Plovdiv Airport - Government attempts to speed up concessioning

The government has reportedly set up a panel for resolving ownership problems and speeding up concession proceedings for the airport in the country's second largest city of Plovdiv . A Swiss-registered company, most likely owned by Bulgarian investors, holds the majority stake of at least 58% in the airport operator. The state holds 36% of the ownership but the ministry of defence is in control of the landing and takeoff runway and related licences. Plovdiv Airport provides a very convenient link to the nearby ski resorts of Plovdiv and Chepelare. It is also of key importance for the recently announced ambitious project for building a new ski centre in the region that will significantly boost the international traffic. The management of the airport comments for the local business wire www.investor.bg that it wants to attract low-cost air carriers in order to provide full-year traffic. The business is now concentred in the winter months and almost no flights are serviced in the remaining seasons of the year.