Civil Aviation Administration imposes sanctions on airport operators due to poor passenger service

The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) has launched extraordinary inspections of all ground operators serving the airports in Sofia, Varna and Burgas. The inspections are by order of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Grozdан Karadjov, who stressed that passenger comfort is a mandatory requirement for a normal European country.

The four main operators - "SOF Connect" AD, "Swissport Bulgaria" AD, "GoldAir Handling Bulgaria" OOD and "Fraport Twin Star Airport Management" AD - were inspected. The findings include insufficient hygiene in the buses, not using the lowering function when boarding and disembarking, non-functioning air conditioners, and lack of information in case of delays.

The CAA will impose the maximum penalties provided for by law on the four operators, and Deputy Prime Minister Karadjov has ordered the fines to be updated, as they are currently up to 500 levs. The administration has also issued instructions for the removal of the violations - mandatory cleaning of the buses, informing passengers, additional staff for accompaniment, internal inspections and development of a standard for the culture of service.

Until a lasting improvement is achieved, inspections will be carried out every week, and afterwards - at least once a month. "It's high time to understand that passenger comfort is not just a nice wish, but a mandatory requirement if we want to be a normal European country," said Deputy Prime Minister Grozdan Karadjov.