The role of regional airports in the context of regional development

Joanna Fornalczyk and Anna Midera
Additional contact information
Joanna Fornalczyk: COMPER Fornalczyk and Partners, Poland
Anna Midera: Lodz Airport, Poland

Journal of Airport Management, 2025, vol. 19, issue 2, 130-143

Abstract: Regional airports serve as vital connections between regions, both domestically and internationally. It is essential to view airports as key infrastructure that supports the economic and social growth of their respective regions. As the entry point to a region, an airport’s success is not solely reliant on the expertise of its managers in creating effective governance, infrastructure, operations, and workforce development, but also on the attractiveness of the region itself to potential investors, contractors, and tourists. Consequently, a regional airport’s lack of profitability may not stem from poor management decisions, but rather from the broader economic conditions of the region it serves. Public funding or government ownership often covers the financial losses of these airports, which is typically considered state aid. However, this should be supported by a solid legal framework that permits the provision of compatible state aid in appropriate circumstances, ensuring the alignment of development across various regions within the European Union (EU). This approach would foster better communication between regions, promoting their development and convergence. While regional airports may not be profitable, their contribution to the well-being of European society is paramount.

Keywords: airports profitability factors; State aid for airports and airlines; Polish regional airports (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: M1 M10 R4 R40 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://hstalks.com/article/9071/download/ (application/pdf)
https://hstalks.com/article/9071/ (text/html)
Requires a paid subscription for full access.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aza:jam000:y:2025:v:19:i:2:p:130-143

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Journal of Airport Management from Henry Stewart Publications
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Henry Stewart Talks ().