LOT Restores Warsaw–Hanoi Nonstop Flights With Boeing 787 Dreamliners
LOT Polish Airlines will return to Vietnam in March 2027 with a year-round nonstop service between Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW) and Hanoi Noi Bai International Airport (HAN).
The first flight is scheduled to leave Warsaw Airport (WAW) on March 31, 2027. LOT will initially operate three weekly round trips using Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, with departures from Poland on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Return flights will leave Hanoi Airport (HAN) on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
Tickets are already available through LOT’s booking channels. The airline’s official Hanoi announcement describes the route as a year-round operation and positions it as another step in the expansion of Warsaw Airport (WAW) as a connecting hub between Central and Eastern Europe and Asia.
Read our stories in your inbox
Two aviation newsletters. Zero fluff.
Warsaw–Hanoi Flight Schedule
LOT has announced the following operating pattern, with all times local:
Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW) to Hanoi Noi Bai International Airport (HAN): Departures at 3:15 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
Hanoi Noi Bai International Airport (HAN) to Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW): Departures at 8:35 a.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
The eastbound flight from Warsaw Airport (WAW) to Hanoi Airport (HAN) is expected to take approximately 10 hours and 25 minutes. The return to Warsaw is scheduled for approximately 11 hours and 20 minutes.
The longer westbound journey reflects prevailing winds and the specific air traffic routings expected between Southeast Asia and Central Europe. The two airports are approximately 4,863 miles, or 4,226 nautical miles, apart on a great-circle basis.
LOT’s press release states that the route will operate three times weekly throughout the year. However, the airline’s separate Hanoi booking page currently says frequencies will increase from three weekly flights during summer to four during winter.
Because the two official LOT sources conflict, three weekly flights should be treated as the confirmed starting schedule. A fourth winter frequency may be planned, but the airline may still be finalizing its Northern Winter 2027/28 timetable.
Hanoi Is a Returning LOT Destination
Although LOT is marketing Hanoi as a new addition to its current network, the airline has served the Vietnamese capital before.
LOT originally introduced three weekly flights between Warsaw Airport (WAW) and Hanoi Airport (HAN) in November 2010. The earlier route used Boeing 767 widebody aircraft and was eventually discontinued in 2012.
Vietnamese officials had publicly encouraged LOT to restore the route. During a January 2025 meeting in Warsaw, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh discussed the resumption of direct Warsaw–Hanoi flights with LOT management.
The 2027 operation will be considerably different from LOT’s earlier service. The Boeing 787 offers improved fuel efficiency, greater range, lower cabin altitude, larger windows, and a three-class passenger product that was not available on the airline’s former Boeing 767s.
The modern LOT network at Warsaw Airport (WAW) is also substantially larger, giving the Hanoi route access to more connecting traffic from Poland and neighboring Central and Eastern European markets.
Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 Could Both Appear
LOT has confirmed the Boeing 787 Dreamliner for the route but has not specified whether the smaller 787-8 or larger 787-9 will be regularly assigned.
The airline’s Boeing 787-8 accommodates 252 passengers. Its three-class interior contains 18 business-class seats, 21 premium-economy seats, and 213 economy seats.
LOT’s Boeing 787-9 carries 294 passengers, including 24 in business class, 21 in premium economy, and 249 in economy.
At three weekly flights, the route could therefore provide between 756 and 882 seats in each direction per week, depending on the aircraft variant used. If LOT adds the fourth winter frequency displayed on its booking page, weekly one-way capacity would increase to between 1,008 and 1,176 seats.
Both aircraft have substantially more range than required for the approximately 4,226-nautical-mile sector. Boeing publishes maximum ranges of up to 8,000 nautical miles for the 787-8 and 8,300 nautical miles for the 787-9.
The larger 787-9 would provide 42 more seats per departure, but the 787-8 may be better suited to establishing a developing three-times-weekly market. LOT could also alternate between variants based on demand, maintenance requirements, and wider fleet utilization.
