LOT Polish Airlines to start Warsaw-Tokyo flights in January 2016

Poland’s national LOT Polish Airlines announced Friday that it will launch direct flights between Warsaw and Tokyo next January, the first such route connecting Japan and Central Europe.

LOT President Sebastian Mikosz said the company will offer three flights a week between Warsaw Chopin Airport and Narita International Airport.

Direct flights from Warsaw to Tokyo should help improve relations between Japan and Poland, which are already strong, said Cyryl Kozaczewski, Poland’s ambassador to Japan.

He added the route is being created in response to growing demand in both countries.

Around 15,000 Polish tourists visited Japan in 2013, a 45 percent jump from the previous year. Meanwhile, the number of Japanese travelers to Poland in 2013 was 41,000, which is also on the rise, according to Polish airline officials

Japan is currently the main Asian investor in Poland and “nearly 300 Japanese companies currently operate in Poland,” Kozaczewski said.

Poland’s national airline is a member of Star Alliance, as is All Nippon Airways, and flies to numerous cities in Europe, as well destinations in North America and the Middle East.

LOT will fly Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners between Warsaw and Tokyo. They will depart Warsaw on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and will return from Narita the following day.

The airline competes against the likes of Finnair and Lufthansa, which have more flights in and out of Europe, but Mikosz said he believes Poland’s accessibility will help attract new customers, including those who will only be using Warsaw as a transfer point.