April 6 (SeeNews) - The European Commission said it has approved a 1 million euro ($1.09 million) aid scheme for airlines launching flights at Arad Airport, in western Romania, aiming to support the activity of air operators and the economic recovery of the region in the context of the coronavirus pandemic.
Grants of up to 600,000 euro ($655,144) per company will be offered under the scheme, the Commission said in a press release on Tuesday.
The scheme was approved under the Commission’s Temporary Framework for State Aid, a scheme geared towards supporting sectors of member states’ economies which have been significantly affected by the Covid-19 outbreak.
According to a report issued by the Ministry of Development, Arad Airport had seen an increase in passenger traffic flows between 2015 and 2019, peaking at almost 19,000 recorded passengers in 2019. However, traffic fell sharply in 2020, when the authorities recorded a total of 1,709 passengers for the whole year. In 2021, traffic came in at 11,799 passengers.
($=0.915 euro)