Bulgarian Coastal Airports Operate under Normal Conditions

Business | July 31, 2011, Sunday // 13:43|  views

In the summer, the airport in Bulgaria's Black Sea city of Burgas has the most flights in the country – it is scheduled to serve over 120 flights on Sunday only. File photo

The airports in the Bulgarian Black Sea cities of Varna and Burgas are functioning under normal conditions with all regular and charter flights being on time.

The information was reported Sunday by the Bulgarian TV Channel bTV. The kerosene, unblocked from the State reserve, has been delivered Saturday.

This is the busiest time of the year for both airports over the peak of the summer season. Burgas now has the most flights in the country – it is scheduled to serve over 120 flights on Sunday only.

Air carriers have been warned to refuel only minimum amounts of kerosene.

The management of the Burgas airport informs they have fuel to last them for two days, but are expecting to receive more from the reserve by the end of the day.

Also on Sunday, the Minister of Economy and Energy, Traicho Traikov, announced that he Bulgarian government is calling an emergency meeting of the Monitoring Board of the Lukoil Bulgaria company,

The Minister reiterated there is no fuel crisis in the country, except for jet fuel, which is a problem and a commitment of Lukoil Aviation, whose license has not been revoked. Second, in this issue, comes the commitment of Lukoil Neftohim, which had 15 months to install the electronic measuring devices, and failed to do so, according to Traikov.

The Chair of the Association of Bulgarian Air Carriers, Svetoslav Yankulov, stated the jet fuel reserves, unblocked by the government Saturday, would last for just 3-4 days. He further informed that currently the situation is under control and all planes that needed fuel have been refueled, but pointed out there is still no permanent solution for the problem because if negotiations for deliveries from Greece and Romania fail, the reserves might be tapped into again.

Meanwhile, Lukoil Bulgaria informed in an official letter that it is halting supply of diesel fuel to the State Railroad Company, BDZ. The move is based on the Railroads' debt to Lukoil amounting to BGN 2.5 M.

On Saturday, the cabinet released 1 800 tons of jet fuel from the State reserve, destined for the airports of Varna and Burgas. Additional volumes for Burgas will be also redirected from the airport in the second largest city of Plovdiv. The order of the cabinet is for the release of jet fuel, kept in the Lukoil Bulgaria warehouses, for a week-long consumption.

Djankov and Traikov count on import from abroad to secure normal supplies for gas stations while the Interior Ministry will continue to receive for a month longer the fuel it had already ordered from Lukoil.

On Friday, Borisov, announced that crisis headquarters will monitor the situation on Bulgaria's fuel market after the local refinery of Russian oil giant Lukoil was forced to halt operations with Traikov heading the headquarters.

Bulgaria's Neftochim, the only oil refinery in the country, controlled by Russia's giant Lukoil, started on Wednesday to reduce crude processing to effectively stop production after the customs office revoked its licenses.

Vanyo Tanov, Director of the Customs Agency, has explained that the refinery cannot operate without the required electronic measuring devices Lukoil failed to install in its storage facilities, and can deal only with the fuels already outside the plant.

Valentin Zlatev, CEO of Lukoil Bulgaria, has often been described as "the country's back seat ruler" and "the oil oligarch, who pulls the strings of the government".

He is suspected of being the man behind Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boyko Borisov.

Zlatev has strongly denied the allegations.


Tags: airports, Black Sea cities, Varna, Burgas, jet, aircraft, fuel, summer season, Bulgaria, Neftochim, Simeon Djankov, refinery, Neftohim, Boyko Borisov, Valentin Zlatev, Lukoil, Customs Agency, Vanyo Tanov, rule, license, excise storage, Economy and Energy Minister, debt, BDZ, State Railroads, Svetoslav Yankulov, Association of Bulgarian Air Carriers, Minko Minkov, Lukoil Aviation, Traicho Traikov

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