[size=75:tjdz7l0b]Sofia echo 10 March 2010

Fraport AG: Bourgas airport shows decline in traffic in February 2010

Bourgas Airport processed 3161 passengers in February 2010, or 11.1 per cent less than the same amount last year, the German Fraport AG Group said.

Fraport AG operates the airports at Varna and Bourgas.

Percentage-wise, the decline in Bourgas is the steepest accounted for by Fraport AG among all its airports during February. The company added that Frankfurt airport, its largest operation, also declared a one per cent decline in turnover.

However, in the case of Frankfurt, Fraport said that the decline is largely due to bad weather, cancelled flights and the recent Lufthansa strike.

Varna Airport registered a growth of traffic by 5.1 per cent in February 2010, registering 18 343 passengers.

According to the German operator, Bulgarian airports traditionally have a stronger showing in the summer. But if last summer is anything to go by, then Bulgaria's two Black Sea international airports at Varna and Bourgas both registered a dip in traffic, according to Fraport AG.

Bourgas received a total of 499 148 passengers in July 2009, an 11.4 per cent decrease on the same period in 2008. Varna airport registered 269 665 passengers, a drop of 15.6 per cent.