LOT suspends four European routes for winter as fuel costs reshape its network

LOT Polish Airlines is withdrawing four European routes for winter 2026–27, including three Kraków services that it launched only in March as year-round connections. Barcelona, Madrid and Rome are leaving the Kraków timetable, while Warsaw–Bologna is also being suspended. The latest booking information points to an earlier-than-expected halt on the Bologna route, with its final flight now scheduled for 26 October.

It is a significant reversal for the Polish carrier’s regional strategy. LOT spent the spring expanding nonstop options from Kraków and set out winter frequencies for all three new routes. Six months later, fuel costs and competitive pressure have forced a different calculation.

Four routes, not one common suspension date

Warsaw–Bologna offers the clearest example of the revised timetable. The service began on 31 March 2026 and had originally been planned to continue through November at a reduced frequency before a pause from 1 December. A 15 October Rynek Lotniczy review of sales availability found a more abrupt change: the last rotation had been brought forward to 26 October, with a restart expected when the summer 2027 schedule begins.

From Kraków, the carrier is removing its services to Rome and Barcelona for the winter. Polish aviation reporting lists the final summer flights as 23 October for Rome and 24 October for Barcelona. Madrid follows a different pattern: a 19 October report drawing on LOT’s reservation system gives 30 October as the final operating date and 28 March 2027 as the intended restart.

More broadly, information attributed to Polish news agency PAP and reported on 20 October says LOT intends to restore the four connections in the spring, around early April. That broad outline does not supersede the more specific schedules for Bologna and Madrid. These are announced seasonal suspensions, not permanent withdrawals from the four destinations.

Fuel costs collide with the promise of year-round flights

LOT spokesman Krzysztof Moczulski told PAP that the airline weighed several factors when reassessing its winter routes, with fuel prices particularly important. Fuel now accounts for up to 40% of operating expenditure, compared with around 25% in February, according to figures he supplied. Competition can make it difficult to pass the full increase on to passengers without reducing demand.

That pressure is especially striking in the context of LOT’s 30 March launch announcement. The airline explicitly included Barcelona, Madrid and Rome in its year-round Kraków network, with up to four weekly winter departures for Barcelona and Rome and six for Madrid. The latest retrenchment is therefore a reversal of a recent commercial plan, rather than a routine pause in a service that was always sold as seasonal.

Demand also matters. Rynek Lotniczy reports that Madrid capacity had already been trimmed by 17% in late August and that some services had struggled to fill their seats. The decision reflects the interaction of operating costs, passenger demand and competition, not fuel prices in isolation.

LOT also expects to reduce frequencies on other services, although the reporting available does not identify a complete list of those changes. Nor has a definitive seat-capacity total been published for the four winter suspensions.

Passengers travelling around the end of October should check individual flights directly with LOT, particularly if they hold an existing booking. A route-level schedule change is not proof that every ticket on that route has been cancelled. If an individual service is cancelled, the available refund or rerouting arrangements depend on the itinerary and applicable rules. The carrier plans to return to these markets in spring 2027, but travellers should confirm operating dates and frequencies before making new arrangements.