The national flag carrier Bulgaria Air is planning to buy two or three airplanes by the fall of next year. The company operates 10 airplanes at present, the leasing contracts for two of which expire at the beginning of 2009. Bulgaria Air is controlled by the country’s largest holding Chimimport, which vows to invest a total of BGN 82.1mn (EUR 42mn) until 2011. According to the business plan of the company all planes should be replaced by new ones in ten years and the carrier should operate 25 machines by then, nine of which own. Bulgaria Air is the largest air carrier in the country. It is in the process of merger with the second biggest airline Hemus Air and the smaller Viaggio Air, also controlled by Chimimport. Lufthansa Consulting is responsible for the preparation of the merger strategy, expected by the end of the year. The three air carriers hold about 30% of the local air navigation market.