Fraport Twin Star Airport Management AD, majority-owned by Fraport AG, has officially inaugurated its new passenger terminal at Varna Airport (VAR) in Bulgaria – with operations scheduled to start on 27 August.

 

The new terminal will serve all passengers using this gateway to the country’s Black Sea tourist region. In 2012, VAR welcomed 1.2 million passengers. In tandem with VAR, Fraport Twin Star also manages Burgas Airport (BOJ) farther south on the Black Sea coast.

 

As previously reported, Nuance BG, a joint venture between Nuance and Bulgarian Airways Group EAD, has been awarded a concession to run duty free and duty paid shops at new terminals in Burgas and Varna airports in Bulgaria.

 

The JV, currently under EU antitrust application, began its five-year contract – awarded by Fraport Twin Star Airport Management – from 1 June. Nuance has estimated the overall sales value of the contract at over €180m ($240m).

 

 

BULGARIAN TOURISM MASTER PLAN

Nuance BG beat shortlisted rivals LS travel retail and Gebr Heinemann to clinch the deal at the tourist-focused airports located by the Black Sea, after “very competitive bids”. The JV will employ more than 120 people.

 

Fraport AG’s CFO Matthias Zieschang said:  “We are very proud of this attractive state-of-the-art terminal. Enhancing Bulgaria’s competitiveness in the global tourism market is essential. We are very committed to being a part of the Bulgarian tourism master plan and are already contributing to this with excellent services and infrastructure at competitive prices to serve the beginning and end-points of the travel chain.”

 

Fraport Twin Star Management AD’s CEO Aletta von Massenbach added: “The terminal design strives to maintain the holiday feeling of the passengers during their entire stay at the airport.

 

“With almost 20,000sq m of space for passenger services – about three times the size of the older facilities – the impressive new terminal features spacious areas for arriving and departing passengers; the latest systems for baggage handling, baggage claim, and passenger control channels; attractive shops and restaurants, as well as a large external courtyard.”

 

[Above: Artist’s rendering of the Nuance store to be opened at Varna Airport]

 

YEAR-ROUND TOURIST ACTIVITIES

VAR says its new terminal combines characteristic elements of Bulgarian architecture and nature, such as the sunflower which is a major plant grown in the fields in the Varna region. The building’s design also allows for easy and flexible expansion.

 

“Bulgaria offers travellers more than just its famous Black Sea resort beaches,” says Fraport. “With a history spanning thousands of years, Bulgaria boasts diverse and widespread nature areas, a growing range of year-round activities like skiing, golf, hiking, spa facilities and hot springs, and numerous UNESCO World Heritage Sites and other fascinating historic treasures.”

 

Varna, Bulgaria’s third largest city, was a candidate for the 2019 European Capital of Culture, and sees itself as a ‘business and tourism hub, and a destination for Black Sea cruise ships’.