New aircraft on domestic routes

Published: 3/23/2000

Having announced cuts in prices on international flights in February in an effort to boost traffic and undercut Western carriers, Balkan Airlines has announced domestic fare increases as of the 27th March. The February price cuts saw fares fall in many cases by a third, with a return flight from Sofia to London being reduced to $200 and to Moscow to $175. Ticket prices will rise by 50% fro 27th March, when the airline's new schedule comes into effect increasing prices on return flights from Sofia to Varna from $50 to $95. The company will however, be introducing 2 ATR-42-300s on domestic routes replacing the airline's An-24s. The domestic prices rises will also be accompanied by draconian cuts in the airline's route network from 36 to 22 destinations, cancelling many routes to the Middle East and Far East. The company will also restrict its flights to Malta, Tunis, Algeria and Casablanca to the summer months. The price increases and route cuts are not unexpected, as the airline's Israeli owners Zeevi Holdings restructure the business and eliminate a route structure that bore little relationship with the current traffic requirements of Bulgaria.

Article ID: 1726