Sofia, Sept. 16, (BTA/GNA) – Despite the general opinion that Bulgaria is a backward country, perhaps in all areas, this does not apply to the airspace services sector, Georgi Peev, Director General of the Bulgarian Air Traffic Services Authority (BULATSA), said in an interview with BTA.
Peev took part in a research workshop entitled “Single European Sky and Resilience in the Air Traffic Management System”, which took place in Sofia on September 15-16. At the forum, experts from the aviation industry and representatives of the international academic community are presenting ideas to help European air navigation service providers (ANSP) get through future crises more easily.
According to Peev, Bulgaria’s airspace service is of a high standard. There are no flight and service delays here, unlike airports in Western Europe and the US, Peev said. Staff shortages in some European countries and strike action by workers in the sector have cancelled thousands of flights this year.
Peev pointed out that not a single employee was laid off at BULATSA during the COVID-19 crisis.
He specified that flights at Sofia Airport are at 70% of 2019 levels, while at Bulgaria’s sea airports they are at around 50%. He put this down to the proximity of the war in Ukraine. In the last three months, the traffic serviced in this country’s airspace was higher than in 2019, he added.
Bulgaria expects to see better recovery at its maritime airports next summer and to reach 2019 levels.
BTA/GNA