Bulgaria Air
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| Founded | November 2002 | |||
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| Commenced operations | 4 December 2002 | |||
| Hubs | Sofia Airport | |||
| Focus cities | ||||
| Frequent-flyer program | FLYMORE | |||
| Airport lounge | Vitosha Lounge Sofia Business Lounge Sofia VIP Lounge Sofia |
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| Subsidiaries | Hemus Air | |||
| Fleet size | 17 (+3 orders) | |||
| Destinations | 22 | |||
| Parent company | Balkan Hemus Group EAD | |||
| Headquarters | Sofia Airport Sofia, Bulgaria |
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| Key people | ||||
| Website | www.air.bg | |||
Bulgaria Air (Bulgarian: България Ер), is the flag carrier airline of Bulgaria, with its head office on the grounds of Sofia Airport in Sofia.[1] The company is owned by Chimimport Inc and is a leader in terms of market share. In 2008, according to the company's Annual Report, Bulgaria Air had 1,185,430 passengers. Bulgaria Air’s fleet consists of 18 aircraft, designed for short and medium range flights.
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History [edit]
Company [edit]
The airline was established in 2002 as a successor to the insolvent Balkan Bulgarian Airlines. By order of the Minister of Transport and Communications it was declared the national flag carrier in November 2002, starting operations on the 4th of December, 2002. The name and initial logo were determined by a public competition.[2] Bulgaria Air was privatised in 2006; although it was rumoured that the government wanted to sell the carrier to a major foreign investor, a union of locally-owned companies, led by Hemus Air, emerged as the buyer with Italian Air One being the only other contender.[3] Hemus Air reportedly paid €6.6m and promised to invest a further €86m over the next five years.[4] Since then all flights and operations of Hemus Air and its subsidiary Viaggio Air are under name and management of the merged company, Bulgaria Air.
On 20 November 2008, Bulgaria Air became a full member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).[5]
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Bulgaria Air initially began operations by the name of "Balkan Air Tour." The airline was known by that name for a short period of time.
In mid-2011 Bulgaria Air announced that after a thorough analysis of their destinations they had chosen to purchase 7 new Embraer E-190 aircraft. The aircraft will most likely come with a 108 seat configuration (8 Business, 100 Economy). The delivery of the first examples is scheduled for early 2012, whilst the remaining aircraft will be delivered in spring/summer 2012.
Livery [edit]
In November 2002, public contests were held in Bulgaria to determine a name and logo for the new airline. Thousands of people showed their creativity and voiced their opinions and after searching through countless submissions, the name and logo were chosen.[5] The design was used for about 4 years, until 2006, when an improved, more professional design was created.[4] That logo design was used into early 2010 and a Cyrillic version was even created which was to replace the English titles on one side of the planes.[2] However, after the full fleet merge of Hemus Air and Viaggio Air, a new livery had to be developed once again. After some leaked photos of a new design surfaced in online forums, they were met with public distaste and critique. This seemingly sent the designers back into development and postponed the new livery's release even further. Finally, in mid-2010, the first Bulgaria Air Airbus A319 was rolled out wearing the finalised colour scheme.
Destinations [edit]
Bulgaria Air operates 22 routes from Sofia Airport, including two domestic routes to Bourgas and Varna. During the summer season Bulgaria Air operates seasonal flights to and from Burgas and Varna airports.
[edit]
Bulgaria Air has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:[6]
Charter flights [edit]
Currently the company serves over 60 leading tour operators, air transport brokers, airlines and other companies of the aviation and tourist industries, performing charter flights to over 80 destinations in Europe, Africa and Asia.
