The construction of the new terminal is part of Fraport Twin Star Airport Management's investment program. The company won a 35-year concession on the airports in the coastal cities of Varna and Burgas in 2006 with a commitment to invest 403 million leva over the period. Currently 60% of the company is owned by Germany's Fraport, the remainder is held by a company of Chimimport Group, which is also owner of national carrier Bulgaria Air.

Sofia, Bulgaria

The Kingdom of Bahrain’s national carrier, Gulf Air, has announced the appointment of Chriss Air as the airline’s exclusive General Sales Agent (GSA) in Bulgaria to market their European network as well as the airline’s other destinations.

Chriss Air will be handling offline sales and ticket issuance in Bulgaria while promoting Gulf Air’s Middle East, Indian Subcontinent and Far East destinations to tourists, leisure travellers and corporates, driving traffic from the airline’s European destinations to other parts of the world via its efficient Bahrain hub.

Mr. Yaqoob Abdulla, Gulf Air’s Senior Manager Sales in Europe said: "Chriss Air have established a strong presence in Bulgaria and are renowned for their strong and longstanding relationships within the Bulgarian travel market. As such, they are the right choice for Gulf Air, helping us provide customers with flexible travel options to many destinations worldwide. We look forward to positive outcomes in the coming weeks as a result of our exclusive agreement.”
Chriss Air’s main office is located in Sofia at 19 Patriarh Evtimii Blvd, with following contact possibilities:

Tel.: +359 2 9815091; 9807589
Fax: +359 2 9815096
e-mail: office@chrissair.com

About Gulf Air

Founded in 1950, Gulf Air is the proud national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain. As a pioneering airline in the Middle East region with over sixty years of experience and expertise in flying people across continents, Gulf Air is today one of the most powerful brands and a name to reckon with in the global aviation industry.

One of the prime objectives of Gulf Air is to connect Bahrain to the Middle East countries and the rest of the world. As such the airline currently operates the largest network in the Middle East with non-stop flights while providing seamless onward connections to other international destinations. The airline’s current network stretches from Europe to Asia, connecting 48 cities in 30 countries, with a fleet of 37 aircraft.

In tune with the Kingdom’s economic blue print, ‘Vision 2030’, Gulf Air’s strategy is to build an efficient, commercially sustainable and dynamic airline that effectively serves the people and the economy of Bahrain and represents the Kingdom on the world stage. Reflecting the needs and aspirations of its customers, the strategy focuses on three core areas: a targeted, more focused international network; a superior, more consistent product; and a modern, more efficient fleet that will optimize value. Gulf Air’s goal reflects a commitment to the latest aviation technology complemented by the hallmark Arabian hospitality for which the airline is well known.

Gulf Air is the official sponsor of the 2013 Formula One Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix.

For more information please visit www.gulfair.com

For media enquiries, please contact:
Katherine Kaczynska
Senior Manager Corporate Communications
Gulf Air Tel: +973 17338416 - +973 36500292
Email: katherine.kaczynska@gulfair.com

About Chriss Air

Chriss Air is well established company on the Bulgarian market, consisting of excellent team of long experienced airline and tourism specialists. Licensed tour operator and travel agent, as well as ground handling agent for general aviation.

Represents airlines and big wholesaler in the hotel accommodations around the world, as well as hotel chains. Offers high quality of service and personal approach to its clients and partners in the travel trade business in whole Bulgaria.

For more information please visit:

www.travel.chrissair.com , www.holidaybulgaria.net

For media enquiries, please contact:
Dessislava Simeonova
General Manager
Tel: +359 2 9814026
Email: simeonova.desislava@chrissair.com

During the first 6 months of 2012, Sofia Airport handled 1 694 728 passengers in total, which is an increase of 0.7 % compared to the same period of 2011. The number of passengers on international scheduled flights exceeded passengers' number in the previous year by 34 276, which is an increase of 2 %.

Bulgaria Air, the national carrier, registered an increase of 8 % regarding passengers on international flights. Among foreign carriers operating scheduled flights, Turkish Airlines, Austrian Airlines, NIKI and Air Malta marked the most significant growth due to the increased volume of flights operating on their destinations.

The number of passengers travelling on domestic scheduled routes from Sofia to Varna and Bourgas was 83 439 (17% less). There was an 8 % decrease in organized tourist groups due to the smaller number of charter flights during winter period of 2012.  21 741 aircrafts took off and landed at Sofia Airport. There were fewer flights operated on international and domestic scheduled destinations, while the business aviation sector prospered – it registered a 26 % growth in aircraft movements during the first 6 months of 2012.

