October 10 (SeeNews) - Bulgaria's Varna Airport expects an annual increase of 50% in passenger numbers in 2022, a representative of the airport operator, Fraport Twin Star Airport Management, told SeeNews on Monday.
The airport has serviced 1.2 million passengers in the period between January and September, which represents year-on-year growth of 43%, Tsvetomir Stefanov, head of the corporate communication department, said in an emailed statement.
By the end of 2022, the passenger numbers should reach 1.5 million, or 50% more than in 2021. Still, the expected figures are 28% lower than the level in 2019 as inbound tourism has not fully recovered from the COVID-19 crisis, Stefanov said. The military conflict in Ukraine also has a negative effect.
In 2022, the five top markets for Varna Airport are Germany, Bulgaria, the UK, Poland and Austria, as all of them are showing year-on-year growth.
Moreover, the airport is offering a record number of 18 routes in the winter season.
Looking ahead, Fraport Twin Star is currently co-operating with hotel and tour operators as well as the ministry of tourism to prepare a marketing campaign for the next summer season aimed at positioning Bulgaria among the desired destinations for European tourists.
Apart from Varna Airport, Fraport Twin Star Airport Management also runs Bulgarian coastal airport in Burgas, which expects a 70% yea-on-year rise in passenger numbers in 2022, according to an earlier statement.
Fraport Twin Star is a 60/40 joint venture of Germany's Fraport and Bulgarian company BM Star.