Photo: Ministry of Tourism
During a meeting with Michael Reusch, Chief Executive Officer of Fraport Twin Star Airport Management, Tourism Minister Ilin Dimitrov said: “We are working consistently to increase the number of flights and improve air connectivity. Our goal is to capitalize on the growing interest in Bulgaria in order to increase tourist traffic to the Black Sea coast and create the conditions for sustainable growth in the coming seasons”.
The meeting also focused on improving air connectivity in 2027 and the upcoming meeting of TUI Group’s senior management in Bulgaria. Dr. Dimitrov noted that the Ministry of Tourism has already sent letters to airlines Corendon and Condor, as well as to ICC, and is expecting concrete confirmations regarding the planned flights.
Michael Reusch said that Fraport is ready to handle the expected additional traffic next year and expressed confidence that increasing air capacity could provide a strong boost both to Burgas and to Bulgarian tourism as a whole.
According to the discussions held so far, tourist airline Corendon is planning new connections from Cologne, Nuremberg and Stuttgart to Varna and Burgas. Discussions with German leisure airline Condor are underway regarding approximately 15,500 seats to Burgas from Frankfurt, Nuremberg and Leipzig. ICC’s proposals envisage around 250 flights to the two coastal airports, representing approximately 50,000 seats. The Ministry of Tourism and Fraport also discussed opportunities for joint marketing support for the new routes.
The upcoming TUI Group event in Bulgaria on September 24 and 25 was also discussed. The country is expected to welcome around 150 members of the company’s senior management. “The fact that one of Europe’s largest tour operators is taking a long-term view of Bulgaria and planning a sustained presence in the country is very good news. For us, it is important that this interest be supported by strong connectivity, stable capacity and joint efforts to promote Bulgaria as a tourist destination,” said Michael Reusch.