Should the aviation market be liberalized or LOT protected from competition?

Liberalization of passenger air transport, which will occur as Poland enters the EU, might substantially increase the number of passengers using domestic airports. According to experts, the whole situation is dependent on the approach of the State Treasury and bodies responsible for supervising and controlling the aviation sector in Poland. If they decide to support dynamic increase in domestic traffic and agree to lower airport fees, then one might expect a positive stimulus for the market. However, if they decide to protect the interest of national carrier PLL LOT, which holds 51% of the national market, then it could be expected that traffic would still grow, but at substantially slower pace. The main disadvantage of the domestic aviation sector is the lack of clear strategy for its development. According to sources, cheap carriers such as Ryanair and EasyJet, have already divided the Polish market with the first one to take northern part of the country and the latter - southern. (Rzeczpospolita, p. B3) M.M.