Santiago Pajares, the airline's manager in Portugal and Spain, told Publituris: “I think the route will work, the first data we have on sales are very positive and this makes us optimistic about the future of these flights,” said the executive, on the sidelines of an event that brought together Portuguese and Polish journalists at the official residence of the Polish ambassador to Portugal.

According to the official, the operation to Lisbon currently has five connections per week and will become daily from February 24th, remaining throughout the year.

The inaugural flight, Santiago Pajares also revealed, arrived in Lisbon “practically full” and “the majority of passengers were tourists”, which helps the airline’s optimism, which estimates a load factor of around 80% on flights to Lisbon.

“It is a big bet for LOT and it is a landmark moment because it is the first time that we are flying to Lisbon with our own planes because we already had a code-share agreement with TAP”, added Santiago Pajares, explaining that, in addition to tourist traffic, the airline also intends to attract corporate passengers.

Corporate market

The LOT manager for Portugal and Spain recalled that Jerónimo Martins, for example, owns a large supermarket chain in Poland, with several other Portuguese companies present in Poland, which motivates many trips between the two countries.

“Therefore, we also look at the Portuguese market from a business perspective. The objective is not just to transport tourists because the corporate market is very important between the two countries,” he argued, adding that, although, in this first phase, the majority of passengers on the flights are of Polish origin, the airline hopes to attract Portuguese passengers as well.

Santiago Pajares acknowledges, however, that LOT has “a lot of work to do in Portugal”, as it is still a little-known carrier in the national market, despite having “a quality offer that goes far beyond Poland”.

“From Portugal, passengers can fly to various parts of the world, such as the three capitals of the Caucasus, where we fly, but also to the Baltic republics, Scandinavia or Asia, namely Central Asia, as we fly to Uzbekistan,” he explained.

To publicise the airline's offerings on the national market, LOT already has a defined promotional strategy, which involves, in the first phase, maintaining “closer contact with travel agencies”, as well as participating in industry events.

“We have already been to the DIT Gestión de Portugal convention and on February 19 we will be at the Workshop at the Polish Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which is organised by the Polish Embassy, ​​and in March we will participate in BTL”.

Faro and Porto

Although the Lisbon route is still in its early stages, Santiago Pajares admits that Portugal has other destinations that could be “interesting” for LOT, such as Faro, where the airline has already carried out some seasonal summer operations, and Porto, although there are no concrete plans in that regard.

“It’s a good question but I don’t have an answer”, said the LOT manager for Portugal and Spain, admitting the interest in Faro as it is a “very touristic destination”, as well as in Porto.

“However, there is nothing concrete planned in this regard, but if the Lisbon connection works out, it is very likely that we will consider expanding our presence in Portugal”, he concluded.

LOT flights to Lisbon began on Monday, February 3, and until February 24 there are five connections per week, with only Thursdays and Saturdays having no flights. From the end of February, the operation will involve daily flights, operated on a B737-800 MAX aircraft, with a capacity for around 180 passengers.