site.btaEconomy Minister: No Significant Delay in Payment of Wages Present in Avionams

Caretaker Minister of Economy and Industry Petko Nikolov said during the parliamentary sitting here on Friday that the company Avionams has generally always paid its employees and suppliers on time, and has paid its obligations to the budget over the past 10 years. Nikolov said that there has been no significant delay of more than two months in the payment of wages.

On July 2, 2024, payment was made in the amount of one net minimum wage of the May wages due to employees by June 30, and the May supplemental wage payment was made in July. The June wages due on July 31 were paid in full on August 13, the Minister said.

Nikolov reported that arrangements have been put in place to ensure that all workers in the company are paid, until he has the post of minister.

The Minister spoke about the numerous large-scale contracts with external customers for the repair of aviation equipment executed between 2012 and 2022. He continued about another contract from 2022, concerning the repair of a helicopter owned by the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Congo. After obtaining the necessary permits from the Interdepartmental Export Control Commission of the Ministry of Economy, Avionams relocated this helicopter to Bulgaria in May for repairs. In view of the interpretation of the sanctions by the National Customs Agency, the company obtained authorization and opened the customs regime allowing the repair in February 2024, said the Minister and added that at that time the repair of the helicopter was completed. Once the entire sum stipulated in the contract has been paid, the aircraft will be redeployed in the Republic of Congo. These "substantial revenues" are expected to be transferred "perhaps by the end of 2024," said the Minister.