Bulgarian air carriers will be able to recommence service to the U.S. after the Federal Aviation Administration bumped up the country to Category 1, a rating that indicates its civil aviation authority has been found to license and oversee air carriers in accordance with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) aviation safety standards.
Bulgaria was relegated to Category 2 status seven years ago after the FAA determined that it does not provide safety oversight of its air carrier operators in accordance with the minimum safety oversight standards established by ICAO.
The Bulgarian aviation authority has undergone four FAA International Aviation Safety Assessments in the past couple of months.
Bulgarian air carriers have not flown to the U.S. since 1996.
The FAA ban meant that Bulgarian carriers were also barred from performing combined flights with U.S. counterparts.
Dimitar Pavlov, managerial agent of flag carrier Bulgaria Air, said he expected the U.S. airlines may open routes to Bulgaria.
The company official said Bulgaria Air is assessing possible flight patterns and destinations in the U.S. and whether a trans-Atlantic service would be profitable.
According to Svetoslav Stanulov, chairman of the Association of Bulgarian Airlines, none of the local carriers has the capacity to open a trans-Atlantic service at the moment.
The next break for the Bulgarian aviation authority could come courtesy of the European Aviation Safety Agency which is re-evaluating the administrative capacity of the watchdog after the European Commission invoked a safeguard clause against the country on aviation safety.
A procedure is underway to assess the safety situation in Bulgaria and dismantle the safeguard.
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