LOT to replace Embraer jets with up to 84 A220s
LOT Polish Airlines and Airbus announced an agreement to order 40 A220 jets and 44 purchase options on Monday at the Paris Air Show, as expected.
Poland’s national carrier will receive 20 A220-100 and 20 A220-300 jets from 2027, which will replace its large fleet of Embraer aircraft.
The order had been awaited for years amid a dispute between the European manufacturer and Embraer, which offered the E2 jet, a rival to the A220.
“Today’s decision is about the future. The Airbus A220 family aircraft, which will start joining our fleet in 2027, open up new opportunities for development and growth – key pillars of our strategy,” said Michał Fijoł, LOT Executive Officer.
E-Jets launch customer
Airbus’ victory has a bitter taste for the Brazilian company since LOT was the launch customer for the successful E-Jets family of regional aircraft and is still a major operator of the model.
In addition, LOT has been flying three E195-E2s for almost a year, precisely the aircraft that was competing for the order with the A220.
Despite not having any Airbuses in its fleet, the Polish airline decided to fund an entire training process for crew and ground staff to support the A220, a jet with up to 160 seats that offers a long range.
The competition for around 80 regional aircraft had been underway by LOT since at least 2021, but was delayed amid supply chain issues.
The state-owned airline has a main fleet of Boeing jets such as the 737 and the widebody 787 and intends to expand its operations to compete with low-cost carriers Ryanair and easyJet, among others.
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Ricardo Meier
Creator of the website that started in 1996 as a magazine. He also writes on Brazilian websites AUTOO, MOTOO and MetrôCPTM.
