#LOTdoDomu, the biggest operational venture in the history of LOT Polish Airlines has come to an end. Thanks to cooperation with the Polish government, in the period from 15th March to 5th April 2020, 54 thousand Poles separated from their relatives by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic returned to the country. The national carrier performed 388 flights from six continents, taking passengers from, inter alia, the following countries: Peru, Mexico, Argentina, Japan and South Korea.
71 cities in 53 countries in just 22 days – #LOTdoDomu is one of the most organisationally and logistically challenging
air operations in over 100 years of the history of Polish civil aviation. The operation was prepared in a record-breaking pace, as a response to the need to help compatriots who, in the face of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic, remained abroad, far from their families. In the evening of 13th March, the government announced its decision to temporarily close the borders of the Republic of Poland and to suspend air services, and already on Sunday 15th March, the first LOT charter flights were launched, enabling Poles to return home. Since the project was supported by the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, passengers paid a lump sum for each flight, while the remaining amount was covered by the Polish government. As the project developed, other national carriers joined the operation – PKP Intercity and the Polonus coach company – which enabled many Poles to be brought directly to their hometowns.
– #LOTdoDomu operation was developed out of the need to help compatriots who were left far from their homes as a result of the strategic and public security-driven decision to close the country’s borders. The scale of this unique project was immense, the efforts were multidimensional and very complicated both in terms of technology and diplomacy. A special subpage was launched to register the demand for flights, and at the same time first flights were being planned and their backup was being organised. The number of applications grew exponentially with each day, making the scale of the project unprecedented. The 388 air operations to 71 destinations with a mission to help over 54 thousand Polish citizens, commissioned by the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, constitute the most extensive repatriation project in the history of the Republic of Poland since World War II. Special words of thanks and appreciation go both to all the public institutions involved and to the contractor, PLL LOT – concludes Michał Dworczyk, Minister – Head of the Chancellery of Prime Minister.
Along the operation kick-off, the LOTdoDomu.com website was launched, containing a registration form for Poles to report a flight request from their place of residence. Within the first 24 hours
of the launch of the website, more than 23.5 thousand people from all over the world declared their interest in returning to the country. A complex process began of estimating the demand for flights, racing against time and against closing the borders of other countries, as well as planning flights also from airports not yet operated by LOT, including, inter alia, from: Agadir, Alicante, Abu Dhabi, Cebu and Manila, Baku, Reykjavik, Sydney, Malta, Maldives, Cork, Trondheim, Malaga, Marrakesh, Amman, Algiers, Riyadh, Doha or Lisbon. The flights that under normal conditions are
organised within a few months, under the #LOTdoDomu operation were launched within a few hours to a few days. They were organised with enormous commitment and cooperation of all LOT Polish Airlines ground staff, cabin crews, pilots, as well as mechanics and engineers, providing technical and logistical facilities for each flight. Detailed information concerning the flights available under the #LOTdoDomu operation was available on lot.com, which also enabled the purchase of a ticket for the selected flight.
Within three weeks of the launch of the #LOTdoDomu operation, LOT Polish Airlines has brought home 54,000 passengers on board 388 flights from six continents, operated by 44 aircraft of all types available in the LOT fleet. The aircraft with Poles on board returned from, inter alia, the United States, Zanzibar, the Philippines, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, Azerbaijan, Sri Lanka, Mexico, Cuba, Norway, Portugal, Argentina, the Philippines, South Korea and Finland. These connections also included flights that changed the previous character of the repatriation operation into a rescue mission. On board LOT, compatriots from Peru, Brazil or Mexico, were brought back to Poland who were in a very difficult situation due to local traffic restrictions
, the closure of a hotel base, or difficult access to medical care.
– Under the #LOTdoDomu operation, the aircraft reached all destinations where Poles needed help in returning to their families – this is the mission and duty of the national carrier. But for the dedication and hard work of both our crews and office employees performing and coordinating the #LOTdoDomu operation, this success would not have been possible. Due to time pressure and closed air spaces, the organization of each flight posed a tremendous challenge. We had to obtain a number of additional authorisations, meet stringent safety standards and provide full technical and logistical support – says Rafał Milczarski, President of the Management Board of LOT Polish Airlines.
