LOT adds six more new generation, narrow-body planes, Boeing 737 MAXs, to its mid-haul fleet. Five machines will be delivered from the Boeing plant in Renton in 2018 and the last is bound to reach Warsaw in 2020. The aircraft will be obtained thanks to co-operation with ALAFCO.
“Those new generation aircraft are perfect on the most popular mid-haul routes serviced by LOT, including from Warsaw to London, Madrid, Frankfurt and to Tel Aviv from regional airports. Not only are those machines more efficient and in that way help cut down on the airlines’ operating costs significantly but are also much more environmentally friendly. New generation engines significantly reduce noise ensuring remarkably improved comfort onboard. That is why those models have met with our passengers’ absolute approval!” says Adrian Kubicki, Director of Corporate Communications. “Expanding the fleet of 737 MAXs is just another step towards building LOT’s strong position in the CEE region. Thanks to the most technologically advanced Boeing machines: B787 Dreamliner and the new B737 MAXs, LOT is a leader in setting new standards for the aviation industry in the region,” adds he.
LOT is among the first airlines in Europe to buy 737 MAXs. The first and the second machine were delivered in December 2017. Thanks to partnership with AirLease Corporation (ALC), the next of the six contracted machines are scheduled to be delivered in June and in late fall of 2018 and the last one’s delivery is planned in May 2019. Under the current contract with ALAFCO, six machines will be acquired, including five to be added to LOT’s fleet this year. The last one is to be delivered from the Renton plant in 2020. The operational leasing agreement’s term is 9 years.
Mr. Ahmad A. Alzabin, ALAFCO’s Vice Chairman and CEO commented “I am delighted and extremely proud to be adding LOT Polish to our growing list of global customers. Our agreement with LOT Polish represents a significant milestone for ALAFCO and marks the beginning of a long-term strategic partnership between the two companies. We firmly believe the 737 MAX aircraft will play an integral role in supporting the growth expectations and needs of our customers, given the fuel efficiency, reliability and low operating costs associated with the 737 MAX aircraft”.
According to its producer, B737 MAX 8 is the most economical aircraft of the world in its class. It was equipped with two new generation CFM LEAP-1B engines and has a range of 5,750 km (2,250 km more compared to B737-400). Its average fuel consumption is more than 20% lower compared to 737-400 and 15% lower vis-a-vis B737 800 NG. Thanks to its engines, the aircraft’s noise reduction is down by as much as 40% and CO2 emission is much lower compared to other machines of the same class which makes the aircraft lower in noise, more efficient and environmentally friendly.
The Boeing MAX aircraft will also be ultimately used to operate mid- and short-range flights from Warsaw also to London, Madrid, Astana, Vienna, Amsterdam, Paris, Frankfurt, Brussels, Dusseldorf, Barcelona, Moscow, Tbilisi and Kiev.
The new MAX ensures improved travel comfort to passengers. There are 186 seats in three classes: business, economy and premium economy onboard in the 3X3 seat arrangement. Electrical sockets and USB ports can be found on the back of each seat.
The interior of the passenger cabin features the Boeing Sky Interior which is based on solutions used in the Dreamliner. The cabin will boast new, ergonomic luggage compartments and LED lighting of adaptable intensity and color. The manufacturer has also arranged lights, speakers and buttons in a way which is more comfortable for the passengers. The galley will be equipped with convection ovens, refrigerators and a coffee machine, among other things, which will render it possible to prepare dishes and beverages of higher quality.
By the end of 2020 LOT’s fleet will have consisted of 12 state-of-the-art narrow-body machines of the popular 737 family available on the market. The company has also been expanding its long-range fleet which by that time will have consisted of as many as 15 Boeing 787 Dreamliners (eight 787-8s and seven larger-variant machines, the 787-9s).
“Each new machine means new jobs and promotion opportunities available both to pilots and cabin crew,” says Adrian Kubicki from LOT. Therefore LOT will continue to hire flying staff in the years to come. In that way the company remains to be the largest and also the most attractive employer among the airlines operating in Poland,” adds Kubicki.
Fleet development is part of the consistently implemented profitable growth strategy, which assumes that LOT’s annual passenger traffic will have totaled 10.5 million passengers by 2020. Currently LOT’s passenger traffic is over 6.8 million passengers per year using the fleet comprising 54 modern aircraft. In total nine Dreamliners branded by LOT are used to operate direct flights from Warsaw to New York, Newark, Chicago, Toronto, Los Angeles, Beijing, Tokyo, Seoul as well as from Kraków to Chicago and from Rzeszów to Newark. In May 2018 LOT is going to launch new long-haul connections from Warsaw to Singapore as well as from Budapest to New York City and Chicago.
