Polish charter carrier Enter Air has filed a formal notification with the country's competition authority, UOKiK, to acquire an 85% stake in local tour operator Nekera — a deal that would hand the airline its first directly owned package-holiday distributor.

The filing, dated May 14, 2026, moves the planned transaction from intention to regulatory process. UOKiK disclosed the notification through its public proceedings register. The regulator must now assess whether the vertical integration of one of Poland's largest leisure charter operators with a package-tour seller distorts competition in the Polish market.

What does the deal change for distribution?

Enter Air operates 42 aircraft, predominantly Boeing 737-family jets flying on behalf of Polish and international tour operators. Until now, it has sold its charter capacity to intermediaries rather than owning the customer-facing packaging layer.

Nekera changes that equation. The tour operator was created in 2019 after the collapse of Thomas Cook Group and its Polish unit, Neckermann Polska, filling a distribution gap left by one of the market's most established package brands. For Enter Air, an 85% controlling stake would internalize a portion of seat demand: charter capacity currently marketed by third parties could be packaged and sold under its own tour-operator brand.

The move follows a pattern among leisure carriers seeking to capture package margins and stabilize load factors across seasonal troughs, rather than relying solely on charter contracts with independent operators.

Why is UOKiK scrutiny notable?

The filing lands weeks after the same watchdog fined Enter Air $2.3 million in April 2026, according to prior reporting on the case. That history gives the review added weight.

The merger notification confirms an acquisition plan first reported on April 22, 2026. The May filing is the procedural step that triggers the formal antitrust review clock.

Neither Enter Air nor UOKiK has disclosed the transaction value or a target closing date in the public filing.

What comes next?

The deal also fits Enter Air's stated growth trajectory: the carrier outlined plans in August 2026 to expand its fleet by roughly 10% in 2027. Owning a tour operator gives that added capacity a captive distribution channel, insulating utilization from the negotiating power of independent charter clients.

For rival Polish tour operators that charter from Enter Air, the acquisition raises a supplier-competitor question that UOKiK will likely weigh in its review. Approval would let Enter Air compete for the same package-holiday customers it currently serves as a wholesale lift provider, with a decision expected to shape how vertical consolidation in Polish leisure travel proceeds.