Cargo flights also increased by 3 % for the abovementioned period. According to data for the first half of 2012, there was a 5 % growth in cargo processed at Sofia Airport compared to the same period of the last year. The total volume of cargo and mail was 7 987 tons. There was a 16 % increase in the cargo on specialized cargo flights which is due, mostly, to the 20 % growth in shipments of the leading carrier – DHL. 

The number of passengers travelling on international charter flights from Sofia Airport to the sunny destination of Antalya, Bodrum, Heraklion, Zakynthos and Enfidha increased by 20 % during the second quarter of the year compared to the same period of 2011.

 Source: Sofia Airport

For the first three months of 2012, 775 288 passengers were served at Sofia Airport which retains the level of the same period of 2011. The total amount of the passengers travelling on scheduled international flights is 686 328, which is 3% more than the first quarter of the last year. Bulgarian carrier Bulgaria Air registered 6,6% increase compared to 2011 and the foreign air companies operating scheduled flights indicate a 2% growth. The passengers travelling on the domestic routes to Varna and Burgas are 25 677. Their number is down by around 35 % compared to January-March 2011 as a result of the temporary closing of Varna Airport.

During the first quarter of 2012 most passengers were travelling with Bulgaria Air, Wizz Air, Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, easyJet to and from Sofia Airport.

Some progress was noticed in Business Aviation – the number of flights was increased with 11% and the number of passengers is 52% more compared to the last year.

 Aircraft movements

 The total amount of the aircraft movements in the first quarter of 2012 is 10 230 which is 900 less than the same period of 2011. The drop is affected by the discontinued direct flights of the bankrupted Hungarian carrier Malev as well as the lesser tourist charter flights and the 25 percent decrease of the domestic flights.

  Cargo

 The data for the first quarter of the year shows 5,5 % growth in the processed cargo and mail at Sofia Airport in comparison with the relevant previous period. The total volume of cargo and mail is 3 868 t. The freights carried on specialized cargo flights increased by 13% and by over 6% on scheduled international flights.

Source: Sofia Airport

Bulgaria's brand-new Black Sea airport in the northeastern town of Balchik is set to welcome its first passengers after being transformed from a military into civilian airport, its director announced.

On May 3, Thursday, Balchik Airport will receive a 9-seat passenger jet from the Prague Airport Ruzyne in the Czech Republic, according to Krasimir Kostov, chief of the newest Bulgarian airport.

As of September 21, 2011, the military airport in Balchik was transferred by the Bulgarian Council of Ministers from the Defense Ministry to the Transport Ministry in order to become the third international airport on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast after Varna Airport and Burgas Airport. It can still be used by the Bulgarian military, should the necessity arise, according to the inter-institutional agreement.

For the time being, however, the new Bulgarian Black Sea airport can receive only small passenger jets and is not equipped to service larger planes.

"If the airport is well-managed it would be profitable, and can generate positive financial results," stated Krasimir Kostov, a former officer of the Bulgarian Air Force who has been working at the Balchik Airport since 1985.

In June, the new airport is set to host an international aviation festival as a promotion initiative.

The military airport in Bulgaria's Black Sea town of Balchik – which was to be transformed into a commercial civilian airport by the summer of 2012 – has been declared a strategic national security facility.

Thus, Balchik Airport is the sixth civilian airport in Bulgaria to be declared a strategic national security site in addition to Sofia, Varna, Plovdiv, Burgas, and Gorna Oryahovitsa.

In the summer of 2011, the Bulgarian government set up a limited liability company, Balchik Airport EOOD, with a capital of BGN 390 000, fully-stated owned. In August, 2011 Bulgaria's Cabinet assigned the management of the future civilian airport at the Black Sea town of Balchik to Sofia International Airport. In June and July 2011, the Borisov Cabinet moved to turn the inactive military airport near Balchik into a third international airport on Bulgaria's Black Sea coast alongside Varna Airport and Burgas Airport.

The Balchik Airport runway is located 800 m east of the Levski Quarter of the town of Balchik, on a plot of 460 hectares; it is 60 m wide and 2 500 m long, and could be extended north by 3 500 m.

The Bulgarian government expects that the future Balchik Airport will take up about one-third of the flights that are currently served by Varna Airport, located 40 km to the south.

In early July 2011, Bulgaria's Cabinet decided it would invest BGN 30 M in the reconstruction of the military airport near the Black Sea resort of Balchik in order to transform it into a civilian airport.

Balchik Airport is located very close to the top resorts on Bulgaria's northern Black Sea coast – Albena and Golden Sands, among several others. At present, two international airport are serving the Bulgarian Black Sea coast – Varna Airport and Burgas Airport.

The Borisov Cabinet has revamped measures to revive several defunct airports around Bulgaria – including Gorna Oryahovitsa Airport near Veliko Tarnovo, and Straklevo Airport near Ruse; defunct airports in other locations such as Targovishte and Vidin could also be put on the table.

