Bulgaria's coastal airports see strong annual increase in 9-mo passenger numbers

Burgas Airport, on the southern Bulgarian coast, saw a 75% yearly increase in passenger numbers to some 1.6 million, while Varna Airport traffic rose 43% to roughly 1.18 million in the January-September period, Fraport said in a regular report.

In September alone, Burgas Airport booked a 44% annual rise in passenger numbers to 241,910, while Varna saw passengers go up 12.8% to 181,276.

Combined aircraft take-offs and landings at the two airports increased by an annual 39% to 20,738 in the period through September.

Total cargo handled by both airports increased 40% on the year to 5,604 tonnes in the period under review, despite an aggregate drop in September of 44% to 192 tonnes, due to a decline in cargo performance at Burgas.

The continued post-pandemic recovery in passenger demand had a positive effect on Fraport’s international portfolio as a whole while contributing to a 127.3% percent surge in domestic traffic at Frankfurt Airport to 35.9 million passengers.

Elsewhere in Southeast Europe, Fraport Group more than doubled its nine-month passenger traffic to and from Slovenia's capital Ljubljana to 749,771 compared to the same period in 2021. In September alone, passengers to Ljubljana rose 82.4% on the year reaching 118,787.

The German concessionaire also has majority stakes in 14 airports in Greece, where total traffic in the first nine months of 2022 added 94% on the year to some 27 million. The annual increase in September was of 39.4% to some 4.8 million.

Burgas and Varna airports are run by Fraport Twin Star Airport Management, a 60/40 joint venture of Fraport and Bulgarian company BM Star.

Last month, Fraport Twin Star received a ten-year extension to its 35-year concession contract for Bulgaria's coastal airports to November 10, 2046.

The German group also runs an airport in Antalya, Turkey.