August 16 (SeeNews) - Passenger numbers at Bulgaria's coastal airports of Varna and Burgas fell by 13.2% year-on-year to 1.2 million combined in July, Germany's Fraport group which operates the airports said.
The drop in passenger numbers served by the two airport on the Black Sea coast is a continuation of the consolidation trend seen in previous months, following the rapid passenger growth in figures in recent years, Fraport said in a statement earlier this week.
The overall number of passengers at the two airports fell by 13.0% to 2.7 million year to date. Passengers at Burgas Airport decreased 12.8%, while at Varna airport their number has dropped 13.4% since the beginning of 2019.
Passenger traffic increased by 9.9% at Burgas Airport and by 15.8% at Varna Airport last year, according to Fraport data.
Earlier this month, Fraport said that it expects the passenger traffic at the two Bulgarian airports to decrease by up to 10% year-on-year in 2019 after the airports posted a drop of 12.9% to 1.44 million on an annual basis in the first half of the year. The cancellation of WizzAir's service to Sofia, fewer travellers to and from Russia, Poland and Germany, the reduction in Ryanair flights as well as the resurgent tourism in Turkey, Tunisia and Egypt all had a negative impact on the passenger traffic at the airports of Varna and Burgas, Fraport said.
Fraport Twin Star Airport Management, a 60/40 joint venture of Fraport and Bulgarian company BM Star, is operating the two airports under a 35-year concession awarded in 2006.