Flag-carrier LOT Polish Airlines has confirmed that its six-times-weekly service from Warsaw-Chopin (WAW) to Bologna (BLQ) will be suspended after the final flight on 26 October 2026. According to an updated timetable released on 18 October, the connection will return at the end of March 2027, aligning with the start of the IATA summer season. The temporary withdrawal comes as airlines across Europe trim marginal routes amid persistently high jet-fuel prices and softer winter demand. Industry analysts note that on the 1,100-km city-pair LOT competes head-to-head with low-cost carriers offering one-stop options via Bergamo or Vienna, diluting the business-class yield that previously justified the service. Corporate travel managers should revise programme guidance and re-book travellers on alternative routings via Milan, Rome or Munich, which maintain multiple daily connections to both Polish and Northern Italian hubs. Cargo planners moving time-critical pharma and automotive components between Poland’s Silesian cluster and Italy’s Emilia-Romagna district will likewise need to shift uplift to belly-hold capacity on other carriers. The move illustrates a broader recalibration in LOT’s network. The airline is doubling down on long-haul North-American frequencies and higher-margin routes such as Seoul and Delhi, while pausing thinner European legs until spring. Given LOT’s stated intention to reinstate Bologna when demand rebounds, companies with expatriate staff in the region should monitor GDS inventory from mid-February when the carrier is expected to open the summer schedule for sale.
Source: Hubigo Aviation News
