Text by Mariusz Klosowski 

On 2 January, 2009 eighty years will have passed since the first take-off of a LOT Polish Airlines commercial airplane from Warsaw to Katowice. In early 1929, LOT announced a tender for a company logo. The tender was concluded in the first half of the year and a flying crane designed by a graphic designer, Tadeusz Gronowski, became the company logo.

The logo was used for the first time on the LOT flight schedule cover published on 1 June 1929. At the same time, with the repainting of the former “Aerolot” and “Aero” aircrafts (coming from the airlines which were amalgamated by LOT), the logo began to be used on the keels, on the five-letter registration sign and with the name of the company. To add a Polish character, the company was renamed: “Polish” Airlines LOT. In the thirties the name of the Polish national carrier was once again changed into the one that is still used today, LOT Polish Airlines, although the name was written in Polish only (Polskie Linie Lotnicze LOT) on both sides of the fuselage until the beginning of the 1970s. The first airplane to carry passengers as part of LOT activity was a Junkers F-13, which could carry four people. The pilots wore flying suits and worked in an open cockpit. The 1930s marked the dynamic development of LOT, both in terms of equipment and flight network. In 1937 LOT Polish Airlines had the longest multi-stage connection in Europe, the so-called meridian line from Helsinki through Tallinn, Riga, Warsaw, Lvov and Bucharest to Palestine. By that time Polish pilots were already among the best in Europe. One of the pre-war aircraft icons was captain Klemens Długaszewski, who had flown over a million kilometers by 1939. He was probably the only Pole to have gained such experience before the war. Interestingly, though he was an aviation champion, he did not have a driver’s license and he had to hire a chauffeur.

Through Poland with VIPs

Between May and June of 1938, LOT had another global success to celebrate. Wacław Makowski, at that time the president of LOT and a pilot, flew from Los Angeles through Latin America, South America, the South Atlantic, North Africa and Rome to Warsaw on a Lockheed L-14H passenger plane. This was an unprecedented event. After that, the flight works on the establishment of a permanent flight connection between Warsaw and the US started, and the so-called ceremonial uniforms were also introduced in LOT at that time. The opening of the air connection was planned for 1940 but, unfortunately, World War II made it impossible to see LOT’s plans and ambitions to fruition. All the machines and most of the employees were evacuated in September of 1939 to Romania. LOT staff, pilots, mechanics and office workers started their exile experiences in Bucharest. Most of them went to France and the UK through Greece and then to Africa, the United States and Canada. LOT workers were actively engaged in military actions and many never returned home. The evacuated property of LOT was also never recovered.

While the Western border of Poland was still fighting in 1945, decisions concerning the reactivation of LOT were made in Chełm and Lublin. Wojciech Zieliński became the first president of the company; he gathered a group of pre-war LOT employees and led the rebirth of the airlines. The first years covered courier and VIP flights throughout Poland, then former workers, pilots and mechanics began coming back from abroad. The process of rebuilding the country, LOT Polish Airlines and the aviation industry finally began. The first flights were also piloted by those who found themselves in Russian territory when the war began, though the pilots had also participated in air missions for Warsaw during the Warsaw Uprising and fought for the liberation of Poland. With a great deal of effort and the help of Russian Po-2, and subsequently Lisunov Li-2 aircraft, airline connections were restored. The first flights carried mail and provisional government delegates, and so-called circular flights were later added to the offer.

In 1946 international connections between Warsaw and Berlin, Paris and Stockholm were opened and, due to the frequent presence of VIPs onboard of LOT planes, the company organised a special Stewardess Section in 1947. The first members, and group organizers at the same time, were Zofia Glińska, Barbara Raczyńska, Halina Zakrzewska and Aldona Skirgiełło. The early part of the 1950s was strictly connected to the rebuilding of the country and actions aimed at reviving the economy on the part of LOT. For this reason the company organised field and forest spray flights. However, at the end of the decade, works on the expansion of the European flight offer began, including the revision of the former transatlantic connections plan. Unfortunately, political influence was stronger than the arguments for the opening of such flights, and this was closely connected to the lack of possibility to buy appropriate western aircraft, especially because the only producer of aircraft for LOT, the USSR, did not offer any long-distance airplanes. Nevertheless, in the 1960s, thanks to the purchase of Ilyushin IL-18 airplanes, it was possible to expand the European flight network and even make charter flights to Tokyo.

Polish Wings on Russian Eagles

Ilyushin IL-18 planes were used by LOT for almost 30 years in all European connections, and even in scheduled flights to North Africa or Asia. They also served to exchange the Polish fishing fleet during the Vietnam War. LOT pilots would often spend the night in an air-raid shelter instead of a hotel due to the American bomb raids. IL-18s enabled Polish people to see the Pyramids, Cairo and Alexandria.

The second half of the 1960s started the jet plane era for LOT and celebrated the opening of a new international airport at Warsaw’s Okęcie. LOT reached the standard of the best European airlines, but LOT’s directors continually sought new technological possibilities in order to open transatlantic connections. This was finally achieved at the beginning of the 1970s when LOT purchased a long-distance Ilyushin IL-62 aircraft, which enabled the company to conquer the world. Transatlantic flights to New York, Chicago and Montreal were established in 1973. Polish pilots would frequently go to Anchorage, Alaska, directly below the North Pole, to gather fishing crews. Interestingly, these fishing fleets helped the aircrew a great deal. There were no regular flights to Rio de Janeiro or Alaska so ship crew exchange charter flights were a great adventure for pilots. The IL-62 also enabled the discovery of the United States and Canada. After the first flights the crew and the passengers were greeted enthusiastically at Toronto airport by the local Polish community, accompanied by a Polish highland band. The IL-62 also paved the way to Asia – it was finally possible to go to Bangkok! The last IL-62 flight took place on November 11, 1990, but it was thanks to these airplanes that the crane logo and the white and red flag became famous all over the world.

Unfortunately, operating problems related to used aircraft were not easily accepted by the passengers in the new Poland at the end of the 1980s. Passengers expected something modern, stylish, more economical. In 1989 LOT was the first airline in the former Soviet Bloc to start using American Boeing B-767 airplanes, followed by the French-Italian ATR 72 and the medium-distance B-737. The introduction of latest generation, wide-fuselage airplanes was a real challenge for LOT employees, a challenge that we met and our passengers had the latest technology at their disposal. New market conditions in the 1990s split the company into two independent, specialised bodies. Consequently, EuroLOT was established in 1997 to cover national and regional flights, LOT Catering, LOT Auto Services and LOT Grand Services. LOT Polish Airlines entered a new era, in economic, technological and business terms.

The 21st century came with a new, innovative office building that became the flagship of the company and received the “Building of the Year” prize from the Polish president. At the same time, modern Brazilian airplanes, the Embraer 145 and 170, were introduced. Soon after that LOT Polish Airlines joined the largest airline alliance in the world, the Star Alliance, which provided our passengers with new possibilities and the best quality service. Despite many difficulties, LOT Polish Airlines has managed to remain a quality carrier, frequently recognised by tourism organizations and prestigious magazines. And most importantly, it is continually praised by its passengers.

For more information on LOT Polish Airlines, please see www.lot.com

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