• LOT Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner SP-LSF
    LOT Polish Airlines
    IATA/ICAO Code:
    LO/LOT
    Airline Type:
    Full Service Carrier
    Hub(s):
    Warsaw Chopin Airport
    Year Founded:
    1928
    Alliance:
    Star Alliance
    CEO:
    Rafal Milczarski
    Country:
    Poland
  • 787-8 Dreamliner
    Boeing
    Stock Code:
    BA
    Date Founded:
    1916-07-15
    CEO:
    Dave Calhoun
    Headquarters Location:
    Chicago, USA
    Key Product Lines:
    Boeing 737, Boeing 747, Boeing 757, Boeing 767, Boeing 777, Boeing 787
    Business Type:
    Planemaker

LOT Polish Airlines and Air Lease Corporation have announced a deal that will see the Polish flag carrier lease six Boeing 737 MAX aircraft from ALC on a long-term basis. This is the latest development in a strong working relationship that has already seen LOT take aircraft from two Boeing families from the LA-based lessor.

A strong working relationship

As reported in a statement issued yesterday by ALC, all six aircraft will be 737 MAX 8s, the smaller of the two variants that are currently certified for commercial usage. This reflects the makeup of LOT's existing 737 MAX fleet, which consists of five ALC-leased MAX 8 aircraft. LOT also leases one Boeing 787-8 from ALC.

As such, the deal for the Polish flag carrier to take six more 737 MAX 8s on long-term leases will see its portfolio of ALC aircraft double from six to 12 jets within a matter of weeks. Indeed, according to ALC, all six aircraft are scheduled to join LOT by the end of this month. This reflects a strong working relationship between the pair, with ALC's Executive Chairman, Steven F. Udvar-Házy, stating that:

"ALC has played an important role in the recent fleet modernization program of LOT since late 2017, and these six additional aircraft will support LOT’s network and development strategy."

LOT Polish Airlines Boeing 737 MAX in flight
Photo: Boeing

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Boosting the fleet

The deal involving the six aircraft will subsequently result in LOT's Boeing 737 MAX 8 more than doubling in size, given that, as established, it currently has just five of the narrowbodies at its disposal. According to ch-aviation.com, these are 4.1 years old on average. This makes the MAX 8 LOT's second youngest aircraft type, only beaten by the 787-9's 3.8-year-old average age.

Two of LOT's initial batch of five Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft arrived at the carrier in December 2017. The next pair came onboard in June 2018, followed by the fifth and final example in December 2018. Each of them has 186 seats, allowing for different-sized business class cabins (whereby the middle seats are blocked off). Maciej Wilk, LOT Polish Airlines' Chief Operating Officer, stated that:

"LOT is in the process of selecting a new fleet in the regional and narrowbody segment. Until a supplier is selected, we are planning to source aircraft as a bridging solution. The first Embraer 175 and 190 have already joined LOT Polish Airlines' fleet, and will soon be followed by the Boeing 737 MAX 8. I am very pleased to see these reliable and economical aircraft completing our single-aisle fleet."

LOT Polish Airlines Boeing 737 MAX
One of LOT's existing 737 MAX aircraft has a special livery commemorating 100 years of Polish independence. Photo: LOT Polish Airlines

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Where does LOT fly its MAX aircraft?

In terms of the routes on which LOT deploys its existing Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, their most popular destination in each instance (apart from the carrier's Warsaw hub) is London Heathrow Airport (LHR).

Indeed RadarBox.com shows that each has been involved in more than 200 flights concerning the UK's busiest airport in the last year, per data generated four days ago. Other popular destinations include Antalya, Katowice, Tbilisi, and Tel Aviv.