Most of the passengers brought back to Poland under the #LOTdoDomu operation took flights from London. In 133 operations from Heathrow and London-City airports, approximately 21 thousand fellow citizens returned to the country. Approximately 3,200 people on board 22 aircraft returned from Dublin, while some 2,700 Poles returned home taking the same number of flights from Oslo. Next up is Chicago with 12 flights and 3,100 passengers carried on board. Approximately 2,200 passengers chose one of the 10 flights from Bangkok, while 2,000 compatriots returned on board 12 LOT’s flights from Edinburgh. The list of the most popular destinations operated under the #LOTdoDomu operation is completed by: Paris with 11 flights and 1,100 passengers and Amsterdam, from where 970 passengers returned on board 10 flights.
With the scale of the efforts themselves and the above mentioned flights, the #LOTdoDomu operation ends up with impressive statistics indeed – 2,404,568 kilometers and 2,884 hours spent in the air by LOT’s aircraft and crews on a mission to bring back to the country the compatriots who had been deprived of any other means of transport they might have used to reunite with their families. The #LOTdoDomu operation was completed on 5th April.
– The #LOTdoDomu operation enabled thousands of Poles scattered around the world to return to Poland. This is an example of how the Polish State can perform well in crisis situations. This is due to the fact that the State has the tools to perform such operations. It was thanks to the support and involvement of state-owned enterprises, including LOT Polish Airlines, in cooperation with PKP Intercity and the Polonus coach company that such a complex operation was possible. This success would not have been possible without the enormous work, involvement and dedication of many people, starting with those who planned this operation, e.g. executives and managers, as well as a huge number of employees – says Jacek Sasin, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State Assets.
Each successive day of the #LOTdoDomu operation meant not only new challenges, but above all new projects that made the operation more efficient and comfortable for passengers. They also ensured improved public safety related to the obligatory quarantine of the passengers returning home. Thanks to the modification of flight schedules and cooperation with Chopin Airport, PKP Intercity and Polonus, as of 20th March a free domestic transport for passengers under the #LOTdoDomu operation has been introduced. This campaign represents the first case of a broader deployment of intermodal transport in LOT’s operational activities.
– PKP Intercity participated in the #LOTdoDomu operation nearly from its very beginning. As a state-owned company, we understand that our primary objective is to fulfil public mission. With the involvement and commitment of the railroad employees, who are on duty every day, we could facilitate the return of thousands of compatriots to their homes. The safety of passengers and our employees remains a priority for us. I would like to thank all our employees who, faced with a difficult situation for the entire country, understand the gravity of the situation and carry out their tasks, ensuring the well-being and safety of Poles – emphasises Marek Chraniuk, President of the Management Board of PKP Intercity.
Passengers from outside Warsaw could take PKP Intercity train or Polonus coach to get nearby their place of residence anywhere in the country free of charge. Coaches and trains departed directly from Chopin Airport, where the carriers’ information points were located. Information on
timetables was available on lot.com as well as on carriers’ websites – PKP Intercity: https://www.intercity.pl/pl/lot-do-domu/ and Polonus: https://pkspolonus.pl/strefa-pasazera/operacja-lotdodomu. 3,171 passengers returning to Poland on board LOT used the services of PKP Intercity.
– 10,554 compatriots safely reached their homes on board the 50 red and white coaches of the national Polonus coach carrier. I would like to thank all the employees who took part in this challenging operation. In particular, I am grateful to each of the 120 drivers who worked very hard around the clock with full commitment and dedication so that all passengers could return to their loved ones – says Maciej Acedański, President of the Management Board of Polonus.
Under the #LOTdoDomu operation, the national coach carrier carried 10,5 thousand passengers, performing 654 special coach runs on 9 routes connecting 66 cities.
Press Centre 
