site.btaTransport, Tourism Ministers Discuss Development of Bulgarian Aviation Industry, Tourism with Boeing Sales Director and American Chamber of Commerce Representatives

Transport Minister Georgi Gvozdeykov and Tourism Minister Zaritza Dinkova met with the Boeing Sales Director Mario Ebcim and representatives of the American Chamber of Commerce, the Transport Ministry said on Tuesday. The main topic of the talks was finding effective solutions and opportunities for the development of the aviation industry and tourism in Bulgaria.

"Increasing the number of airlines operating to and from Bulgaria is of great importance for the development of the airline industry in our country," Gvozdeikov pointed out.

Encouraging airlines to develop routes to distant destinations where many Bulgarians live or are interested in travelling to will give a serious boost to the aviation sector and increase the number of travellers, he noted. "Should an air carrier wish to operate scheduled flights between Bulgaria and the US, all necessary steps will be taken immediately to establish direct air connectivity between the two countries," Gvozdeykov added.

Bulgaria is a signatory to the EU-US Air Transport Agreement, which removes all trade barriers to flights between any point in the European Union and any point in the United States. The market for air services between the US and the EU, including Bulgaria, is fully liberalized, the Transport Ministry stated.