LOT Polish Airlines has announced that the company will offer direct flights between Warsaw and Tokyo starting January 13th 2016, marking the first time Japan can be reached from Central Europe directly.
Flights from Warsaw Chopin Airport will depart at 3:00pm on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and will arrive at Narita International Airport at 9:20am the next day, for a flight duration of 10 hours and 20 minutes. Flights back to Warsaw from Narita will last 11 hours and 35 minutes, and will be offered on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays (departing at 11:05am and arriving at 2:40pm). With the introduction of these routes, LOT aims to increase customers due to the increased convenience, including those who will use Warsaw as a transfer point to and from other European cities.
Poland has recently experienced a Japan-tourism boom of sorts, as in 2013, Japan enjoyed an astonishing 45% increase in inbound tourists from Poland, with 136,000 people visiting from Central and Eastern Europe (15,000 from Poland). Similarly, the number of Japanese tourists to Poland and Central/Eastern Europe has also steadily risen; a 2014 survey showed that Eastern Europe ranked 2nd among worldwide tourist destinations in terms of satisfaction level for Japanese travelers. Furthermore, over 300 Japanese companies operate in Poland, making the new Warsaw–Tokyo route is a dream come true for those traveling for business and for leisure.
LOT Polish Airlines' round-trip flights between Warsaw and Tokyo are priced at 2165 Polish zloty, or 72,110 yen according to exchange rates as of June 24, 2015 (1 PLN = 33.31 JPY), and are serviced by Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircrafts.