Fleet [edit]
As of May 2013 Bulgaria Air operated their network with 3 Airbus A319, 1 Airbus A320 and 4 Embraer ERJ-190. The average age of the active Bulgaria Air fleet is 4 years.[8]
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Total | Orders | Passengers |
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| C | Y | Total | ||||
| Airbus A319-111 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 126 | 134 | |
| Airbus A319-112 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 132 | 140 | |
| Airbus A320-214 | 3 | 0 | — | 180 | 180 | two operated for Nas Air |
| Avro RJ70 | 1 | 0 | 26 | private and VIP charters[11] | ||
| Boeing 737-300 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 110 | 122 | stored at Sofia Airport[12] |
| BAe 146-200 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 76 | 84 | stored at Sofia Airport |
| BAe 146-300 | 3 | 0 | — | 110 | 110 | one is stored at Sofia Airport and two are leased to Mahan Air |
| Embraer ERJ-190 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 100 | 108 | Deliveries first and third quarters of 2012[13][14] |
| Total | 17 | 3 | Last updated: May 2013 | |||
Retired fleet [edit]
Private business flights [edit]
Thanks to Bulgaria Air’s new Avro RJ70 Business Jet, starting in 2009, the company now offers a new service for business and VIP clients – booking a luxury flight with a custom schedule for their business trip. The passenger compartment of the new aircraft is equipped with 26 armchairs, couches, dining tables and multiple LCD displays, as well as on-board Wi-Fi Internet access.[15]
Services [edit]
Frequent Flyer [edit]
"Fly More" is the name of the Bulgaria Air Frequent Flyer Programme. The programme has three levels of membership:
- Basic Level - Initial level from which the collection of points starts. The member receives a temporary card with identification code.
- Silver Standard Card - After the member conducts 5 flight the passenger receives a permanent membership card. Silver Card holders may exchange their bonus points for free tickets and additional services.
- Gold Privilege Card - This level is reached after earning 30,000 points within 18 months of enrollment into the programme. Gold cardholders earn a greater number of points on each flight and enjoy a wider range benefits of privileges. [16]
Catering [edit]
In 2010, Bulgaria Air and LSG Sky Chefs created new company for aviaton catering Silver Wings.The total investment for Bulgaria Air amounts to $1.3 million.Future investment plans envision a new canteen to serve the airport staff at Sofia Airport.[17][18][19]
Bulgaria Air Media [edit]
Bulgaria Оn Аir is a business media, created on 9 September 2011, is owned by Bulgaria Air and M-SAT cabel.The media includes two magazines, website, radio and TV channel.
- Bulgaria On Air: The Inflight Magazine - It is flight magazine of Bulgaria Air.It`s first edition was in 2003 the magazine is definitely the most widely read business and lifestyle magazine in Bulgaria.[20]
- Bulgaria On Air: The Business Magazine - In response to strong interest in April 2011 released new magazine.It is an extended version of flight magazine which is distributed in the best hotels and shopping centers.
References [edit]
- ^ "Contacts." Bulgaria Air. Retrieved on 10 May 2010. "Head office 1, Brussels Blvd Sofia Airport Sofia 1540" Address in Bulgarian: "бул. "Брюксел" № 1 Летище София София 1540"
- ^ a b About Bulgaria Air. Air.bg (2009-09-23). Retrieved on 2010-12-21.
- ^ Candidate for Bulgaria Air selected – Business. The Sofia Echo (2006-10-30). Retrieved on 2010-12-21.
- ^ a b Bulgaria Air Deal Completed – Bulgaria. The Sofia Echo (2007-01-05). Retrieved on 2010-12-21.
- ^ a b Bulgaria Air – News About Flights to/from Bulgaria. Air.bg. Retrieved on 2010-12-21.
- ^ Bulgaria Air Partners. Air.bg (2009-09-23). Retrieved on 2010-12-21.
- ^ http://www.air.bg/en/news/bylgariia-er-i-kipyrskite-aviolinii-s-nov-dogovor-za-syvmestno-sytrudnichestvo
- ^ Bulgaria Fleet Age
- ^ "Bulgaria Air – Fleet". Bulgaria Air. 2009. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
- ^ "Bulgaria Air - Details and Fleet History". Planespotters.net. 23 October 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
- ^ "Bulgaria Air – Business flights – Conditions". Bulgaria Air. 2009. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
- ^ http://www.planespotters.net/Production_List/Boeing/737/24665,LZ-BOT-Bulgaria-Air.php
- ^ Reals, Kerry (31 May 2011). "Bulgaria Air to lease three E-190s". Flightglobal. Sutton: Reed Business Information. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
- ^ http://www.airleasecorp.com/index.php?option=com_pressarchives&pagenum=1
- ^ Bulgaria Air – Business Flights. Air.bg (2009-09-23). Retrieved on 2010-12-21.
- ^ http://www.air.bg/en/membership/
- ^ http://www.emg.rs/en/news/region/130032.html
- ^ http://www.hbcbg.com/?cid=41&NewsId=2224
- ^ http://www.air.bg/bg/news/newsdetail/from/current/id/52/page/12
- ^ http://www.air.bg/bg/flight-magazine
- "Bulgaria Air News". Bulgaria Air.
External links [edit]
Media related to Bulgaria Air at Wikimedia Commons
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