As Bulgaria's Cabinet plans to offer on concession Sofia International Airport, it remains unclear for the time being if the future airport in Balchik will be made part of the concession package.

Balchik Airport was set up as a civilian airport in 1935 when the region of Southern Dobrudzha was part of Romania after it was occupied as Bulgaria was on the losing side in World War I. In 1941, after Southern Dobrudzha was returned to Bulgaria, it was used by the air forces of Bulgaria and Nazi Germany. After 1944, it was used by the Soviet Union, and remained a military airport of the Bulgarian Air Force until September 2011.

In 1960-1961, the airport in Balchik was a civilian airport for one year servicing the traffic of Varna Airport, which underwent reconstruction. For that period, the military flights were services by a facility near Dobrich.

Source: Sofia News Agency

As part of its 75th anniversary celebrations and 100 years of Bulgarian aviation, Sofia Airport opens its doors for visitors. 
The new service SOFIA AIRPORT GUIDED TOURS is directed towards aviation admirers of all ages. It will acquaint citizens in a friendly way with the largest Bulgarian Civil Airport’s operations and equipment.
In April, children attending kindergartens and up to 4th grade in schools in Sofia can participate for free into the guided tours and receive interesting information about the airport complex and the various professions of airport employees.

Source:  Sofia Airport

The ceremony was attended by the Minister of Transport, IT and Communications Ivaylo Moskovski, Deputy Minister Kamen Kichev, the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Fraport Twin Star Airport Management AD and Senior Vice President at Fraport AG Alexander Zinell, the chief officers of the German-Bulgarian Company, the Mayor of Varna Kiril Yordanov, the Governor Dancho Simeonov, the head of the Economic department of the German Embassy in Bulgaria Wolfgang Wendel, the Consuls-generals of the Russian Federation and Ukraine in Varna, members of the Bulgarian Parliament, representatives of the state and local authorities, representatives of the aviation and tourist industry, construction companies and many other guests.

Varna and Great Preslav's Bishop Kiril blessed the new runway for happy take-offs and landings. The ceremony was also attended by the airplane of the Austrian airlines that landed at the new Varna runway under an water arch jetted by the state-of-the-art airport fire vehicles.

The ribbon for opening the runway was cut on the runway in the presence of hundreds of guests by the Minister of Transport, IT and Communications Moskovski, the Head of the Supervisory Board of Fraport Twin Star Alexander Zinell, the Chief Executive Officer of the Company Dirk Schusdziara and the Chief Coordination Officer Hristo Todorov.
For Fraport that operates 13 airports around the world this is a special investment, not only due to traditionally good relationships between Germany and Bulgaria, but also because we believe in the huge potential of Varna and Burgas regions as tourist and business destinations. Let this investment bring prosperity of Varna, said during the ceremony Mr. Alexander Zinell.

After the accomplishment of the two new passenger terminals in the next year the funds invested by Fraport Twin Star Airport Management AD in the development of the two airports will reach more than 140 million Euro.
Head of the Economic department of German embassy in Bulgaria Mr. Wolfgang Wendel congratulated the investor Fraport Twin Star with his success. I am sure that this achievement is good for the tourists, local business, Varna and the region.
The Chief Executive Officer of Fraport Twin Star Mr Dirk Schusdziara expressed company gratitude for the cooperation of all the authorities which took part in this process as the Ministry of Transport, Governor, Mayors of Varna and Aksakovo, Civil Aviation Authority, Air Traffic Control Organization, Border police and all the parties who participated in this process. Thank you for the understanding of the airlines, touroperators, hoteliers and citizens of Varna, added Mr Schusdziara.
He gave as a present to the Bulgarian Transport Minister Ivaylo Moskovski a collage made of photos from the runway rehabilitation process.

The concession of Burgas and Varna airports is a good example of public-private partnership, said at the inauguration the Bulgarian Transport Minister Ivaylo Moskovski. The Transport Minister expressed his certainty that the concessionaire's investments will turn Varna and Burgas airports into modern European airports and will lead to an increased number of passengers and the attraction of more airline companies.

The project implementation is crucial for the development of the airport and the entire North-East Bulgarian region as a centre for business development and tourism industry. In the preparation and implementation of the project Fraport invested nearly 40 million BGN. The works were implemented in full compliance with the planned schedule and therefore the airport of Varna opened its entrances exactly at 10.00 o’clock local time on the 29th of February 2012. During the construction work totally around 150 000 tons of asphalt was laid, as well as extension of the runway shoulders, new drainage system, new runway lighting and new marking were executed.

