| Summary: | The air transport market has been exposed to the biggest crisis in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic over the last two years. Many airlines have tried to stay in the market, but the impact of various factors was so strong that some airlines were forced to stop of the operation. In this way, the pandemic verified the fundamental pillars of airline business models and at the same time pointed out weaknesses in the entire air transport system. Flexibility has become one of the most important features for sustaining any business. The article is focused on the complex processing of the issue of the virtual airline and proposes the concept of a virtual air carrier, considering the current starting points of the market, on which it will have sufficient potential to establish itself, at the level of EU. At the same time, it proposes possibilities for the development of air transport in the Slovak Republic through the introduction of a virtual air carrier as a tool for revitalizing the air transport market in the Slovak Republic. Based on the results of the research, the article defines how and under what conditions a potential virtual carrier could operate, from ticket sales to possible cooperation with other airlines. The aim of the article is to demonstrate that the model of virtual air carrier is a solution for maintaining a stable level of air traffic in several countries in the EU that have lost their air carriers during the pandemic.
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