2006 UK Flights Stats to Bulgaria

[David Crease]

The Civil Aviation Authority has just announced that compared to 2005, in 2006 there has been a 19% jump in passengers flying to Bulgaria from UK airports.

While this is obviously good news it needs to be tempered by the figures for other destinations - in 2006 Turkey 3,406,127: Canary Islands 7,310,384 and Spain....27,566,644. The one good thing is none of these destinations saw any growth between 2005 and 2006!

While these destinations have a longer season than Bulgaria there is still some way to go.

see full story http://www.blackseaholidayapartments.com/site/home/news

[Garyjs]

Hi David

I copy & pasted the bit below from your link, how wrong can you get?
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Cost of flying for holidays in Bulgaria likely to go down!

Bulgaria joins the European Common Aviation Area (ECAA).

The European Union signed an agreement for the creation of a European Common Aviation Area with Bulgaria, seven more countries from South Eastern Europe, Norway and Iceland.

Bulgaria's Transport Minister Petar Mutafchiev signed in Luxembourg the agreement that would give airlines unrestricted access to the region's skies.

The European Commission says the European Common Aviation Area (ECAA) will create a seamless and efficient European air transport network, linking European people, countries and cultures, and play a vital role in the further integration and development of Europe as a whole.

Bulgaria's government approved an agreement for establishing the European Common Aviation Area (ECAA) at the end of April. The agreement would give Bulgarian airliners the right to operate in member states without permission from the air traffic administration. The number of air carriers, which operate to and from Bulgaria, is expected to increase, together with the airports' revenues. Forecasts say the price of air carriers' tickets will go down.

Forecasts for aircraft movement between the EU and southeast Europe predict an average annual growth rate of more than 6% per annum between 2005 and 2011. As tourism is a growth area in the coastal regions in southeast Europe with potentially 414 airports in the region, there is an opportunity for further expansion.
Sofia News Agency Fri 9 June 2006