about us

bulgaria air

Bulgaria Air AD is a joint-stock company, the national carrier of the Republic of Bulgaria. Until February 14, 2007 a sole owner of the company was the state, represented by the Ministry of Transport, after which the company was privatized. Owner of the capital is Bulgarian Airways Group EAD and one of the shares with consecutive number 1 is owned by the Bulgarian state. The company’s capital is BGN 120 million – 120 000 shares with a nominal value of BGN 1000.

The airline is a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the International Clearinghouse and BSP.

services

  1. 01

    Regular flights from Sofia, Varna and Bourgas to 22 major cities in Europe and the Middle East, as well as domestic flights to Varna and Bourgas

  2. 02

    Charter and business flights to more than 100 destinations - Aircraft of the company are hired throughout the year by big tour operators for carriage of tourists to various destination in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. "Ad-hoc" charters are also offered – single charter flights for corporate and private clients

  3. 03

    Aircraft lease – aircraft are offered for wеt and dry lease to other airlines in Europe and the Middle East

  4. 04

    Carriage of cargo and mail – the airline works with all shipping agents registered on the Bulgarian market and with selected partners on the international markets

  5. 05

    On board sales – on board its aircraft the airline offers the Sky Shop service – sales of various articles on flights within the EU and duty free sales on flights to destinations beyond the EU

The airline Bulgaria Air performs the following main activities:

  • regular flight from Sofia to 20 major cities in Europe and the Middle East: capitals and large cities in Germany, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Spain, France, Italy, Czech Republic, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Israel and Cyprus, as well as domestic flight to Varna and Bourgas.
  • Bulgaria Air offers its clients the opportunity to travel to over 400 cities in the world – Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, North and Sourth America based on signed commercial partnership agreements with numerous airlines, including Air France, KLM, Qatar Airways, ITA Airways, IBERIA, TAROM, Aeroflot, Air Serbia, Aegean
  • charter and business flights on request to over 100 destinations. The company's planes are rented year-round by major tour operators to transport tourists to various destinations in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. So-called "ad-hoc" charters are also available – single charter flights for corporate and private customers
  • aircraft leasing – aircraft are available on "wet" and "dry" leasing to other airlines in Europe and the Middle East
  • cargo and postal transport – the airline works with all registered forwarders on the Bulgarian market and with selected partners on foreign markets

The main goals of the company are to protect the existing market share and improve the indicators of the number of transported passengers and average revenue per passenger.

Bulgaria Air aims to meet all the needs of its clients, providing them with the highest quality and speed of service. The development and improvement of all services offered continues to be a priority for the national carrier.

  • Passengers carried in 2021 (calendar year): 565 671; 2020 – 512 859 people (10% increase compared to 2020)
  • Passengers carried in 2022 (calendar year): 632 000 (11,72% increase compared to 2021 with 66 329 passengers more)
  • Passengers carried in 2023 (calendar year): 729 550 people (nearly 1 million more than the previous year)

In 2022, the Bulgaria Air airline began the implementation of its ambitious program to expand and optimize its operations. It invests in the modernization of its fleet, as well as in the latest generation technologies for more efficient management of commercial activity.

The main part of the investments was aimed at replacing the existing aircraft fleet with new aviation equipment of the Airbus concern. This allowed reaching more distant destinations, greater efficiency, environmental friendliness and overall improvement of the services provided.

Bulgaria Air has lease agreements with ALC for seven Airbus A220 aircraft. As of March, 2023, Bulgaria Air has started further expansion of its fleet with three new A220 aircraft. The project will continue in 2024 and in the end of the year the airline will have a total of seven A220 aircraft in its fleet. Five of them will be Airbus A220-300, and the other two will be the A220-100 version.

The renewal of the Bulgaria Air fleet with more modern, more environmentally friendly and economical aircraft follows the policy of the aviation sector to reduce the footprint on the environment. The new aircraft use up to 25% less fuel, emissions are significantly reduced and recorded noise levels are reduced by 50%, making the A220 extremely suitable for urban airports.

The configuration of the planes offers more comfort and space for the passengers.

  • A220-300 has a total of 143 seats – 8 in business class and 135 in economy
  • A220 – 100 has 118 seats – 8 in business class and 110 in economy

The larger distance between the rows and the comfort of the seats guarantee maximum comfort during the flight. The portholes on the A220 provide a brighter passenger cabin, and wider luggage compartments ensure that all passengers' luggage is carefully stowed away during their journey. The listed advantages in combination with the offer of free on-board catering increase the quality of the transport service offered and confirm compliance with the highest standards of service, both in economy and business class.

Bulgaria Air distributes its products on the Bulgarian market via its own sale representatives in the largest cities of the country, the Customer Service Center, as well as online through the website www.air.bg and its mobile application. The airline continues to grow its network of travel agencies and tour operators, through which it provides transport for inbound and outbound tourism groups, corporate clients and individual travellers as part of a package service. The agency network with which the airline successfully partners includes more than 180 travel agencies and tour operators in the country, as well as numerous representatives in Europe, North America and the Middle East.

A management strategy has been developed for the accelerated development of the commercial activity and entry into new markets by expanding the flight network, increasing operating frequencies and attracting new customers through advantageous offers for direct and transfer flights, depending on the specifics of each specific market. According to the data on the number of transported passengers for 2023. Bulgaria Air has the highest market share among regular full service airlines operating from Sofia Airport.

At the end of 2022, the national carrier has introduced additional online services that allow any passenger to add a preferred service to their booking via the website or the mobile application.

The best-selling services on scheduled routes of Bulgaria Air – choosing a seat on the plane, adding an additional checked-in luggage, transporting sports equipment or a pet, etc., are now available at any time of the day during the flight booking process or after purchasing a ticket via the Reservation Check option.

This is another step taken by the airline in line with its mission to take care of passengers, offering them the highest quality of service and ensuring a peaceful journey.

Based on the concluded Codeshare and SPA contracts with other airlines, Bulgaria Air was provided with the unique opportunity to expand the offer of convenient flights to large cities with a Bulgarian population in the USA and Canada – New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Toronto. Thanks to the concluded in 2019 SPA contract with the German company Condor, all of Bulgaria Air’s clients can benefit from convenient transfer connections through Frankfurt to some of the most exotic corners of the world – the Maldives, Zanzibar, Punta Cana, the Seychelles, Mauritius, Cuba, etc. Additionally, the agreement between the two airlines covers four continents, including dozens of destinations in the US, Canada, Central and South America, Africa and Asia.

Another prestigious cooperation of Bulgaria Air is with Qatar Airways, within which flights are offered from Sofia to Doha and from there to all destinations, provided by the Qatari airline.

In 2022, the airline concluded a new SPA contract with Azerbaijan Airlines which granted the passengers of both airlines to benefit from preferential flight tickets prices and more affordable booking classes for travel between Sofia and Baku.

Ground handling of Bulgaria Air is carried out by Swissport.

All aircraft are maintained and serviced at Lufthansa Technik's aviation base in Sofia.

 

 

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