site.btaSofia Airport Handles 2.6 Mln Passengers in First Half of 2022

COVID-19 and the ongoing war in Ukraine impacted passenger traffic at Sofia Airport in the first half of 2022. Despite the growth in travel, traffic is still far from its pre-pandemic levels, the Airport said in a press release on Monday.

The 560,153 passengers handled by Sofia Airport in June 2022 were more than 11% fewer than in June 2019. The 507,308 passengers traveling on scheduled international flights were almost 13% fewer, while the passengers to Varna and Burgas numbered 23,848, down 12% from the pre-pandemic 2019.

Charter flights grew for a third month running. In June, 26,501 people traveled on charter flights, which was nearly 32% up from the like period in 2019.

The 4,881 aircraft movements in June 2022 were a 11% decrease from the 5,482 in June 2019.

A total of 1,875 tonnes of cargo and mail were processed during the period, which was 16% less than in 2019.

The number of passengers is expected to grow in the summer, but Sofia Airport is concerned about the increasing number of COVID infections in Bulgaria and Europe. This is the reason why traffic in the last quarter of the year is uncertain, the Airport said.