Bulgaria’s GullivAir to launch Skopje service
Bulgarian carrier GullivAir has said it plans to launch flights between Sofia and Skopje after reaching an agreement with airport operator TAV Macedonia over reduced fees. Two weeks ago, the airline initially said it had no immediate plans to introduce services to the Macedonian capital, however, the route has received strong political backing from both countries and is viewed as a sign of warming relations after Bulgaria blocked the start of Macedonia’s accession talks with the European Union just two months ago for a second year in a row. A promotional flight was operated between the two capitals yesterday with GullivAir’s ATR72-600 aircraft, carrying government representatives, the airline’s CEO, executives from Sofia Airport, as well representatives from Bulgaria’s main tour operators and the aviation regulator.
Commenting on the planned new service, Macedonia’s Minister for Transport and Communications, Blagoj Bočvarski, said, "Today, to my great satisfaction, I can announce that the Skopje - Sofia route will launch on March 27. Together with our colleagues from the Republic of Bulgaria, as well as tour operators, we made an important decision affecting both tourism and the economies of both countries. We have a high level of cooperation which will continue to develop in the coming period”. The Macedonian Economy Minister, Kreshnik Bekteshi, said, “Based on last year’s data, there was a double digit increase in the number of Bulgarian tourists arriving in our country. With the introduction of flights, we expect these figures to double on both ends in the coming years”.
Flights between Sofia and Skopje were last maintained between 2006 and 2009. No details have been given on the planned frequencies for the new route. GullivAir launched operations last summer and currently boasts a fleet of three ATR72-600s and one Airbus A330-200 aircraft, which it primarily uses on charter flights. Its only scheduled service is between Sofia and Burgas. However, the carrier is aspiring to introduce transatlantic operations from the Bulgarian capital to New York and Toronto. As a result, Skopje could potentially feed its planned new long haul routes. The airline further intends on introducing services to Tirana and Thessaloniki.
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