aviation Capital (NAC). The plane was flown to Warsaw on January 23 evening. The repositioning domestic route of flight LO9002 was: Bydgoszcz (BZG) – Warsaw (WAW).
The E175 in question was produced in June 2012, at which time it was delivered to Alitalia Cityliner. Then, after being withdrawn by the Italian carrier, the aircraft was parked by NAC at Bydgoszcz Aiport from October 2021 to January this year.
LOT’s new acquisition takes 88 passengers on board. That is six people more than the carrier’s currently operated fleet of E175’s.
LOT uses all variants of E-Jet E1 family
As it has been mentioned, LOT uses all versions of the popular E-Jets.
Embraer E170 – first delivery 8 March 2004.
Embraer E175 – first delivery 25 April 2006.
Embraer E190 – first delivery 17 December 2018.
Embraer E195 – first delivery 11 April 2011.There are currently 74 aircraft in LOT’s fleet, including 44 Brazilian aircraft: six E170s, 15 E175s (including two at the government’s disposal), eight E190s and 15 E195s.
E175 replaces phased-out Dash 8-400
Four additional E175 and four E190 are replacing the withdrawn De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400. On the 94th anniversary of LOT Polish Airlines’ operational launch, January 1 this year marks the end of the era of propeller aircraft in the carrier’s fleet.
With flight LO3836 from Gdansk to Warsaw, the De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 (SP-EQL) finally bid farewell, and the last flight with callsign BYEDASH for the airline was made.
According to LOT, its pilots flew more than 360,000 hours on the Dash, although tens of thousands of hours from the Eurolot days should probably be added to that.
Once known as Bombardier Q400s, they were a vital part of LOT’s fleet. The last of the 12 turboprop aircraft in service with the national carrier ends their aviation service in LOT Polish Airlines’ fleet on January 1 this year.
LOT Polish expands fleet with six Boeing 737 MAX 8s
It’s worth adding that LOT Polish Airlines expanded its fleet with six Boeing B737-8 MAX aircraft, which will operate short- and medium-haul flights.
On Tuesday evening January 17, LOT Polish Airlines takes delivery of the sixth and last plane acquired from the Blue Air on lease from Air Lease Corporation (ALC). This is the 11th MAX in LOT’s fleet.
The new planes were acquired by LOT following the suspension of Romanian carrier Blue Air, in the form of an operating lease from US-based Air Lease Corporation, which had already leased five Boeing 737 MAX 8s and one Dreamliner for LOT.
LOT Polish plans mega order of 60-80 aircraft
LOT Polish Airlines plans a large purchase of narrow-body aircraft and sends a Request For Proposal (RFP) to Airbus, Boeing, and Embraer.
AviationSource learned last year that the Polish carrier wants to buy from 60 to 80 new aircraft, citing people familiar with the matter.
