FB LZB Commenced operations 4 December 2002 Frequent-flyer program FLY MORE Founded November 2002 Hub Sofia Airport | LZB FLYING BULGARIA Hubs Sofia Airport Headquarters Sofia, Bulgaria Revenue 176.5 million EUR (2015) | |
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Focus cities Burgas Airport
Varna Airport CEO Yanko Georgiev (Mar 2010–), Hristo Todorov (2007–) Parent organizations Balkan Hemus Group AG, TIM Group Profiles | ||
bulgaria air full flight sofia vrazhdebna to burgas sarafovo embraer 190
Bulgaria Air (Bulgarian: България Ер), is the flag carrier airline of Bulgaria, with its headquarters at Sofia Airport in Sofia. The company is owned by Chimimport Inc. and is a leader in terms of local market share. The airline operates short and medium haul aircraft to destinations in Europe, Middle East, and Russia, focus cities are Burgas and Varna.
Contents
- bulgaria air full flight sofia vrazhdebna to burgas sarafovo embraer 190
- Bulgaria air flight fb449 sofia bulgaria rome italy
- History
- Destinations
- Codeshare agreements
- Interline agreements
- Charter flights
- Current fleet
- Retired fleet
- Livery
- Private business flights
- Frequent Flyer
- Catering
- Bulgaria Air Media
- References
Bulgaria air flight fb449 sofia bulgaria rome italy
History
The airline was established in 2002 as a successor to the insolvent Balkan Bulgarian Airlines and commenced operations on 4 December that year. By order of the Minister of Transport and Communications it was declared the national flag carrier in November 2002. Bulgaria Air began operations using the name "Balkan Air Tour." The airline was known by that name for just a short period of time. The name "Bulgaria Air" and initial logo were determined by a public competition. Bulgaria Air was privatised in 2006; although it was rumoured that the government wanted to sell the carrier to a major foreign investor, a group of locally owned companies, led by Hemus Air, emerged as the buyer with Italian airline Air One being the only other contender. Hemus Air reportedly paid €6.6m and promised to invest a further €86m over the next five years. Since then all flights and operations of Hemus Air and its subsidiary Viaggio Air are under name and management of the merged company, Bulgaria Air.
On 20 November 2008, Bulgaria Air became a full member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA). In mid-2011 Bulgaria Air announced that after a thorough analysis of its destinations it had chosen to purchase seven new Embraer E-190 aircraft. The delivery of the first aircraft was in early 2012, whilst the remaining aircraft were delivered later in 2013. The company planned to lease Airbus A321s from 2016.
Destinations
Bulgaria Air operates 22 routes from Sofia Airport, including two domestic routes to Bourgas and Varna. During the summer season Bulgaria Air operates flights to and from Burgas and Varna airport. New services to Beirut, Palma de Mallorca and Prague were launched in 2012.
Codeshare agreements
Bulgaria Air has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:
Interline agreements
Bulgaria Air has special interline agreements with the following airlines:
Charter flights
Bulgaria Air performing charter flights for over 60 leading tour operators, air transport brokers, airlines and other companies of the aviation and tourist industries. During the summer season the airline operated mainly flights from Burgas and Varna airports to destinations in Russia, Israel, Poland, Germany. Also the company operated charter flights and from Sofia airport to popular holiday destinations in Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Tunisia, Italy, Spain.
Current fleet
As of October 2016, the Bulgaria Air fleet consists of the following aircraft:
Retired fleet
Livery
In November 2002 public contests were held in Bulgaria to determine a name and logo for the new airline. Thousands of people showed their creativity and voiced their opinions. After searching through the submissions, the name and logo were chosen. The design was used for about four years, until 2006, when an improved, more professional design was introduced. After the full fleet integration of Hemus Air and Viaggio Air, a new livery had to be developed once again. In mid-2010, the first Bulgaria Air Airbus A319 was rolled out wearing the finalised colour scheme.
Private business flights
The company offers service for business and VIP clients with an Avro RJ70 Business Jet. The passenger compartment of the aircraft is equipped with 26 armchairs, couches, dining tables and multiple LCD displays, as well as on-board Wi-Fi.
Frequent Flyer
"Fly More" is the name of the Bulgaria Air Frequent flyer programme. There are three levels of membership:
Central Cooperative Bank is issuing Visa Classic and Visa Gold co-branded Credit Cards with Bulgaria Air. These cards are giving numerous discounts and privileges to their holders.
Catering
In 2010 Bulgaria Air and LSG Sky Chefs created a new airline catering company called Silver Wings. The total investment for Bulgaria Air reaches to $1.3 million. Future investment plans envision a new canteen to serve the airport staff at Sofia Airport.
Bulgaria Air Media
Bulgaria On Air is a business media brand, created on 9 September 2011. It is owned by Bulgaria Air and M-SAT cable. The media include two magazines; a website; and radio and TV channels.