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Strategic partnership based on cooperation, as part of strategic alliances and other cooperation agreements, has its history in the aviation sector. The processes of cooperation and consolidation decide about the competitiveness of entities from this sector in the global aviation market. This applies not only to airlines, but also airports constituting the infrastructure entities of this sector. The article points to new trends in the construction of partnerships, blurring relations in alliances and wider cooperation of airlines based on joint venture agreements. The development of joint ventures in aviation changes the structure of the aviation market, the conditions of competition, and also changes the strength and depth of existing cooperation within alliances. It re-evaluates their importance in obtaining competitive advantages on the market.

This paper describes three basic models of frequent flyer programs offered by airlines. Based on the definitions of these models an analysis of airline loyalty programs offered by European carriers was performed. The paper contains conclusions regarding the evolution of frequent flyer programs in Europe. The development process was assessed and prospective advances were identified.

The paper analyses the developments in the EU state aid policy as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic breakout. The general framework for state aid in the EU was presented. Based on a case study analysis of selected airlines that benefited from state aid following the COVID-19 crisis, changes in the European Commission approach were identified. In general, investigation of arrangements between the state aid cases is a complex (and thus often lengthy) process. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic was a challenge for EU member states and the European Commission as well due to the unexpected, turbulent, and very profound nature of the crisis. It made it necessary to look for new or revised policies for state aid to respond quickly and keep airlines afloat in times when the flow of revenue was practically stopped. One of the key issues that needed to be addressed was inflexibility and lengthiness of state aid approval processes. To this end, additional guidelines were introduced to make the state aid policy of the EU more flexible. This way member states could respond to the ongoing developments in a more targeted and objective-oriented approach, which possibly made state aid more efficient. It should be stressed that it could have been achieved without changes to pre-existing legislation and by adjusting executive guidelines instead.

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