Transport Minister Increases Fines for Airlines

Sofia, Bulgaria — In an effort to introduce stricter control and protect passenger rights, Transport Minister Grozdan Karadzhov announced ambitious changes to the Civil Aviation Act. The statement came on the air of "Nova TV" and is a direct response to the increasing reports of irregularities in passenger service, especially at "Vasil Levski" Airport.

Tenfold increase in fines for airlines

Minister Karadzhov emphasized that the prepared legislative amendments foresee a tenfold increase in the fines imposed on airlines and ground operators. He stated that he will submit the proposals to the National Assembly on September 4. The Transport Minister expressed confidence that his proposal will be supported by the deputies in the parliamentary transport committee and will subsequently be submitted for a vote in the plenary hall.

The proposed measures are particularly relevant against the backdrop of a recent scandal involving a family with a child with a mobility impairment, who was removed from a plane. Karadzhov commented on the case, confirming that after an inspection, it was found that the child's chair was completely compliant and the airline had acted unlawfully.

"It turned out after an inspection that the chair was absolutely compliant, they had no right to remove him from the board, it's no coincidence that the next airline took him and transported him"

In response to this incident, the company "Ryanair" was handed the highest possible penalty of 10,000 levs. In this regard, the minister noted that similar transgressions in Spain have led to far more serious sanctions, with the Spanish Ministry of Consumers imposing a fine of 107 million euros on the same airline.

Regulation of attractions and criminal liability

In connection with the tragic parasailing incident in Nessebar, in which a person died, Minister Karadzhov announced that work is underway to introduce a general law on the safety of attractions. According to him, the new rules will include the creation of a register of attractions, and entry into it will require insurance for each of the locations. He added that each attraction will also have to have a safety plan.

Karadzhov emphasized that for the first time, criminal liability is being introduced in this sector. He explained that it is currently extremely difficult to prosecute those detained for the Nessebar incident, as the activity has not been legally regulated until now.

The tragedy in Klisura and a tangled mystery

The minister expressed his condolences in connection with the tragic incident in which two girls were injured after they jumped from a moving train in the area of Klisura. Unfortunately, one of the girls died yesterday. Karadzhov revealed that the victim was the daughter of a colleague who had worked at the same station as a stationmaster for more than 30 years.

The minister added that according to initial information, the girls missed their station and for this reason jumped. The second girl, who is a Polish citizen, has very severe injuries, and for now only investigators have access to her. The situation is further complicated by the fact that the train doors are blocked during travel and cannot be opened, which raises questions about the circumstances of the tragedy.

Lack of interest in railway transportation

On the topic of splitting railway passenger transportation into separate lots and allowing private companies, including from Europe, the minister noted that so far there has been no significant interest in Bulgarian railways. He pointed out that there are only three licensed private passenger carriers on the railway network in Bulgaria. Karadzhov announced that the tender for passenger transportation was published in the electronic system yesterday and is expected to be announced in the Official Journal of the EU on Friday.