Warsaw, 23 March 2018 – It is the latest and largest machine in LOT’s fleet to-date. The first 787-9 has just landed in Warsaw after its first flight from Boeing Everett plant in Seattle. Its seating capacity is 294. The plane will be used on the Warsaw-Chicago route in March.
The first Dreamliner was registered as SP-LSA. The machine will be used on the Warsaw- Chicago route (flight no. LO3/4). The second and third machine are scheduled to be delivered in 2018. These will operate flights to New York City (LO26/27), Toronto (LO45/46) and ocassionally to Seoul under the LOT’s livery.
The last machine under that contract is scheduled to be delivered to LOT early next year. By then the total number of Dreamliners in LOT’s fleet will have reached 12.
The B787-9 is nearly 63 meters long which means that it is over 6 meters longer than each of the eight 787-8s operated by LOT. The new machine’s seating capacity account for 294, i.e. 42 more compared to its smaller variant of the 787-8 (the supply is nearly 20% up).
There are three travel classes in the new Dreamliners with 24 full flat bed seats in business class (six more compared to the smaller variant), 21 in premium economy with more legroom for the passengers (42 compared to 38 inches) and 249 in economy class (36 seats more).
Compared to the B787-8, the seats in the larger Dreamliners are arranged in the same pattern: > 2-2-2 in business class > 2-3-2 in premium economy and 3-3-3 in economy.
”LOT is the first airline in Europe whose long-haul fleet consists only of Dreamliners,” says Rafał Milczarski, LOT’s CEO.”They are still considered to be the most state-of-the-art aircraft in the world offering unparalleled travel experience in its class. Dreamliner is the driver of even faster growth of LOT, in that way making us even a more competitive, modern and environmentally-friendly. I am convinced that the B787-9s will open a new chapter in our history, significantly increasing the number of seats on the existing, most popular routes. Boeing 787-9will be perfect for our flagship flights to Chicago, New York City or selected Asian destinations and will enable us to launch completely new routes as well. Investments in our fleet enable us to grow and gain the leading position on the market in the Central and Eastern Europe in real terms,” adds Rafał Milczarski.
“ACG is delighted to deliver the first 787-9 Dreamliner for entry into service with LOT Polish Airlines, one of the premier international airlines in Europe. We appreciate the opportunity to work with Rafał Milczarski, LOT’s CEO, in expanding the airline’s fleet to this larger Dreamliner variant. We wish the airline continued success and look forward to further supporting LOT’s fleet expansion plans,” said Khanh T. Tran, CEO of ACG.
“We are delighted to deliver another first to our friends and partners at LOT Polish Airlines, the 787-9 Dreamliner,” said Monty Oliver, vice-president of Europe Sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “The 787-9 will complement LOT’s existing fleet of 787-8 aircraft, bringing further operational efficiencies and scope to enhance their existing network. I would like to thank LOT for their continued confidence in our products and wish them every success as they continue to optimize their fleet.” – adds Monty Oliver.
Each seat is equipped with its own power outlet, a USB port and an on-board entertainment system screen.
Also the B787-9s have an extra toilet for passengers travelling in the premium economy class (which is unavailable in the B787-8).
The new Dreamliner will carry a higher number of passengers and freight. Dreamliner B787-9 has more cargo space (140 vis-a-vis 115 cubic meters).
The maximum range of the 787-9 machine (in its variant for LOT) is over 13,350 km, i.e. approx. 700 km more compared to Dreamliner 787-8.
The new generation Rolls-Royce’s Trent TEN engines power the new Dreamliner B787-9. Based on Boeing’s analyses, the new Dreamliner has lower fuel consumption per passenger which makes it a more fuel efficient and more environmentally-friendly machine.
Composite materials, i.e. carbon fiber reinforced plastic, make up 50% of its weight and 80% of its structure volume. Composites are much more durable, yet lighter than aluminum, resulting in less weight, extended range and lower fuel consumption.
The composite airframe structure helps retain higher pressure in the cabin which in turn makes it easier to control temperature and air humidity. That is why the Dreamliner offers an unparalleled comfort compared to competitive aircraft of that segment available on the market.
Just like in its smaller variant, Dreamliner 787-9 has LED lighting and windows with dimming features to reduce jet-lag.
In 2012 LOT was the first airline in Europe to collect the Dreamliner family machines. Now they are LOT’s flagship aircraft and the pillar of its long-haul fleet.
LOT currently has eight Dreamliner B787-8s which are used to operate long-distance flights: to New York City (JFK), Newark, Chicago, Los Angeles, Toronto, Seoul, Tokyo and Beijing. Starting from the end of April LOT will be using them to operate its flights from Rzeszów to Newark and from the end of May - from Warsaw to Singapore and from Budapest to New York City and Chicago.
Under the 2016-2020 strategy of profitable growth implemented by LOT, the airline’s fleet will have featured at least 16 aircraft of that type by the end of 2020.
Last year LOT’s passenger traffic totaled over 6.8 m which means that the figure went up by nearly 25% year-to-year. LOT forecasts that its annual traffic will have reached over 10 million passengers by 2020.
Since the early 2016 LOT has announced the launch of 57 connections. Today its network of connections features 95 routes. More destinations are planned, including long-haul ones.
11 more machines will be added to LOT’s fleet in 2018: two B787-9s, three B737 MAX 8s and six Embraer 195s.