SkyEurope will become in early December the second budget air carrier to offer flights to and from Sofia.
London-registered European low cost carrier Wizz Air is all set to launch flights from Sofia to Budapest 4 times a week from 18 September.
SkyEurope will fly 4 times a week from Sofia to Bratislava where it is headquartered. The air fares will be competitive with bus tickets for the same destination.
The Slovak air carrier has already received the necessary confirmations from the Sofia International Airport.
Judging by the impact of low-cost carriers on other European markets, local aviation experts predict that Wizz Air and SkyEurope can wrest a share of about 10% from the incumbents.
Another no-frills air carrier rumoured to be mulling entry of Bulgaria’s aviation market was Italy’s May Air but the Bulgarian Civil Aviation Administration
said it has not been approached to issue the necessary flight permit.
SkyEurope was cleared to operate on the Bulgarian market after it was designated by the Slovak aviation authorities to perform flights between the two countries.
Since Bulgaria is yet to join the Open Skies agreement, new air carriers are allowed to operate on the local market only if the two states have signed a bilateral agreement or the aviation authority of either state has granted its consent.
The fleet of SkyEurope consists of 15 aircraft: 11 Boeing 737s and 4 Embraer 120s. SkyEurope operates a SkyShuttle Bus between Bratislava Airport and Vienna which is only 50 km away. In Slovakia the company uses Košice Airport in eastern Slovakia as well. In Hungary, it operates from Budapest Ferihegy 1 Airport, in Poland from Fryderyk Chopin Airport – Etiuda Terminal in Warsaw and from Balice Terminal in Krakow.