The aim of this article is to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the aviation industry, with particular emphasis on passenger transport, the condition of airlines and the functioning of airport infrastructure. The analysis aims to understand the long-term effects of the pandemic and identify future challenges and directions of development of the industry. In the first part, the authors describe the individual stages of the pandemic. They describe the impact on the aviation industry and infrastructure, including the direct effects of the pandemic on passenger transport. In the final section, they present the development of new survival strategies for airlines. The research problem was formulated: How did the COVID-19 pandemic affect various aspects of the aviation industry and what structural and operational changes were necessary to survive the crisis? It is also crucial to determine what long-term consequences the changes made in response to the pandemic will have. In accordance with the given donor problem, a research hypothesis was formulated, which assumes that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant, negative impact on the aviation industry, leading to a drastic drop in the number of passengers, financial problems of airlines and the need to introduce new procedures and technologies in the airport infrastructure. The long-term effects of the pandemic will require further analysis to fully understand changes in consumer behavior and structural changes in the industry. The study used the latest research presented in documents and reports in the field of civil aviation, published in 2020–2022 by international organizations, and an analysis was carried out based on scientific articles from recent years. Information was also obtained from national legal acts and documents published by European Union bodies.
