site.btaOver 3.2 Mln Passengers Serviced by Sofia Airport This Year

Sofia Airport has serviced over 3.2 million passengers since the start of 2022, the airport's press centre said Monday. The forecast for the whole year is not favourable: a drop by more than 23% is expected in the total passenger flow compared to the pre-pandemic 2019.

Bulgaria's biggest international airport reports a less than 10% decrease in the total passenger flow in July 2022 compared to July 2019. Last month, the number of serviced passengers stood at 601,434. A total of 551,182 travelled on international scheduled flights and 31,104 on domestic flights, which is a decrease by 9.92% and by nearly 13%, respectively. 

For yet another month, the number of passengers on international charter flights grew, reaching 14,959 in July.

Last month, the number of flights through Sofia Airport dropped by 12% compared to 2019, standing at 5,100. More passengers coupled with fewer aircraft means better use of the planes' capacity, Sofia Airport said. 

The airport processed 1,667 tonnes of cargo and postal packages, or by over 22% more compared to 2019.

According to Sofia Airport, the main reasons for the lower levels of serviced passengers compared to 2019 are people's fear of travel due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases as well as the military actions in Ukraine. The figures are also influenced by the situation at European airports, the cancellation of some airlines' flights, and the high fuel prices.