BIA AND SOFIA AIRPORT WILL COOPERATE IN BUSINESS ANALYSIS, CARGO TRANSPORT AND HUMAN RESOURCES

By the end of 2023, the passenger traffic from Terminal 1 of Sofia Airport will be completely redirected to Terminal 2, and by 2030 the completely new Terminal 3 will be built and put into operation. Two large-scale investment projects are underway - repair of the airport parking lot and preparation for the purchase of a new baggage system.

This became clear during a meeting held today (24 January 2022) of the President of BIA Dobri Mitrev with the CEO of SOF Connect AD (the new operator of Sofia Airport) Jesus Caballero. The meeting was also attended by Stanislav Popdonchev – Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of BIA, and Rosen Bachvarov - Director of "Relations with Institutions and Communications" of "SOF Connect".

Dobri Mitrev presented the possibilities of BIA for partnership, noting that for 42 years the Association has been an economic dissident, whose main goal is to protect Bulgarian employers. "We try to be the best possible lawyer for Bulgarian business and to have professional, not political relations with all institutions," said the President of BIA.

Jesus Caballero presented the new team that will manage Sofia Airport, as well as the investment plan of SOF Connect. "Our ambition is not just to modernize the airport, but to bring added value to the capital and Bulgaria. Part of this is the development of the network of flights to and from Sofia, for which we are negotiating daily with airlines, local and central government and the entire tourism sector," said Mr. Caballero and added that airport taxes of Sofia Airport are among the lowest in Europe and, although this generates losses for the concessionaire, they will be maintained in 2022 to help rebuild the airlines and attract new partners.

The leaders of BIA and SOF Connect reached an agreement to combine efforts in business analysis, including assessment of the potential of freight transport and activities for repair and maintenance of aircraft, as well as issues related to management, qualification and training of human resources and process management and optimization.

Pictures of the meeting can be found HERE.