The Bulgarian Ministry of Transport, Information Technology and Communications selected a consortium comprised of German operator Munich Airport, French investment firm Meridiam and Austrian construction company STRABAG to jointly operate Bulgaria’s Sofia Airport (SOF), according to a statement Munich Airport released yesterday. 

The consortium was selected following a global tender process conducted by the Bulgarian Government, with the support of the World Bank’s sister organization the International Finance Corporation and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The decision will soon be reviewed by the Commission for Protection of Competition, in line with international and industry standards for this process. 

“Our group is looking forward to the next steps and working closely with all stakeholders to implement its development plan to further enhance the attractivity of the airport and the economy,” Munich Airport said in a statement. Further details regarding these plans are forthcoming. 

Like many stakeholders in air cargo, Sofia Airport has experienced volatility in its monthly cargo volumes over the first half of 2019 – for example, the airport saw a 22.6% increase in year-over-year volumes for February to 1,923 tonnes of cargo, as well as a 13.2% drop in y-o-y tonnage to 1,914 tonnes in May. Most recently, the airport saw a 14.5% increase in cargo volume y-o-y in June to 2,238 tonnes. Despite month-to-month volatility in volumes, SOF has still seen growth in its year-to-date volumes for the first half of 2019 to around 11,700 tonnes of cargo, up 5.8% y-o-y compared to the same period the year prior.