The works were executed continuously- twenty-four-hour regime of the works, with extremely complicated logistics and organization of work required for the synchronization and coordination of the actions of multiple transport, construction and asphalt- laying machines working all together twenty four hours.  Especially for the project state of the art polymer modified asphalt plants were installed near Varna airport with a capacity of 240 tons/hour. For the implementation of the works Fraport Twin Star Airport Management AD entered into contract with the renowned German Company Max Boegl Bauunternernemung GmbH. The design was developed by the consortium Schlegel- Energoproekt, and the construction supervision was executed by Rubikon Engineering OOD and the company for project management Schlegel.

 Source: Varna airport press center; photos – varnautre.bg

The analysis which will determine whether Sofia Airport will be granted under concession or will be developed through some other form of public-private partnership should be ready in 6 months, according to Transport Minister Ivaylo Moskovski.
In a Saturday interview for a weekly program of Darik radio, he explained that the measure was necessitated by the fact that Sofia Airport had been sentenced by the ICC International Court of Arbitration to pay USD 38 M to the Kuwaiti consortium contracted to build the runway on Terminal 2.
Kuwaiti consortium Mohammed Abdulmohsin Al-Kharafi and Sons built the runway on the new terminal.
The financing for the project was secured in the form of a loan of around USD 40 M from the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development.
The site was unveiled behind schedule in August 2006, with the Kuwaiti company demanding USD 20 M in compensation for the delayed obtaining of the construction permit and the unforeseen expenses.
The Transport Ministry, which was then headed by Petar Mutafchiev, refused to acknowledge the unforeseen expenses, saying that the consortium had not presented the invoices, and filed a counterclaim with the International Court of Arbitration.
The decision of the Paris-based court is final and cannot be appealed.
"The payment will drain Sofia Airport of resources and it will have to seek other options for investments because it will obviously not be able to tap its own revenues to develop," Moskovski noted.
Moskovski specified that German companies had expressed interest in Bulgarian ports and airports during his visit in January.
The Transport Minister said that he would visit Qatar next week, adding that the country was also a potential investor in such infrastructure projects.
He explained that no decision had yet been reached on whether to launch one concession procedure for the airports in Sofia and Balchick, which he said would depend on investors' interests.
Moskovski revealed that the other airports for which the concession procedures had already been launched had failed to attract enough business interest.
The concession procedure for the cargo terminal in Plovdiv would be terminated and replaced by a procedure for the entire airport, he clarified.
The Transport Minister said that the privatization of the "Freight Services" unit of state railways operator BDZ Holding would be wrapped up within 6 months.
He added that the construction of Danube Bridge 2 would be over by the end of the year according to schedule, despite the cold spell of the last month and a half which obstructed work.
Moskovski noted that a joint venture was yet to be set up to manage the second bridge linking Bulgaria and Romania across the Danube River.
He said that the establishment of the joint venture had been delayed due to the government change in Romania.

Source: www.novinite.com/www.sofianewsagency.com

Bulgaria's Varna Airport on the Black Sea coast will be reopened on February 29, 2012, after the completion of a massive investment into the rehabilitation of its runway, concessionaire Fraport Twin Star Airport Management has announced.
Since the fall of 2011, Fraport Twin Star has invested BGN 40 M to improve the runway of the Varna Airport. In the meantime, the airport was closed for planes and passengers.
In November 2011, Fraport Twin Star Airport Management signed the contract for the construction of the new terminals with the selected constructor, Turkish consortium TIE-ICDAS.
The construction of the two passenger terminals is estimated to cost the concessionaire a total of BGN 130 M.
As early as July 2011, the concessionaire of the Bulgarian Black Sea airports Varna and Burgas Fraport Twin Star Airport Management announced plans to invest BGN 170 M in their modernization in the next 3 years.
Fraport Twin Star CEO Dirk Schusdziara explained that BGN 40 M will poured in the overhall of the Varna Airport runway – a project that commenced as scheduled in October 2011 – and the rest will go for the construction of the new passenger terminals.
During modernization projects at Varna Airport and Burgas Airport in the next three years, the company will create 1 500 new jobs, he said.
BGN 12 M have already been poured in the Burgas Airport where a new administrative building has been built.
Fraport Twin Star Management plans to expand the terminals in both Varna and Burgas; after the expansion, Burgas Airport will be capable of handling 2.7 million passengers a year, and Varna – 1.8 million passengers.
The airports in Black Sea cities Varna and Burgas have been granted on concession to Fraport Twin Star Airport Management company, a German-Bulgarian consortium between the Varna-based TIM group's holding "Chimimport" (40%) and the German "Fraport", since 2006.
In 2010, Fraport Twin Star Airport Management paid the Bulgarian state a total of BGN 13 M for the concessions of Varna Airport and Burgas Airport.