LOT arranged to lease two additional Boeing 787-8s for delivery in 2026, providing extra widebody capacity as the airline expands its intercontinental schedule.
LOT Builds a Broader Asian Network
Hanoi Airport (HAN) will become the fifth city in LOT’s current long-haul Asian network.
The Vietnamese capital will join Tokyo Narita International Airport (NRT), Seoul Incheon International Airport (ICN), New Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL), and Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK).
LOT’s new Bangkok Airport (BKK) route is scheduled to begin on October 7, 2026, several months before the Hanoi launch. It will also operate with Boeing 787 aircraft as a year-round service.
The combination of Bangkok Airport (BKK) and Hanoi Airport (HAN) gives LOT a stronger presence in Southeast Asia, a region where passengers from Poland and other Central European countries have traditionally connected through Frankfurt Airport (FRA), Munich Airport (MUC), Istanbul Airport (IST), Doha Hamad International Airport (DOH), or Dubai International Airport (DXB).
There is currently no scheduled nonstop passenger service between Warsaw Airport (WAW) and Hanoi Airport (HAN). Most available itineraries require at least one connection and can take approximately 14 hours or considerably longer, depending on the hub and layover.
LOT’s nonstop service will reduce travel time while allowing the airline to retain passengers within its own network rather than handing them to a competing European or Middle Eastern hub carrier.
Warsaw Schedule Supports Connecting Traffic
The 3:15 p.m. departure from Warsaw Airport (WAW) should allow passengers to reach Poland on morning and early-afternoon feeder flights from cities across Central and Eastern Europe.
The expected afternoon return arrival in Warsaw should similarly feed LOT’s evening European departure bank. That schedule is important because local Warsaw–Hanoi traffic alone may not be sufficient to support a year-round widebody service.
LOT can supplement passengers traveling directly between Poland and Vietnam with customers originating in cities that lack convenient nonstop service to Southeast Asia. Potential connecting markets include the Baltic states, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, the Balkans, and other parts of Poland.
The route should also benefit from travel involving Vietnam’s established community in Poland, business links between the two countries, and growing European leisure demand for Vietnam.
Hanoi Provides Access Across Northern Vietnam
Noi Bai International Airport (HAN) is Hanoi’s primary international gateway and one of Vietnam’s largest airports.
Beyond the capital, Hanoi Airport (HAN) provides access to several of northern Vietnam’s leading leisure destinations. These include Ha Long Bay, the mountain region around Sapa, and Ninh Binh, known for its limestone landscapes, rivers, and historic sites.
That gives the route a broader tourism catchment than Hanoi alone. The service may appeal to organized tour operators as well as independent travelers seeking an alternative to entering Vietnam through Ho Chi Minh City Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN).
The flight will also provide Vietnamese passengers with nonstop access to Poland and one-stop itineraries across LOT’s European and North American network.
Bottom Line
LOT Polish Airlines will restore nonstop flights between Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW) and Hanoi Noi Bai International Airport (HAN) on March 31, 2027.
The service will initially operate three times weekly with Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. Flights will depart Warsaw on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, with returns from Hanoi on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
LOT’s press release identifies three weekly flights throughout the year, although its booking page indicates that a fourth weekly frequency may be added during winter. That discrepancy suggests the longer-term schedule is still being finalized.
Hanoi will become LOT’s fifth current long-haul destination in Asia and its second in Southeast Asia after Bangkok Airport (BKK). The route will also restore a market LOT previously served with Boeing 767s between 2010 and 2012.
For LOT, the route is about more than connecting Poland with Vietnam. It strengthens Warsaw Airport’s position as an alternative European gateway for Asian travel and gives the airline another opportunity to capture connecting passengers who currently travel through larger Western European and Middle Eastern hubs.
Keep reading FlyMag
Get the Daily Brief in the morning or the Route Watch weekly recap on Fridays. Or both.
