June 2 (SeeNews) - Romania and Bulgaria are offering the cheapest air fares for low-cost short-haul flights among 80 of the world’s most frequently visited countries, according to a recent survey.
The average ticket price per 100 km was 2.79 euro ($3.13) in Romania and 2.92 euro in Bulgaria, according to the annual Flight Price Index, published by global search engine Kiwi.com. Moldova came fourth with a ticket price of 6.78 euro.
Albania and Serbia were ranked 68th and 78th, respectively.
Rankings were made following analysis of the costs of over one million flights in 80 of the world’s most frequently visited countries.
In terms of average cost, which includes short-haul and long-haul flights as well as both low-cost and full-service flights, Bulgaria ranked highest in Europe and second in the survey with 4.28 euro per 100 km. Romania ranked in fifth position with an average cost of 5.94 euro per 100 km. Malaysia tops this ranking with an average price of 3.84 euro, while Belgium has the most expensive flight tickets with an average price of 50.2 euro.
Moldova ranked 12th, with an average price per 100 km of 6.78 euro. The highest average price of air fares among the countries of Southeast Europe was recorded in Albania and Serbia, of 21.51 euro and 37.8 euro, respectively.
Hungarian airline Wizz Air is the leader by market share among low-cost carriers (LCC) in Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia. The company claims 59.6% market share in Bulgaria, 54.8% in Romania and 64.2% in Serbia.
The recent boom of LCCs across Southeast Europe, particularly in Romania and Bulgaria, has created a new market which complements legacy airlines. A reason for the recent expansion of LCCs in Romania and Bulgaria is the two countries’ EU membership, which allows for the free movement of people, according to a recent SeeNews industry report.
($ = 0.8914 euro)