Passenger numbers to coastal airports of Varna and Bourgas down by 80%

The coronavirus crisis has also seriously affected air transport. The airports in Bulgaria’s coastal cities of Varna and Bourgas reported a nearly 80% drop in the number of passengers this year.

The balance sheet shows that in 2020 Varna Airport has served a little over 600,000 passengers, which is a 70% decrease compared to 2019. The airport in Bourgas reports 400,000 passengers, which is 85% less than in 2019.

"Just for comparison, last year the number of passengers was 5 million for both airports. So everyone can make the conclusion of how difficult the year was," said Dimitar Bikov, head of the Aviation Marketing Department at Varna Airport.

Expectations for next year are more optimistic. There are already requests for flights from Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany, despite uncertainty around the world over the pandemic. According to preliminary forecasts, the airports in Varna and Bourgas will serve over 2.5 million passengers in 2021.

"But you can see for yourself how recent developments with the air travel from and to the UK can change our expectations in both directions," Bikov added.

Attempts are being made to return British and Russian tourists to Bulgaria. These two markets were closed this year.

We sincerely hope that an agreement will be reached at the political level to open the Russian market, which is extremely important, especially for Bourgas Airport. and that Bulgaria will be included in the "green corridor" for UK flights and that flights of the big British tour operators will resume", Bikov is categorical.

A laboratory for antigen and PCR testing will be opened at airports in the maritime cities. If necessary, tests of passengers and staff will be conducted

All safety measures shall be taken to ensure the protection of passengers and staff. The contact surfaces were treated with a long-acting nano-detergent against viruses, microbes and bacteria.

"I think the most important thing is that we protected the airports and staff with nanodisinfectant. This gives us protection for a year. I can assure anyone who wants to fly that we have done everything necessary in Burgas and Varna, so that everyone can fly safely." , adds Frank Quant.

Despite the crisis and the difficult year, there have been no major staff reductions. The company has applied under 60/40 measure to keep its workers.

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