Bulgaria: Risk Of Excess Of Flights

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   The issue that generates great interest behind the scenes of the Russian travel market is CAPITAL TOUR entering the new destination – the Bulgarian market. The operator intends to ‘conquer’ 30% of the market and to launch flights to Varna and Bugas by four Transaero Boeings – 747 and 767. It will of course increase air traffic volume that is the main concern of travel market experts as they forecasted excess of flights to Bulgaria even before CAPITAL TOUR decision (news/ 27.01.06).
    CAPITAL TOUR commented on the situation as follows: ‘with the growth of air traffic volume at 20-25% the demand for the destination will increase at 10-15%. In order to optimize a number of aircraft our competitors might terminate flights’, said Dmitry Cherepov, Director of the Bulgarian Department of CAPITAL TOUR.
   Meanwhile, other travel market players doubt such development of events hoping that CAPITAL TOUR will tame its appetite. ‘If ICS does not change its flights and CAPITAL launches additional flights it will result in serious consequences for the market and CAPITAL should realize the implications of the problem’, explained Anatoly Gusev, Director of Travel Bureau Orient.