Fraport Twin Star Airport Management AD, the concessionaire of Burgas Airport, is planning significant investments and expecting a 12% growth in passenger traffic in 2025. Fraport Twin Star, which has been managing the airport since 2006, is executing this in collaboration with the Ministry of Transport and Communications of the Republic of Bulgaria. To date, the company has invested 221 million BGN in various infrastructure projects at Burgas Airport. These include a new passenger terminal, modernization of existing facilities, expansion of the apron, and sustainability investments. The airport has also paid over 334 million BGN in concession fees and 37 million BGN in corporate taxes to the state.
An additional 100 million BGN is to be invested by the end of 2026, with a major focus on the full rehabilitation of the runway. This rehabilitation, a critical component of the Concession Agreement and Master Plan, is fully coordinated with relevant Bulgarian authorities. The work is scheduled for completion from November 2025 through April 2026 to minimize the impact on tourist traffic, as was done previously at Varna Airport during the winter of 2011/2012.
Further investments are being made to renew the airside infrastructure and commercial areas, including a 2,000 m² innovative outside area for passengers. Efforts to expand connectivity have resulted in over 70 destinations for the summer of 2025, with Electra Airways basing three aircraft at the airport, including one in collaboration with SunExpress. In spite of these efforts, Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian flights that previously brought over 600,000 passengers are no longer part of the current traffic mix.
Despite attempts to sustain winter flight operations from Burgas, airlines only offer limited services. Wizz Air has maintained a continuous connection between Burgas and London for 17 years, whereas other winter routes have been sporadic. A recent reintroduction of the Burgas-Sofia route faced passenger attraction challenges, underscoring the economic hurdles for regular winter flights from the airport.
Dr. Frank Quante, CEO of Fraport Twin Star Airport Management AD, emphasized their active efforts to market the airport and offer competitive tariffs: “We are actively marketing Burgas Airport to all airlines and offer competitive tariffs. For winter traffic, we offer financial support with significantly lower tariffs and contribution. But the decision to fly is taken by the airline, not the airport. The airlines are very cautious about increasing the flight season due to the limited demand. For additional flights during the whole winter, they expect high financial support in addition to low tariffs. We will continue to include the municipalities in the discussions with and marketing activities towards the airlines, so they can see all efforts we undertake, both to develop the infrastructure and the traffic.”
