LOT to put greater focus on EX-YU market

LOT Polish Airlines will significantly bolster its operations to the former Yugoslavia this summer as it adds two new destinations to its network and increases frequencies on almost all existing services. Furthermore, the airline has identified the Balkan region as an important market for its future development. The Polish national carrier will commence six weekly seasonal operations to Dubrovnik this summer, making it its fifth destination in Croatia following Zagreb, Split, Pula and Zadar, the latter three all being maintained only during the summer. "Croatia is becoming more and more popular among our passengers each year and is one of the most common holiday destinations in the Mediterranean basin for Polish travellers. We are convinced that, as a result of LOT's enhanced offer, Poles will be even more willing to visit Croatia, as well as plan a longer vacation or weekend trip", the carrier said. In addition, the airline will boost frequencies on its Warsaw - Zagreb service from ten per week last year to double daily operations this summer.

Another new destination in LOT's network this year is Skopje, which will be served six times per week. The carrier noted that although the new service will provide opportunities for Polish tourists to discover Macedonia in greater numbers, its primary focus is on transfer passengers, in particular those connecting to the United States, Canada and Scandinavia. "LOT will offer passengers from Macedonia the most comfortable connections to Scandinavia and Western Europe, as well as the airports we fly to in North America. We are sure the new offer will meet the expectations of passengers traveling for business and leisure", the airline said. It added that the flights have been scheduled so as to offer fast and convenient connections from Warsaw.

The airline also plans to increase its frequencies to Belgrade this summer from nine to eleven flights per week. "There is no dominant category of passengers on our Belgrade service. It varies based on the day of the week. Of those transferring through Warsaw, the majority of passengers connect onto flights to Toronto and several points in Western Europe", LOT's Sales Manager for Europe & Middle East said. Elsewhere, the airline will add an additional five weekly flights for a total of six to its Podgorica service, which was launched last year. “Our passengers had an opportunity to get to know what Podgorica has to offer during the previous summer season. In our opinion, this destination has such potential that we decided to significantly increase the frequency of our flights there”, the airline said. Finally, LOT will add an additional weekly flight to Ljubljana this summer for a total of six per week. The airline codeshares on its services out of Warsaw with almost all of the national carriers from the former Yugoslavia - Adria Airways, Air Serbia and Croatia Airlines.

Within the region, the Polish carrier has announced it will launch nonstop flights from Budapest to both New York and Chicago this May. Its CEO, Rafał Milczarski, noted that the airline would focus on the Baltic and the Balkan region, which could see similar expansion in the future. Notably, emphasis will be put on cities in the area which serve as hubs for Star Alliance member airlines with whom LOT can cooperate. Both Zagreb and Ljubljana are home to national carriers which are part of the alliance.