POLISH AIRPORTS ARE ONE STEP AWAY FROM BANKRUPTCY

The restrictive measures, introduced by the Polish authorities to combat the spread of COVID-19 infection, have become a factor, which currently has an influence on the possible bankruptcy of a number of regional airports. Now the state must find sources of funding to help save the air harbors from complete ruin.

One of the reasons for the financial depression, in which the airports in Poznan, Bydgoszcz, Szczecin, Lublin and some other cities found themselves, was the failure to receive the economic assistance, previously promised by the authorities.

Money from the budget has been expected there since May 2020, while losses are constantly growing.

The deputy minister of the Polish department responsible for the development of transport (Ministry of Infrastructure and Development), Marcin Gorala, publicly announced in spring that the Government would allocate $ 37.1 million (142 million zlotys) for this purpose. However, the subsidies have never been received. The reason for this lies in the delay in the approval of the budget tranche by the European Commission. According to the officials from Brussels, it is necessary to change the existing instruments to support airports.

Now the Polish authorities are thinking about the ways to find money, hoping for an opportunity to save the managing companies from bankruptcy through the second "anti-crisis shield", which is a program aimed at the elimination of the consequences of the pandemic. Meanwhile, the airports are forced to pay monetary compensation to the local population in accordance with the country's environmental law.

For example, people living in the area of ​​the Lawica airport (Poznan) are entitled to $ 4.7 million in 2020 and $ 5.2 million in 2021.

Considering the drop in traffic and the forced closure due to the ban on international flights, the question of where to get the money is no longer trivial. According to experts, the industry will be able to recover its financial performance no earlier than in 2023 or even 2024. Experts estimate the possible workload of the air liners in 2021 at 50% of the indicators of 2019.

As a result, the situation around some airports begins to resemble outright blackmail. Thus, subsidizing the airport in Szczecin was suspended by the decision of the head of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship. He stated that there would be no money until the aid promised by the government arrives. However, the answer to this remark of Olgerd Geblevich has not followed yet.