The Qatari airline Qatar Airways is leaving Bulgaria and stopping flights between Doha and Sofia. This was announced to TravelNews by Dimitrina Goranova, Deputy Chairman of the Association of Bulgarian Tour Operators and Travel Agents (ABTTA). The office in Sofia is being closed since September, and the staff is also being laid off. “This is a heavy blow for Bulgaria, for our connectivity with all of Asia, Africa and Australia, as well as for the tourism business“, commented Goranova. The airline has been operating on the Bulgarian market for more than 15 years, and in the best of times it even operated two flights a day between Doha and Sofia.
After the start of the military conflict in the Middle East at the end of February, it stopped all flights, but gradually began to restore them since April. Qatar Airways maintained flights to Sofia in the reservation systems for the end of the year and for 2027, but they suddenly removed them, after which they informed us that they were closing the office and stopping flying to Bulgaria, Goranova said. No reasons were given. The office in Sofia refused to comment, referring the inquiry to the headquarters in Doha. According to representatives of the tourism industry, the suspension of flights is due to the optimization of the airline's activities after the military conflict, the lack of aircraft and weak interest in Bulgaria from passengers from Asia.
“The lack of direct flights by Qatar Airways to Sofia is already having a serious impact on the tourism market, and Bulgaria urgently needs to work to attract new airlines that will provide better connectivity with Asia, Africa and Australia“, commented Petar Stoyanov, Chairman of the Association of Bulgarian Tour Operators and Travel Agents (ABTTA) to TravelNews. Currently, the best connections are with “Turkish Airlines“ via Istanbul and with Fly Dubai via Dubai, with little interest in the latter due to the situation in the Middle East. According to him, after the suspension of Qatar Airways flights, the market has narrowed, and Turkish Airlines ticket prices have increased.
“The absence of Qatar Airways is already being felt and the market has narrowed. Turkish Airlines ticket prices have increased - both due to the lack of alternative flights and due to higher fuel costs. No one dares to travel via Dubai with Flydubai due to the insecure situation. Currently, the entire market lies with Turkish Airlines“, commented Stoyanov. According to him, an alternative option is flights through hubs in Central and Western Europe, but they significantly extend travel time and are not preferred by tourists.
ABTTA believes that Bulgaria should actively work to attract the airline Etihad Airways from Abu Dhabi, which is expanding globally. Stoyanov noted that the airline already operates flights to Belgrade, Zagreb, Athens and Istanbul, and will soon start flying to Bucharest. “Such routes happen at a political level. The state needs to be active if it wants Bulgaria to become part of the Etihad network“, he said.
According to him, the national airlines of China and Vietnam are also showing interest in flights to Bulgaria. And in this case, political support is a determining factor. Air China and Vietnam Airways are ready to start flights, but there must be an understanding between the countries at a high level.
Therefore, ABTTA will send letters to the ministries of transport and tourism to start negotiations with potential airlines to enter the Bulgarian market. Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines, which have large hubs in Asia, may even be invited.
Dimitrina Goranova stressed that air connectivity is key to the development of tourism and business. “For a destination like Bulgaria, it is extremely important to have good connectivity. The lack of sufficient air connections hinders both inbound and outbound tourism, but also business travel“, she said. According to her, tour operators are encountering serious difficulties in organizing group trips to Asia, Africa and Australia, as the possibilities for convenient connections are limited.
The tourism business is adamant that Bulgaria must make targeted efforts to attract new international air carriers that would improve the country's connectivity and increase its competitiveness as a tourist destination.