LOT puts greater focus on EX-YU market

LOT Polish Airlines will continue to grow its operations to the former Yugoslavia this summer by adding one new route to its network, as well as increasing frequencies and capacity on a number of existing services. Furthermore, the airline has identified the Balkan region as an important market for its future development. The Polish national carrier will commence a one weekly seasonal service from Krakow to Dubrovnik from May 25, making it its sixth route to Croatia following services from Warsaw to Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik, Pula and Zadar, with the latter four 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 capacity on its Warsaw - Zagreb service by operating both of its daily flights with the 112-seat Embraer E195 jet.

The airline plans to increase its frequencies to Belgrade this summer from eleven to twelve per week starting in late September. "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 said. Furthermore, the carrier will add an additional weekly flight to Ljubljana this summer for a total of seven 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.

Following the successful launch of its Warsaw - Skopje service last year, the airline will maintain the route six times per week this summer. The carrier noted that although these flights 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 offers 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 travelling for business and leisure", the airline said. It added that the flights are scheduled so as to offer fast and convenient connections from Warsaw.

LOT will continue to serve Podgorica six times per week this summer. “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 a lot of potential”, the airline said. Elsewhere within the region, the Polish carrier has announced it will launch nonstop flights from Budapest to both Brussels and Bucharest this September, complementing its existing services from the Hungarian capital to Chicago, Krakow, London City, New York and Warsaw. Its CEO, Rafał Milczarski, previously noted the airline would focus on the Baltic and the Balkan region. 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.