The contract for a three-year cooperation between SunExpress, a joint venture of Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines, and Electra Airways for a flight program between Germany and Bulgaria has been signed. With 32 weekly connections from seven German airports (Cologne, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt/Main, Hannover, Leipzig, Munich and Stuttgart), the flight program will significantly improve the connectivity of the airports in Burgas and Varna, part of "Fraport Twin Star Airport Management" AD. It will increase the flow of German tourists to the Bulgarian Black Sea coast.  

During the world's most important travel trade show - ITB-Berlin, held earlier in the year, the partnership between the two companies was first announced with a focus on the summer months of 2025, 2026, and 2027. The flights will be operated by Electra Airways while the commercial value chain from network planning, scheduling, sales, revenue management and marketing will be handled by SunExpress. Flights will initially be bookable via renowned tour operators and travel agencies. Seat-only and booking option via the SunExpress website will follow soon. The first flight is planned for the end of May 2025.  

In the first year 2025, two Airbus A320 aircraft will cover operations with one being based at Burgas airport and the other at Varna airport. In 2026 the number will potentially be doubled to four based aircraft, and further increased to a total of seven aircraft in 2027 depending on the demand. This is an important step for the recovery and growth of tourism flow from Germany to Bulgaria. SunExpress has a track record in successfully developing the potential of tourism destinations, proven both for the Turkish Riviera and with Air Cairo as a partner for the Egyptian market.

"Fraport Twin Star Airport Management" AD has been actively supporting this partnership from the very beginning, part of which was the organization of the large-scale event "Erlebe Bulgarien/Experience Bulgaria", which brought together in Bulgaria more than 100 of the most influential representatives of the tourist industry from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland at the beginning of the summer.

“We are pleased to bring our successful partnership model also to Bulgaria with Electra Airways” says Wilken Bellmann, Head of Network Planning and Scheduling at SunExpress. “In the upcoming period, we intend to expand this partnership model further, by adding more partner airlines and destinations. The selection of destinations will be closely aligned with the requirements of our sales partners.”  

Stefan Trifonov, CEO of Electra Airways, stated, “We are excited to collaborate with SunExpress, merging their extensive commercial expertise with our reliable operational capabilities. This partnership will not only elevate the travel experience for German tourists but also significantly boost Bulgaria's tourism industry.”

"We are convinced this project of SunExpress and Electra Airways will be successful: the commercial power of SunExpress and the quality approach of Electra Airways are a very strong combination! The winners will be the tourists from Germany and the tourism sector in Bulgaria!”, said the CEO of "Fraport Twin Star Airport Management" AD - Dr. Frank Quante.

"Fraport Twin Star Airport Management" AD, together with its domestic and foreign partners, continues to work for the promotion of Bulgaria as an attractive tourist destination.