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%, and further double-digit growth is expected in the years ahead. Under current plans, Swissport Bulgaria should handle its first flight at the airport on June 18.

We intend to establish Swissport Bulgaria as an attractive ground handling provider at Sofia Airport by offering top-quality products and services at competitive prices, says Christian Draeger, the new company`s Managing Director. And we`re greatly looking forward to further developing our activities in the rapidly-growing Southeast European market following our successful market entry in Kiev one year ago.

Bulgaria joined the European Union on January 1, 2007. 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.

Key economic data on Bulgaria

2004 - 2005 - 2006

GDP growth in %: 5.7 - 5.5 - 6.0

Inflation in %: 4.0 - 6.5 - 6.0

Unemployment in %: 12.0 - 10.1 - 8.8