Sofia Airport reports 7.6% passenger traffic increase in April 2018
Sofia Airport saw a 7.6 per cent year-on-year increase in passenger numbers in April 2018, exceeding 600 000 passengers, the airport’s management said on May 14.
International traffic, which makes up the bulk of Sofia Airport flights, saw 34 000 more passengers compared to April 2017, the airport said, without offering more detailed figures.
The largest contribution to that came from four airlines – Flydubai, LOT, Tarom and Wizz Air – that posted double-digit increases in their passenger numbers during the month of April.
Charter flights carried twice as many passengers compared to last year due to the Easter holidays and contributed to the 11 per cent increase in the number of flights serviced by Sofia airport in April 2018. The total number of flights operated by the airport in April was 5274.
The amount of cargo handled by the airport grew by9.1 per cent year-on-year, to 1770 tonnes.
Bulgaria’s government, under the previous administration of Prime Minister Boiko Borissov, called an international tender to pick a concession operator for Sofia Airport in mid-2016, after several delays, and repeatedly extended the bidding deadline.
The tender was cancelled in April 2017 by the Ognyan Gerdjikov caretaker cabinet, claiming that an expert analysis concluded that the concession terms were not “in the state’s interest.” Since Borissov returned to government for a third term after last year’s snap elections, his cabinet is yet to call a new concession tender.
(Photo: Apostoloff)
