Swissport International Expands to Bulgaria

A ground handling company in Sofia, Bulgaria has been established by Swissport International. According to the company, with the country’s strong economic growth and its rapidly-rising air travel volumes, the new operation fits ideally into the Swissport strategy of gaining key footholds in promising new markets.

Bulgaria is one of the fastest-growing markets in the EU. And Swissport Bulgaria will now enter this market as the first independent ground handling company at Sofia Airport. The airport handled 2.2 million passengers last year, passenger numbers are currently rising at an annual 20 percent, and further double-digit growth is expected in the years ahead.

Bulgaria joined the European Union on January 1 this year. The country has a total population of 7.75 million. Sofia, its capital, is home to more than a million people, while Varna and Burgas, the two major cities on the Black Sea, both have populations of over 230.000.