The big question in European aviation and all the more for Embraer was: which direction is LOT going to go with its regional jet fleet? Well we finally have an answer coming straight from the big event of the moment in aviation, the Paris Air Show.
LOT Ditches Embraer and Orders Airbus Regional Jets
LOT Polish Airlines is a constantly growing force in the European aviation landscape. The airline has been opening new routes and lounges across the globe in the effort to gain traction as a valid travel option to and from Europe’s major cities.
The airline operates an all Boeing fleet in terms of long and medium haul aircraft, as for its smallest regional aircraft the carrier has been long utilizing Embraer E-series. With these planes aging the big question was, will they renew this fleet with the new generation E2 jets?
Well, now we have an answer to that and it is no. The announcement comes straight from the Paris Air Show were airlines and manufacturers are displaying their newest products and services this week at Le Bourget.
LOT has decided to opt out to switch with Airbus supplied aircraft to renovate its regional fleet. Specifically the A220 (in both variants) is the aircraft of choice. This is quite a blow for Embraer that had LOT as one of its longest standing and most important customers in Europe.
The LOT Airbus A220 Order – Firm Order and Future Options
The Polish national carrier has placed a substantial firm order with a very juicy option for future purchases on top of that. The order includes both variants of the A220 the 100, which is the most logical replacement for the E-190s and E-195s, and the 300 variant.
The fact that the airline also ordered the 300 variant gives us an indication of how it intends to not only replace its current planes but also up-gauge to increase capacity.
The LOT Airbus A220 firm order announced at the Paris Air Show is for:
- 20 Airbus A220-100
- 20 Airbus A220-300
Then, on top of that, there is also an option for additional 44 planes in favor of the airline.
A Hard Blow For Embraer and the E2
This is a decision that certainly didn’t go down well in Brazil at Embraer’s HQ. The South American manufacturer I’m certain was hopeful to get this deal in the bag and continue its long-standing partnership with LOT.
Losing the Polish carrier also means losing a new E2 series operator, possibly the main operator in Europe for the new generation of jets.
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