The Lubuskie regional government has launched new tenders to support charter flights from Zielona Góra Airport to Turkey and Tunisia, extending a long-running programme that uses public funds to promote the region through air transport.
The latest contracts cover seasonal holiday flights to Antalya in Turkey and Enfidha in Tunisia, adding to existing subsidies already provided for domestic flights to Warsaw and leisure routes to Egypt and Albania.
The move highlights the growing role of public funding in sustaining air traffic at Zielona Góra-Babimost Airport, where most routes currently operate with some form of regional financial support.
New subsidies for summer charter flights
The tender for Antalya covers charter flights operated by Pegasus Airlines as part of package holidays sold by tour operator Coral Travel. According to available sales schedules, the programme includes 16 seven-night holiday packages during the summer season.
Depending on aircraft type, the route could carry between 2,976 and 3,824 passengers. The regional government has estimated the value of the Antalya promotion contract at PLN 330,000 net.
A separate tender has been launched for charter services between Zielona Góra and Enfidha in Tunisia. Flights will be operated by Enter Air and will also consist of 16 seven-night holiday packages.
The Tunisia programme is expected to accommodate up to 3,024 passengers. The estimated value of this contract has not yet been disclosed and will become known after the tender process is completed.
Coral Travel likely sole beneficiary
Although both tenders are formally open procedures, market conditions suggest there is unlikely to be meaningful competition for the contracts.
Coral Travel is currently the only tour operator offering package holidays from Zielona Góra to both Antalya and Enfidha. As a result, industry observers note that the public funding is expected to support flights that primarily benefit a single tourism company.
Critics argue that while the contracts are officially designed to promote the Lubuskie region, the practical effect is to subsidise outbound holiday travel rather than attract visitors to western Poland.
Lubuskie remains one of Poland’s most active aviation subsidisers
The Lubuskie regional government has become one of Poland’s most active users of aviation promotion agreements, a mechanism frequently employed by local authorities to support air services through marketing contracts.
Over the years, the programme has been used to support both scheduled and charter routes from Zielona Góra-Babimost Airport. Support currently extends to LOT Polish Airlines services to Warsaw as well as seasonal leisure flights to several international destinations.
The latest tenders reinforce the airport’s reliance on publicly supported routes and raise fresh questions about the effectiveness and transparency of regional aviation promotion schemes.
With Coral Travel holding an effective monopoly on package holiday sales to both Turkey and Tunisia from Zielona Góra, the new contracts are likely to fuel further debate over whether public funds are genuinely promoting the region or primarily supporting private tourism operations.
