Flights To Bulgaria By IL-86 Might Be Banned

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   The subject that generates the interest of the Bulgarian travel industry is the perspective of flights to the destination by IL-86 operated by S7 Airlines and Atlant-Soyuz. According to S7 Airlines, they are negotiating the permission for flights by IL-86 to Varna and Burgas with aviation authorities of Bulgaria. In particular, the installation of expensive navigation equipment controlling ground proximity process is being negotiated. According to unaccredited sources the cost of the equipment is around $ 100, 000 per plane).
    The outcome of the negotiations is to be seen, but at the moment some travel market players (Solvex and ICS Travel Group), which announced charter flights to Bulgaria by IL-type aircraft allegedly plan to substitute them by Boeings and Airbuses. However, the operators did not confirm the information: ‘at present flights IL-type aircraft have not officially banned, therefore, we are going to act upon our plans’, commented Elena Andrievskaya, the Head of Bulgarian Department of ICS Travel Group.
    Meanwhile, according to another version even if flights by IL-86 are not banned, tour operators might terminate operating flights by this aircraft due to high exploitation cost. ‘Foreign manufactured aircraft is economically advantageous – the difference between the cost of fuel tone is 300$’, summarized Konstantin Markelov, General Director of Balkan Express. On the other hand, experts are concerned about the fact that substitution of IL-86 aircraft but less capacious aircraft will lead to drop in air traffic volume to the destination.