There are 12 airports operating on the Polish aviation services market, varying in terms of infrastructure, traffic volume, and economic activity. Airports in Gdańsk, Szczecin, Poznań, Bydgoszcz, Wrocław, Łódź, Katowice, Kraków, and Szczytno operate as commercial law companies. The airports in Rzeszów and Zielona Góra belong to the organizational structure of the State Enterprise “Polish Airports” (PPL)¹, which is also the entity managing the airport in Warsaw. The organizational structure of the airports and the ownership share of PPL have a significant impact on the level of enterprise management, and in particular, determine the implicational nature of marketing assumptions in economic reality.
The changing micro- and macroeconomic environment, and above all the introduction of the aviation services market liberalization policy, force airports to apply new, diversified marketing activities directed at carriers, passengers using aviation services, and other entities operating in the airport-adjacent zone.
Currently, airports in Poland do not have any specific action plans, and the previous approach of marketing teams does not bode well for the creation and subsequent implementation of plans and procedures in the aviation services market. This results, among other things, from:
- limited financial resources for the creation of marketing strategies by Polish airports;
- lack of experience in implementing this type of activity in an open market environment;
- underdeveloped contacts with foreign airports.
It is worth noting the forecast concerning passenger traffic in Polish airports. It assumes a systematic increase in the volume of handled passenger traffic as a result of the liberalization of aviation services in Poland (cf. Table 1).
Table 1. Passenger volume in 2002-2003 and forecasts for 2005-2020 at Polish regional airports
n.d. – no data
The forecast developed by specialists from IATA – Air Transport Consultancy Services regarding the shaping of passenger traffic in five regional airports handling international traffic is marked in red
Source: Based on internal materials of regional airports, the IATA – Air Transport Consultancy Services forecast, and the Program and Spatial Concept of Gdańsk – Tricity Airport Ltd. until 2015, Gdańsk 1999, pp. 1-27.
The presented data show that in 2003 there was an increase in air traffic in all regional airports, except for the airport in Szczytno. The favorable results in 2003 were mainly due to the growth of passenger traffic on domestic routes (a 15% increase) and international regular routes (a 7% increase). It can be estimated that in 2004 the dynamics of passenger volume handled by Polish airports will be even greater.
An important factor influencing marketing activities is regional development aspects. Observations show that where there is a concentration of local and regional airport networks in relation to the region’s area, a dynamic growth of the high-tech industry, tourism development, etc., is observed. Potential entities in the airport’s environment that may have a direct or indirect impact on marketing strategies should be indicated (cf. Fig. 1).
Fig. 1. Entities in the environment of an aviation enterprise
Source: D. Rucińska, Marketing shaping of the environment of regional airports, Conference materials “Challenges and opportunities for Polish regional airports”, Port Lotniczy Wrocław SA, Wrocław – Borowice, October 14-16, 1999, p. 164.
Based on the volume of passenger traffic and the activity of the region, regional airports were classified (cf. Fig. 2). Each airport was evaluated in terms of the attractiveness of the market, the region in which it operates, and the volume of passenger air traffic handled.
Fig. 2. Multi-factor portfolio matrix of regional airports in Poland
Source: Own study based on conducted marketing research.
The zone located in the upper left corner indicates a strong airport where air traffic will grow very rapidly. These are airports with very high development dynamics, e.g., Kraków, Gdańsk, Poznań, Wrocław, Katowice. The diagonal zone represents airports with balanced or weak air traffic growth, e.g., Szczecin, Łódź – a medium position in its attractiveness. The zone located in the lower right corner reflects weak airports, such as Bydgoszcz or Rzeszów and Zielona Góra, managed by the State Enterprise “Polish Airports” (PPL).
One of the factors influencing marketing activities is the relationship between the airport and the city or region in terms of tourism development. The functioning of marketing activities is also influenced by factors increasing the attractiveness of the airport. They are presented in Table 2.
Table 2. Factors influencing the attractiveness of airport services
n.d. – no data
Source: Own study based on conducted marketing research.
The presented analysis shows that geographical location and existing infrastructure are of great importance for the attractiveness of services at airports. Next, the surveyed airports indicated price, promotion, and qualified staff.
The directions of marketing activities of an aviation enterprise must be translated into specific action programs of individual divisions and organizational units. The basis for formulating such programs in airports are the following factors:
- strategic goals, ways to achieve these goals,
- current and potential buyers – their expectations,
- improving the efficiency of market activities,
- company mission,
- enterprise resources,
- service sales volume,
- economic, technological, and global conditions.
Research conducted in Polish airports indicated that the greatest impact on the formulation of marketing strategies has: strategic goals, ways to achieve these goals – 57.86%, company environment – 54.29%, company mission – 48.57%, and the variability of buyers’ needs and expectations – 52.14%, as well as market size – 50.71%.
When shaping marketing activities, the airport must also make decisions regarding the method of procedure in the selected market. In the most synthetic terms, the choice is as follows: a passive or active approach.
Footnotes
¹ The State Enterprise “Polish Airports” (PPL) operates on the basis of the Act on the State Enterprise “Polish Airports” of October 23, 1987, published in Journal of Laws of 1987, No. 33, item 187.