Thailand Welcomes LOT Polish Airlines with Warsaw-Bangkok Route as New Travel Demand Surges of Poland

This move has helped in increasing air connectivity of Thailand with Poland and Central Europe owing to the launch of the first-ever Warsaw-Bangkok flight operated by LOT Polish Airlines at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport. The regular flight started operation on 7th October 2026, which provides a direct link from the capital city of Poland to Bangkok.

Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is encouraging the new flight through partnerships within the industry and a familiarization program to boost the demand for the route. The policy aims at drawing in longer stay tourists, value addition to tourism and dispersing visitor spending in other parts of Thailand.

LOT’s New Bangkok Route Creates a Direct Alternative for Polish Travellers

The new LOT Polish Airlines Warsaw-Bangkok route gives travellers a direct alternative to itineraries requiring connections. LOT launched the service on 7 October 2026, making Bangkok its latest long-haul destination in Asia. The airline says flights take approximately 10 hours and 20 minutes and are operated with Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft.

TAT welcomed the inaugural flight at Suvarnabhumi Airport, with TAT Governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool leading the delegation alongside representatives of LOT, Airports of Thailand, Suvarnabhumi Airport and the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand. The new service is particularly significant for Thailand’s efforts to strengthen direct connections with Central European source markets.

Flight Frequency Rises to Five Weekly Services From Late October

The route begins with three weekly flights between Warsaw and Bangkok during the initial October operating period. From 26 October 2026 through March 2027, LOT will increase the frequency to five flights per week, operating on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

The winter schedule will provide up to 1,260 inbound seats each week, according to TAT. The service is scheduled around the year-end travel period, giving the Thai tourism sector additional capacity during a key international travel season. LOT’s own website confirms that the Warsaw-Bangkok service is being launched as a year-round connection, rather than a short seasonal route.

Bangkok Becomes a Gateway for Wider Thailand Travel

The new route does more than connect Warsaw with Bangkok. TAT is positioning Bangkok as an entry point for travellers continuing to other parts of Thailand. Polish visitors are already travelling to destinations including Bangkok, Chon Buri, Phuket, Krabi and Ko Samui.

The direct service can support multi-destination holidays that combine the capital with beaches, coastal resorts and other regional experiences. TAT is also looking to introduce emerging destinations and new travel routes, helping distribute tourism expenditure more widely across the country rather than concentrating visitor spending in a limited number of locations.

Poland Has Become a Growing Source Market for Thailand

The new air connection comes as Polish tourism to Thailand continues to grow. TAT reported that Thailand welcomed 237,570 Polish visitors in 2025, representing a 31.46 per cent increase compared with the previous year. Between 1 January and 30 September 2026, Thailand recorded 164,807 arrivals from Poland, up 12 per cent from the corresponding period in 2025. TAT expects approximately 250,000 Polish visitors during 2026. The figures provide a significant market base for the new direct aviation link and help explain Thailand’s focus on strengthening connections with Poland.

Polish Travellers Are Staying Around Two Weeks in Thailand

Polish visitors are also generating demand for relatively long holidays. According to TAT, Polish travellers spend approximately 14 days in Thailand on average. Popular destinations include Bangkok, Chon Buri, Phuket, Krabi and Ko Samui. This travel pattern aligns with Thailand’s strategy of pursuing longer-stay and higher-value tourism rather than focusing only on visitor volumes.

Longer holidays can allow travellers to visit several destinations during a single trip. A visitor arriving in Bangkok could therefore combine a city stay with beach destinations or regional cultural experiences. The Warsaw-Bangkok service provides an important aviation foundation for these longer itineraries.

TAT Uses Familiarisation Trip to Promote New Thailand Experiences

Alongside the route launch, the TAT Prague Office is hosting a 30-member familiarisation delegation in Thailand from 8 to 11 October 2026. The group includes six Polish travel operators, 18 media representatives and six LOT Polish Airlines executives. The programme follows a Bangkok-Rayong-Bangkok itinerary and is designed to give participants direct experience of Thai tourism products and services. TAT intends for the programme to support the development of new itineraries and destination content. It also provides an opportunity to strengthen cooperation between the Thai tourism industry, LOT, Polish travel businesses and media organisations.

Rayong Adds a Regional Dimension to the Poland Tourism Strategy

The inclusion of Rayong in the familiarisation programme demonstrates the effort to introduce Polish tourism professionals to destinations beyond Thailand’s best-known international gateways. The Bangkok-Rayong programme allows travel trade and media representatives to experience tourism products directly and potentially incorporate them into future holiday programmes.

This supports TAT’s broader Value over Volume approach, which seeks to increase tourism value through longer stays, quality visitors and wider geographical distribution of spending. Rather than treating Bangkok only as an arrival point, the strategy aims to use improved air connectivity to encourage travellers to continue into different Thai regions.

Warsaw Also Connects Thai Travellers With Europe

The new route is relevant in both directions. While Thailand expects to benefit from additional Polish visitors, the Warsaw connection also gives Thai travellers access to LOT’s wider network. TAT says Warsaw connects with more than 100 destinations across Europe and other regions through LOT’s network. This creates a broader travel opportunity for passengers travelling between Thailand and Europe. The route therefore serves both inbound tourism and outbound travel, while strengthening Bangkok’s position within an international aviation network.

LOT Brings Long-Haul Experience to Thailand

LOT Polish Airlines is Poland’s national carrier and was founded in 1928. It is based at Warsaw Chopin Airport, with secondary hubs at Katowice and Kraków, and has been a Star Alliance member since 2003. Before introducing the scheduled Warsaw-Bangkok service, LOT had operated seasonal charter services to Bangkok, Phuket and Krabi. The new scheduled operation therefore builds on an existing connection with Thailand while creating a more permanent link between the two markets. LOT’s official information confirms that Bangkok is now part of its long-haul Asian network, adding another direct destination from Warsaw.

Thailand Targets More Than Visitor Numbers From the New Route

TAT is using the new connectivity to pursue a broader tourism objective. The authority’s Value over Volume and Partnership 360 strategies are designed to attract travellers who stay longer, spend across multiple destinations and engage with a wider range of tourism products. That means the impact of the Warsaw-Bangkok route will not be measured solely by passenger numbers.

Thailand is also seeking stronger demand for coastal destinations, emerging locations, cultural experiences and multi-destination itineraries. The familiarisation trip forms part of that effort by putting Polish travel companies and media representatives directly in contact with Thai tourism products.

Warsaw-Bangkok Route Strengthens Thailand’s Central European Tourism Strategy

The commencement of LOT Warsaw-Bangkok route is yet another direct link between Thailand and Europe with the Polish market experiencing consistent growth at the present moment. Initially there are three services per week which are increased to five from 26 October 2026 with the total number of seats reaching 1,260 per week in the winter season.

In view of the fact that 164,807 visitors arrived from Poland to Thailand during the first nine months of 2026 and TAT aims to increase the figure to 250,000 per year, the country increases its aviation capabilities together with promotion of destination and communication with travel trade. Thus, the travel corridor between Poland, Central Europe and Thailand becomes stronger, and Bangkok acquires one more function as a gateway to various parts of the country.