LOT Polish Airlines is launching new passenger flights to Mumbai and resuming service to Delhi after a two-year hiatus because of the pandemic.

The Star Alliance member added flights to India in September 2019, becoming the sole provider of nonstop scheduled service between the two countries.

The route between Poland’s capital Warsaw Frederic Chopin (WAW) and Deli operated five times per week until the coronavirus outbreak forced its suspension in March 2020. However, service will return on March 29, initially with 3X-weekly frequencies before increasing to 5X-weekly in May.

In addition, Mumbai (BOM) will join LOT’s network from May 31. The airline plans to provide two flights per week to the city on India’s west coast.

Both the Delhi and Mumbai routes will use a mix of Boeing 787-8s and 787-9s.

LOT president Rafał Milczarski said direct flights between Poland and India are essential to re-establishing trade links between the countries, as well as providing a gateway to Europe for passengers originating in India.

He added: “India is the world’s seventh-largest economy and the most important Polish trade in South Asia. We can spot opportunities for cooperation in sectors where Polish companies lead the way. These include green technologies, agriculture and agri-food processing as well as medical equipment.”

Prior to opening the Delhi route in 2019, LOT previously served India’s capital from October 1985 to October 1992, while Mumbai was served until February 1982.

Data provided by Sabre Market Intelligence shows that O&D traffic between Poland and India totaled 95,633 two-way passengers in 2019, up by 6.4% on the previous 12 months. About 9% of passengers flew nonstop during the year, with Dubai (DXB), Frankfurt (FRA) and Doha (DOH) the top three one-stop connecting markets.

The Mumbai service is the second new route to be announced by LOT this week after the airline said it was introducing flights to Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, in May. Flights from Warsaw Chopin to Heydar Aliyev International (GYD) in Baku will begin on May 27 operating 4X-weekly.