The E170's First Customer Is Retiring The Type Today

Published Oct 30, 2026, 11:43 AM EDT Louis is a military historian and the staff writer for History of War magazine, a leading military history monthly. He also has an interest in private and commercial aviation. LOT Polish Airlines has announced that 22 years of service with the E170 is coming to an end because a flight scheduled for October 30 will be the final operation of the type. The route is short-haul, from Vienna International Airport (VIE) to Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW). LOT Polish was the first airline to operate a revenue service with the E170 in 2004, shortly before Poland's entrance into the European Union. The jet's first flight was also between VIE and WAW. During its service, almost 14 million passengers have flown on LOT Polish's E170s. The Last Flight Is A Short Hop LOT Polish's flight LO222 from VIE to WAW on the evening of October 30 will be the final time it operates an Embraer E170. The carrier began its 22-year history with this aircraft on the same route back in 2004. LO222 will depart VIE at 3:35 PM local time. It will be a short hop, showing the versatility LOT Polish has enjoyed in this plane's two decades of operation, landing at WAW at 4:50 PM. These timings are typical for LO222. The previous four operations, on October 24, 25, 28, and 29, have had flight times of between 53 and 67 minutes, according to Flightradar24. These services were operated by an E170 once, Embraer E175s twice, and a Boeing 737-800 once. Krzysztof Moczulski, a LOT Polish Airlines Spokesperson, said: "Today, we are bidding farewell to the smallest member of this family: the Embraer E170 (registration SP-LDH), which will complete its final passenger rotation on a flight to Vienna. It is a symbolic moment that closes a specific chapter" Embraer E-Jets Will Continue To Serve LO222 The next three operations of LO222, flying on an almost identical schedule, will be on November 1, 5, and 6. These routes will use Embraer ERJ 190s twice and an E195 once. LOT Polish has 22 of these jets in its fleet with an average age of 14.2 years, according to Planespotters.net. This is three years fewer than the airline's 14 E170s that are currently in service. LOT Polish says it operates two classes on these planes: LOT Business Class and LOT Economy. Like the E170, these jets have a 2-2 configuration with no middle seat in either class. The E190 is a larger, more advanced jet that has given the airline lower fuel consumption and improved range. The plane's maximum takeoff weight is 105,000 lb (47,800 kg) and its range is 1,500 nautical miles (2,780 km). In economy class, the standard seat pitch is 31 inches (79 cm). These passengers also have 18 inches (46 cm) of seat width. The E170 Has Been A Loyal Workhorse For LOT Polish Airline The first E170 arrived in LOT Polish Airlines' fleet on March 8, 2004. Its registration was SP-LDA. Because of the aircraft's South American origin, it had to stop in Recife (eastern Brazil), Espargos (Cape Verde), and Málaga during the ferry flight. Eleven days later, it successfully completed its first commercial flight. The table below shows what the E170 has offered LOT Polish across its 22 years of service, using data from Flightradar24. Attribute E170 LOT Polish fleet total Passengers served 13.8 million Flights Almost 300,000 Distance covered Over 200 million nautical miles (230 million km) Flight hours Over 455,000 The E170 brought a new generation of aircraft into the LOT Polish fleet. This plane was the carrier's first to utilize winglets, along with fully electronic fly-by-wire technology. The aircraft has a length of 98 feet, one inch (30 m), with a wingspan of 85 feet 5 inches (26 m). It can seat between 70 and 78 passengers depending on configuration. Along with Warsaw, the E170 went on to serve some of LOT Polish's most important destinations, both domestically and internationally. Examples include Prague's Václav Havel Airport (PRG), Copenhagen Airport (CPH), and Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport (BUD).