When LOT Polish Airlines flight LO222 touches down in Warsaw from Vienna on the evening of 30 October, it will close a chapter in the airline’s story that began 22 years ago on the very same route.
On 17 March 2004, LOT became the first airline in the world to operate an Embraer E170 revenue flight, departing Warsaw for Vienna. For LOT, it was the beginning of a relationship with the aircraft family that would help shape its short-haul fleet for more than two decades.
Track LO222
LOT launches the Ejet family
LOT introduced Embraer aircraft to its fleet five years earlier, with the arrival of its first ERJ-145 in 1999. The E170 represented the next step: a larger aircraft that offered increased capacity and passenger comfort, but still made good economic sense on regional routes. LOT ordered ten 70-seat E170s in 2003, with options for another eleven.
The first aircraft arrived on 4 March 2004. LOT operated test flights for a few weeks before putting the aircraft into revenue service. For passengers, one of the E170’s most welcome features was immediately apparent. Its four-abreast cabin meant everyone had either a window or an aisle seat. With no middle seats, a cabin most passengers could stand in and larger overhead bins, the E170 was a step-change for the airline and for regional flights everywhere.
A regional workhorse
According to LOT, its E170 fleet achieved the following over more than two decades:
| Measure | LOT E170 fleet total |
|---|---|
| Passengers carried | 13.8 million |
| Flights operated | Nearly 300,000 |
| Distance flown | More than 230 million kilometres |
| Flight hours | More than 455,000 |
The E170 also opened the door to a much broader E-Jet operation at LOT. The airline went on to fly all four original variants—the E170, E175, E190, and E195—and in 2024 took delivery of its first E195-E2, twenty years after launching the original family into passenger service.
While LOT is saying goodbye to the E170, it will continue to operate the E175, E190, and E195 alongside the new E195-E2 fleet.
LOT will also continue to adapt its short haul fleet with plans for 40 Airbus A220s, with deliveries scheduled between 2027 and 2031, as it prepares to renew and consolidate its regional fleet.
Join us in following the final E170 flight Vienna to Warsaw and bid the E170 at LOT a fond farewell.
Track LO222
The post Launch customer LOT operates final Embraer E170 flight appeared first on Flightradar24 Blog.
