Balkan Bulgarian Airlines

About Balkan Bulgarian Airlines

BALKAN BULGARIAN AIRLINES ROUTES
They operate scheduled flights to 30 destinations in Europe, Asia, Africa and domestic flights to Varna and Bourgas.

Balkan Airlines began in 1947 flying domestic routes. In 1949 the company was reformed as TABSO - Balkan-Bulgarian Air Transport, owned equally by Russia and Bulgaria. Lisunov Li-2 and Ilyushin IL-14 airliners were used on the first flights with the Ilyshin twins serving Europe (Paris, Moscow and Frankfurt). By 1954 Bulgaria had full ownership of TABSO.

In 1962 turboprop Ilyushin IL-18s were being used and they are still in use for charter work today. In 1968 Tupolev Tu-134 twin-jet airliners were introduced along with a livery and name change to Balkan Airlines, the light blue 'TABSO' livery being changed to a harsher green/red livery with the title 'Balkan'.

Cargo flights were carried out using two Antonov AN12 military transport planes in BULAIR livery. In 1972 BULAIR became part of Balkan Airlines and so the picture of AN12 LZ-BAB is shown as Balkan airlines.

In the 1990s a revised livery was introduced with western aircraft types like the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320.

For further information on Balkan Bulgarian Airlines visit the Balkan Bulgarian Airlines website.

http://www.balkan.com/index.htm