In Boeing Everett plant, painting of the newest 787-9 Dreamliner has just ended. The unique white and red livery of the machine registered as SP-LSC, commemorates the 100th anniversary of Poland regaining its independence. This month, first passengers will be able to board the plane

The white and red painting covers the entire fuselage of the plane. The look of the machine is inspired by a waving Polish flag moved by the take-off momentum. An outline of the Polish borders is located on the front doors. On one side of the door there is a sign reading “Dumni z niepodległości Polski”, and on the other – “Proud of Poland’s Independence”. It is the first such paining in the history of LOT Polish Airlines.

“2018 is a significant year for Poland due to the celebration of the 100th anniversary of regaining independence. LOT, as a national carrier, naturally acts as a Polish ambassador abroad. Promoting the country is an integral role of LOT which through dynamic growth builds positive image of Poland abroad”, said Adrian Kubicki, Director of Corporate Communications. “As a national carrier, we welcome in Poland guest from around the world, offering them almost one hundred connections within our network”, he added.

The white and red Dreamliner, registered as SP-LSC, is the third of seven ordered planes in a larger 787-9 variant. The jet’s seating capacity is 294 (42 more compared to its smaller variant of the 787-8). The B787-9 is nearly 63 meters long which means that it is over six meters longer than the smaller variant. In the 787-9 model, passengers can be seated in three classes: > 24 lie-flat seats in business class >21 wide premium economy class seats > 249 in economy.

The unique white and red Dreamliner will fly on LOT’s long-haul flights to South America and Asia. The plane will also feature – similarly to many other machines of LOT – a logo of the Niepodległa (“Independent”) programme which is an element of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of regaining independence.

Composite materials, i.e. carbon fiber reinforced plastic, make up the majority of its weight. Composites are much more durable, yet lighter than aluminum, resulting in the parameters improvement. Based on Boeing’s analyses, the new B787-9 Dreamliner has lower fuel consumption per passenger. 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 the 787-8.

LOT is the first airline in Europe whose long-haul fleet consists only of Dreamliners. In LOT, there will be 11 such planes overall when, by the end of June, the white and red SP-LSC will take on passengers. Planes have been operating long-haul connections from Warsaw to New York City (JFK and Newark), Chicago, Los Angeles, Toronto, Seoul, Tokyo, Beijing and Singapore, from Kraków to Chicago, from Rzeszów to Newark, and from Budapest to New York City and Chicago.

By the end of 2019, LOT will have 15 Dreamliners in its fleet (eight 787-8 and seven 787-9), obtained under operational and financial leasing. It means that with respect to the quantity of the long-haul fleet, the LOT’s strategy for years 2016-2020 will be implemented a year ahead of schedule.

Apart from the new Dreamliners, LOT has also been waiting for the delivery of narrow-body Boeing 737 MAX 8s. At this moment, Polish carrier has two MAXs, registered as SP-LVA and SP-LVB, which were delivered in December 2017. The planes, with LOT’s passengers on board, fly to destinations such as London, Madrid and Larnaca. By 2020, 12 MAXs are scheduled to be obtained. The arrival of two additional planes, one of which will also be painted in white and red, is scheduled for the second half of June.

Overall, in June, LOT will collect two specially painted planes from the Boeing’s plant: Dreamliner B787-9 and B737 MAX 8.“We are proud that our national colours will decorate two of our most modern planes. We aspire to be the aviation leader in Central and Eastern Europe and our fleet purchases are part of that goal”, Adrian Kubicki says.

Last year, LOT carried a total of over 6.8 million passengers, up more than 25 per cent year on year. The carrier has 54 modern planes (including jets of the Estonian partner line, Nordika and those leased from the Romanian Blue Air, making a total of 67 machines). LOT is currently the fastest growing airline in Europe. Since early 2016 the Polish carrier has announced the launch of 60 connections, including direct flights from Warsaw to Los Angeles, Newark, Seoul, Tokyo and Singapore, from Kraków to Chicago, from Rzeszów to Newark, and from Budapest to New York and Chicago.

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