The first transoceanic flight of the Bulgarian Civil Aviation was performed on April 11, 1964. with innovations in Bulgaria air liner "Il-18".
This is recalled by BTA.
The flight from Sofia to Lima, Peru, was carried out by a crew consisting of Ivan Ivanov - chief pilot, Andrey Ivanov - aircraft commander, Yordan Pesarov - pilot, Pavel Ignatov - flight engineer, Serafim Kolchev - flight radio operator, Toma Todorov - navigator, Gospodin Gospodinov - navigator, Maria Ivanova and Slavka Grigorova - stewardesses, Petar Petrov - ground engine engineer.
The flight length is 16 23 km. Due to the severity of the transatlantic flight, Soviet aircraft designers did not give their consent for its implementation. The management of Bulgarian aviation took the risk. After taking off from Sofia, the plane landed in Paris to pick up French passengers, after which it headed for Lima. Due to manufacturer restrictions, stopovers are required in Casablanca (Morocco), Dakar (Senegal), Recife (Brazil), Asuncion (Paraguay).