Airbus and LOT officials announce the A220 order at the Paris Air Show.
LE BOURGET—LOT Polish Airlines is switching its large regional fleet from Embraer E1s and E2s to the Airbus A220, a decision that opens up the opportunity for the airline to offer more capacity with a single type.
LOT placed a firm order for 20 A220-100s and 20 A220-300s at the Paris Air Show on June 16. Deliveries of the aircraft are to begin in 2027, with the larger -300 to be delivered first. LOT CEO Michał Fijoł said that the airline will properly evaluate the performance of the aircraft, indicating that the final split between the two types might change.
A large political delegation was present at the LOT announcement, including several Polish ministers, French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot and several ambassadors. The LOT CEO insisted, however, that political influence did not play a role in the deal. While the competition was tight, “we received a better offer from Airbus. We need to base our decision on numbers.”
Embraer reacted with unusual vehemence. “While we respect LOT Polish Airlines' decision, we believe the E2 is the best aircraft for LOT from an economic and sustainability point of view. The E2 is 13% more efficient, and, unlike the larger competition, perfectly complements LOT’s 186-seat [Boeing] 737 MAX 8s. The commonality with LOT’s current fleet would save millions of Euros on the transition to a new aircraft type.”
“However, we understand we are living in an exceptional moment where geopolitics play an important role,” Embraer added.
Fijoł remained non-committal with regards to a potential order for a stretched A220, which Airbus is working on. The CEO said LOT needed to see more details of the proposed aircraft before being able to form an opinion.
Airbus appears to hope that it can not only replace the Embraer fleet but also some of the Boeing narrowbodies that the Warsaw-based airline has.
LOT operates a combined fleet of 45 Embraer E1s and E2s, including all four variants of the E1 family. Last year, the airline also started leasing three 190-E2s from Azorra in what many saw as a good sign for Embraer in its efforts to secure a large follow-up order. Airbus was equally keen to switch the airline, which is the last major European carrier to have not operated Airbus aircraft.
The order can grow to a total of 84 aircraft through options. LOT also has a fleet of 25 Boeing 737 MAX/NGs, 15 787s and one 777. “We need more aircraft of all types,” Fijoł said. But he pointed out that the airline can only grow the fleet further once the new large central Polish airport has opened in 2032.
With the decision in favor of Airbus, the size of LOT’s smallest aircraft is growing significantly, from a notional 70-seater (Embraer 170) to the A220-100 which seats 100 to 120 passengers, depending on the configuration.
Fijoł made clear that it is the airline’s clear target to grow the average capacity as well as the number of destinations. Markets in Central Asia are under consideration as well as more charter services.
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