LOT Celebrates 80 Years of Flights Between Warsaw and Prague

LOT Polish Airlines has connected the capitals of Poland and the Czech Republic by air for eight decades. The anniversary of this long-standing route has now been celebrated at Prague Airport.

LOT Polish Airlines is celebrating the 80th anniversary of its air service between Warsaw and Prague. On 7 August 1946, an aircraft operated by the Polish airline flew the route for the first time. This makes it one of the first international routes resumed by LOT after the Second World War.

To mark the anniversary, a LOT aircraft arriving from the Polish capital received a ceremonial welcome at Václav Havel Airport Prague on Thursday, 6 August. Among those attending the celebrations was Barbara Tuge-Erecińska, Chargé d’Affaires at the Polish Embassy in the Czech Republic.

Foto: Prague Airport

Alongside Prague, LOT also launched services to two other European capitals in the summer of 1946. The first flight to Paris departed on 4 July, followed by Stockholm on 9 July and finally Prague on 7 August. The three routes played an important role in rebuilding the Polish airline’s international network after the war.

Foto: Prague Airport

Flying 80 Years Ago

Air travel looked very different then from how it does today. Tickets were issued by hand, and there were no electronic reservation systems or online check-in. The entire process, from purchasing a ticket to checking in baggage, was also carried out without computers. After the war, LOT primarily operated Douglas DC-3 aircraft and their licensed Lissunov Li-2 version on international routes.

Foto: Polsko v ČR

Up to 33 Flights per Week Today

Eighty years later, Prague remains one of the most important European destinations in LOT’s route network. The airline currently offers up to 33 services per week between Warsaw and the Czech capital. This provides passengers with several flights a day on multiple days of the week. Numerous onward connections are also available via Warsaw Chopin Airport.

LOT Polish Airlines was founded in 1929, making it one of the world’s oldest airlines still in operation. Today, the Polish airline connects Central and Eastern Europe with numerous international destinations and operates long-haul services to the United States, Canada and Asia, among others.