May 15 (SeeNews) - Combined passenger numbers at the Bulgarian coastal airports of Varna and Burgas increased 66.8% year-on-year to 340,639 in the first four months of 2018, Germany’s Fraport Group, which operates the airports, said on Tuesday.
Passenger traffic at Burgas airport grew by an annual 61.8% to 84,862 in January-April, while passengers at Varna airport increased 68.6% to 255,777, Fraport said in a monthly statistical report.
In April alone, combined passenger traffic at the two airports rose 59.2% to 124,421.
Combined aircraft movements at the two airports rose by 31.1% on the year to 3,482 in January-April. At Burgas airport, aircraft take-offs and landings grew by 14.3% to 998, while at Varna airport aircraft movements increased 39.4% to 2,484.
Cargo handled at the two airports decreased by 27.5% to 3,270 tonnes in the first four months of the year.
Fraport Twin Star Airport Management told SeeNews earlier this year it plans to invest 256 million levs ($160.6 million/130.9 million euro) by 2027 in the two Bulgarian airports it operates.
In 2006, Fraport Twin Star Airport Management, a 60/40 joint venture of Fraport and Bulgarian company BM Star, won a 35-year concession to manage the two coastal airports.
(1 euro = 1.95583 levs)