Airport and low-cost carrier business relationship management as a key factor for airport continuity: The evidence from Poland

Low-cost airlines have stimulated the rapid growth of the air transport market in Europe, particularly in New Member States where the aviation markets had been stifled and where flag carriers had been performing poorly. After market deregulation, almost all the airports benefited from the opportunities offered by low-cost carriers. However, following a decade of market liberalization, differences in the development of airports have appeared. Some of them continue to grow and maintain good relations with airlines, while others suffer from being served by poor air transport networks and are struggling with financial problems. This paper aims to explore management strategies and the quality of airport-airline relations in key areas, in particular the attraction and retention of low-cost services on the basis of data gathered through a survey conducted at Polish regional airports. The competitive strength of an airport lies in its development strategies, the degree of dependence on the low-cost segment, and the quality of relations based on direct contact, cooperation and trust between airport management and air carriers. The conducted study confirmed the hypothesis that the business relationship management between LCCs and airports is a key factor determining the ability of regional airports to continue and develop operations.