Winter aviation hazards became reality on 26 November when LOT Polish Airlines flight LO771 from Warsaw to Vilnius veered off the taxiway after landing at Vilnius International Airport. Although the Embraer E170 came to rest on soft ground and all 63 passengers and four crew walked away uninjured, the incident prompted a four-hour runway closure that rippled through regional schedules. Lithuania’s Air Accident Investigation Board opened a formal probe on 28 November, classifying the occurrence as a serious incident.
Vilnius Airport handles a growing share of Poland-Baltic corporate traffic—particularly tech-sector commuters moving between Warsaw’s financial district and Vilnius’ fintech cluster. The unexpected closure forced one Warsaw–Vilnius rotation to cancel entirely and created knock-on delays of up to six hours in LOT’s regional network, disrupting connections to Gdańsk, Kraków and late-evening long-haul departures.
![LOT Flight LO771 Skids Off Taxiway in Vilnius, Disrupting Key Warsaw-Baltic Business Route]()
Pre-liminary data show LO771 touched down at 13:42 local time in moderate snow with braking-action “poor”. Investigators will analyse runway-condition reports, crew decision-making and airport snow-removal capacity—an issue insurers say is critical for risk assessments when placing employees on tight day-trip schedules.
For global-mobility managers, the takeaway is clear: winter weather at out-station airports can upend Polish itineraries even when the disruption occurs abroad. Experts advise booking flexible fares, adding buffer nights for critical meetings and ensuring that assignees carry EU-261 delay-compensation instructions. With Advent travel volumes building, LOT has moved a spare E170 from its Kraków base to cover the lost capacity, but warns of possible rolling schedule adjustments while the damaged aircraft undergoes inspection.
The incident follows Poland’s broader push to modernise regional connectivity; any perception of unreliable service could hinder efforts to position Warsaw as a Central-European hub. Mobility stakeholders should track the investigation’s findings, which may lead to revised winter-operations procedures at both Vilnius and Polish airports.
Vilnius Airport handles a growing share of Poland-Baltic corporate traffic—particularly tech-sector commuters moving between Warsaw’s financial district and Vilnius’ fintech cluster. The unexpected closure forced one Warsaw–Vilnius rotation to cancel entirely and created knock-on delays of up to six hours in LOT’s regional network, disrupting connections to Gdańsk, Kraków and late-evening long-haul departures.
Pre-liminary data show LO771 touched down at 13:42 local time in moderate snow with braking-action “poor”. Investigators will analyse runway-condition reports, crew decision-making and airport snow-removal capacity—an issue insurers say is critical for risk assessments when placing employees on tight day-trip schedules.
For global-mobility managers, the takeaway is clear: winter weather at out-station airports can upend Polish itineraries even when the disruption occurs abroad. Experts advise booking flexible fares, adding buffer nights for critical meetings and ensuring that assignees carry EU-261 delay-compensation instructions. With Advent travel volumes building, LOT has moved a spare E170 from its Kraków base to cover the lost capacity, but warns of possible rolling schedule adjustments while the damaged aircraft undergoes inspection.
The incident follows Poland’s broader push to modernise regional connectivity; any perception of unreliable service could hinder efforts to position Warsaw as a Central-European hub. Mobility stakeholders should track the investigation’s findings, which may lead to revised winter-operations procedures at both Vilnius and Polish airports.
