Transport Minister: Bulgaria – US direct flights expected to start in April 2026

Bulgarian carrier GullivAir has already successfully passed the procedures before the US aviation authorities and is preparing to launch regular flights to New York and Chicago in April 2026, according to Transport Minister Grozdan Karadzhov.

Negotiations are underway for slots at the John F. Kennedy and Chicago airports, which are in the final stage, Karadzhov told a conference on October 24, a ministry statement said.

Direct connections with the US will open new markets for the Bulgarian tourism business, facilitate business contacts and strengthen cultural exchange, Karadzhov said.
 
In parallel, air traffic in the country continues to grow. In the first nine months of 2025 alone, Vassil Levski Airport Sofia served over 6.28 million passengers and more than 51 000 aircraft movements, which is a five per cent increase compared with the same period last year, he said.

The number of passengers is expected to reach 8.4 million by the end of the year.  
 
“The growth of passengers in Sofia is a clear sign of the stable development of air transport. Varna and Bourgas also recorded record results – more than 1.5 million passengers in Varna and 1.8 million in Bourgas. By the end of September, the two sea airports had handled as many passengers as in the entire year of 2024,” Karadzhov said.
 
He said that Bulgaria’s connectivity is also expanding through new routes and an increased presence of airlines.

Plovdiv Airport is opening an international route to Milan this Sunday, and a connection to Bratislava is also coming in November. New routes to Marrakech, Chisinau, Abu Dhabi and a number of European cities are complementing the network, Karadzhov said.

(Photo: Sofia Airport)