December 15 (SeeNews) - Passenger numbers at Bulgaria's Sofia Airport totalled 471,789 in November, which was 10% below traffic in the same month of 2019 prior to the start of the pandemic, after recovering to just 4% below pre-pandemic levels in October, the airport operator said on Thursday.
Compared to both 2020 and 2021, November passenger traffic at Sofia Airport registered an increase, concessionaire SOF Connect said in an emailed statement.
At 4,192, aircraft take-offs and landings at the Bulgarian capital's airport in November were 9% fewer compared to the same month of 2019.
Domestic flights recorded the most significant decrease, of 18% compared to November 2019. More than 15,000 passengers travelled on flights to Varna and Burgas last month.
Passenger traffic on regular international flights amounted to a little over 444,000 in the review month, which was 10% below November 2019 levels.
Cargo handled at the airport went down by 16% compared to pre-pandemic volumes, totalling 1,791 tonnes in November.
International charter flights continued to be the only segment where growth was registered last month. The number of passengers on those flights increased by over 15% to 9,000.
Traffic at Sofia Airport slumped after restrictions on international air travel were introduced in 2020 to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
Last month, the concessionaire announced that Scandinavian low-cost carrier Norwegian Air Shuttle, will start flights between Oslo and Sofia in June.