site.btaGovernment Plane to Take Israelis from Varna to Tel Aviv, Bulgarians Back Home

Bulgaria's government Airbus is bound for Tel Aviv after a stop-over in Varna, where it is to fetch 11 Israeli nationals. On its way back, the plane will fly Bulgarians from Israel.

Breaking the news to reporters in Parliament on Friday, Transport Minister Georgi Gvozdeikov said that the government aircraft had to take on the flight after a charter carrier cancelled a flight to Tel Aviv organized by the Bulgarian Embassy in Israel and the Foreign Ministry, due to the insurer's refusal to cover a flight over a war zone.

That flight is now expected to arrive in the small hours of Saturday, Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel said. She added that there is readiness for one more flight. "While it is still possible to fly and there are Bulgarian people who need to return to Bulgaria, the government aircraft is available for that," the Foreign Minister said.

Gabriel said that the Bulgarian authorities have no information about any Bulgarians killed or injured in the Israel.