THE flag carrier of Poland is seriously considering the operation of chartered tourist flights to the Philippines later this year, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has announced.

In a report to the DFA, the Philippine Embassy in Warsaw said Polish Airlines (LOT)  already conveyed its keen interest in the idea as it wants to know how this could become possible.

According to the Philippine embassy, Iwona Staricak, head of LOT’s Chartered Flights, informed them that they already received requests from Polish tour operators to make special flights available to the Philippines during the winter in Poland. LOT would fly its Dreamliners for this purpose, which have a capacity of 252 seats each, either once a week or once every two weeks, to the Philippines. 

LOT is the first European airline to fly the Dreamliner.

Philippine embassy officials vowed to continue discussions with LOT in Warsaw and coordinate with relevant Philippine government agencies in the next several months, with a view to starting charter flight operations later this year.

With its constant sunshine, amazing beaches, and tourist offerings that combine both adventure and relaxation activities, the Philippines is fast gaining popularity as a winter vacation destination for Polish travellers. 

Philippine Ambassador to Poland Patricia Ann V. Paez has also networked with tourism officials and tour operators from the Baltic States on to discuss how best to improve awareness about the Philippines as a travel destination for the Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian traveling publics.

The Baltic States have experienced steady economic growth since 2011 despite the Eurozone crisis, and represent what could be a significant market for Philippine tourism as more and more of their nationals turn their attention to Asia as a holiday destination.