LOT Comes Back to Athens with Daily Direct Flights from Warsaw

In response to growing demand for travel to Athens and Greece, LOT Polish Airlines has resumed its direct year round connection between the Greek capital and Warsaw.

Starting from April 11, flights from Athens International Airport (AIA) to Warsaw Chopin Airport will be operated by the airline’s Embraer 195, Boeing 737-800 and 737 MAX 8 aircraft.

The Polish carrier’s aircraft will fly to Warsaw from Athens daily at 2:10pm. The Athens-Warsaw flight will take 2 hours and 35 minutes, while the return flight will take 2 hours and 40 minutes.

Return flights to Athens will also run seven days a week, with the departure time from Warsaw at 9:30am.

The right time for LOT to invest in Athens

Speaking during a press conference on Wednesday, AIA Director of Communications & Marketing Ioanna Papadopoulou said Poland is developing into one of the most dynamic markets for Athens this year, adding that in addition to LOT, the airport is connected to Poland also through routes carried out by AEGEAN, SKY express, Ryannair and Wizz Air.

AIA Director of Communications & Marketing Ioanna Papadopoulou. Photo © Greek Travel Pages (GTP)

“This is the right timing for LOT to invest in the Athenian market because right now we have a very good demand for Athens and for Greece in general,” she said.

Presenting an overview of the Polish market, Papadopoulou said Poland is included in the top 10 list of international arrivals to Athens Airport, having rose four places compared to 2023.

According to AIA’s data on international arrivals, Athens Airport last year saw some 136,000 passengers from Poland, lagging behind pre-Covid numbers by just 1 percent.

Papadopoulou said the increase of Polish travelers during the first quarter of 2024 is impressive as arrivals rose 33 percent, compared to the same period last year, ranking the market in the 9th place in terms of international arrivals.

Photo © Greek Travel Pages (GTP)

LOT stopped its direct daily Athens-Warsaw service in 2014 when the company decided to change its strategy and focus on the long-haul market. From there on LOT has served Athens with sporadic seasonal routes.

“The fact that LOT is starting its year round service again is a very important development for the Athenian market and our airport,” Papadopoulou said.

For the months of July and August, the Polish carrier will also operate a second flight between the two cities every Saturday and Monday aiming to serve weekend citybreak travelers.

LOT also offers direct year round flights to Preveza in Epirus, northwestern Greece, since last year. The carrier flies twice a week to the Greek destination from Warsaw Radom Airport.

Goal to add 35 aircraft to fleet by 2028

During the press conference, Aggeliki Sinodinou, the commercial director of the airline’s GSA (general sales agent) in Greece, Goldair, gave a presentation of the airline and focused on the company’s goals for the future.

According to Sinodinou, LOT aims to have a fleet of 110 aircraft by the end of 2028, compared to the 75 it has today.

Goldair commercial director Aggeliki Sinodinou. Photo © Greek Travel Pages (GTP)

When asked if LOT is interested in adding other destinations in Greece to its program in the future, Sindonou said the possibility would be evaluated once the company’s fleet is strengthened with more aircraft.

“Our headquarters has set up a development framework in order to acquire new aircraft that can be used to serve other destinations… As you recall, Poland in 2021 was connected to 14 other destinations in Greece, including Athens, Thessaloniki, Preveza and islands, so there is an interest,” she said.

Poland is a popular destination for Greeks mainly for leisure trips but also for business travel, with 21 percent of Greeks visiting Poland for business reasons.

On the other hand, according to AIA’s data, the Poles who travel to Athens are mainly young couples on vacation, with an average stay of 9 days.

LOT’s direct flights to Warsaw also provide connecting options for travellers to Copenhagen, Vilnius, Prague, Hamburg, Krakow, Wroclaw, Gdansk, Toronto and New York.

AIA Director of Communications & Marketing Ioanna Papadopoulou (center) with Goldair’s commercial director, Aggeliki Sinodinou and managing director, Nikos Sofiadis. Photo source: AIA

Launched in 1929, LOT is among the 12 oldest existing airlines in the world. In 2023 the Polish airline carried a total of 10.05 million passengers and expects this number to rise 17 million by 2028.

LOT has an extensive network in and out of Europe. Its long haul markets include the United States, Canada, Asia and the Middle East.

Goldair has been the airline’s GSA in Greece for the past 69 years.