Direct Flights to the United States: Bulgarian Airline to Launch Regular Services to New York and Chicago from April 2026

Bulgarian airline GullivAir has successfully completed all procedures with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and is preparing to launch regular flights to New York and Chicago in April 2026, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Grozdan Karadzhov announced on October 24 during the national forum “Tourism and Air Connectivity: Traditional Destinations and New Markets – The Key to Sustainable Growth.”

Negotiations for airport slots at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and Chicago O’Hare are in their final stage, Karadzhov confirmed.

"Direct links with the US will open new markets for the Bulgarian tourism, facilitate business contacts and strengthen cultural exchanges," Karadzhov said.

The minister also reported steady growth in air traffic across Bulgaria. In the first nine months of 2025, Sofia’s Vasil Levski Airport handled over 6.28 million passengers and more than 51,000 aircraft movements — a 5% increase compared with the same period last year. The annual total is expected to reach 8.4 million passengers by year’s end.

“The growth in the number of passengers in Sofia is a clear sign of the stable development of the aviation sector. Varna and Burgas are also reporting record numbers — over 1.5 million passengers in Varna and 1.8 million in Burgas. By the end of September, the two coastal airports had already matched their full-year figures from 2024,” Karadzhov noted.

Bulgaria’s air connectivity continues to expand, with new routes and increased airline presence. Plovdiv Airport will launch a new international service to Milan this Sunday, followed by Bratislava in November. Additional routes to Marrakesh, Chișinău, Abu Dhabi, and several other European destinations are also being added.

“Wizz Air now operates seven aircraft in Sofia and two in Varna, while Ryanair and Jet2.com have expanded their operations along the Black Sea coast. Bulgaria Air has also restored key routes to Paris, Frankfurt and Prague. This is a clear indication that Bulgaria is an attractive market for both investment and tourism,” noted Deputy Prime Minister Grozdan Karadzhov.

Deputy Tourism Minister Irena Georgieva, representatives of the aviation and tourism sectors, diplomatic missions and business took part in the discussion. The event was organised by the National Tourism Board, with the institutional support of the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Transport and Communications.