Qatar Airways and Bulgaria Air signed a codeshare pact, to take effect March 2, under which Bulgaria Air’s code will be placed on Qatar Airways’ 14 weekly Doha-Sofia flights.

The Qatar Airways code will be placed on Bulgaria Air domestic flights from Sofia to Varna and Burgas.

“We are delighted that they have chosen us as a partner enabling our passengers to travel quickly and conveniently to over 170 destinations with Qatar Airways,” Bulgaria Air CEO Hristo Todorov said. “This cooperation is only a part of our long-term development strategy and we are happy to welcome the passengers of Qatar Airways onboard our aircraft.”

Qatar Airways has flown the Doha-Sofia route since September 2011, gradually increasing from 4X-weekly flights to the current 14.

Bulgaria Air was the second-largest airline operating out of its home market in 2019 according to data from OAG Schedules Analyser. The flag carrier had 1.1 million departure seats from Bulgaria for the year, behind Hungarian LCC Wizz Air which amassed 1.4 million. The Sofia Airport-based airline flies nonstop to 25 cities in Europe, but the codeshare pact signals Bulgaria Air is casting its gaze further afield.

Bulgaria Air’s chairman will discuss opportunities and difficulties presented by the incredible growth in Asian markets and the effect on European carriers at Routes Europe 2022. He will be joined on the ‘Rise of the East’ panel by the president of PANSA where the focus will be on outbound travel from China to Europe and the impact of COVID-19 coronavirus.

Routes Europe 2020 will be held 27-29 April in Bergen, Norway. You can read more about the conference program here.

Photo credit: Qatar Airways