Bulgaria Air is the flag carrier of Bulgaria, based at Vasil Levski Sofia Airport and running 21 routes from Sofia. Besides domestic flights to Burgas and Varna on the Black Sea coast, it serves destinations in Europe and the Middle East. Bulgaria Air is outside the alliances and runs a programme called FLY MORE. Seats come in Business and Economy.
Bulgaria Air is the flag carrier of Bulgaria, founded in 2002 and headquartered at Sofia Airport. Owned by Chimimport, it flies short and medium-haul routes to Europe and the Middle East, with focus cities at the Black Sea airports of Burgas and Varna.
Please note: bookingMentor is an independent travel service and is not affiliated with Bulgaria Air. Routes, schedules, fleet and baggage rules change, so always confirm the details of your booking with the airline.
Bulgaria Air is the flag carrier of Bulgaria, based at Vasil Levski Sofia Airport, with Burgas and Varna on the Black Sea coast as focus cities. It suits travellers flying between Bulgaria and other European cities, those taking domestic flights from Sofia to the coast, and holidaymakers on summer charters. It was set up in November 2002 to replace Balkan Bulgarian Airlines and flew its first services on 4 December 2002.
Bulgaria Air flies about 21 routes from Sofia, including domestic flights to Burgas and Varna. Most international routes go to European capitals and major cities, with selected flights to the Middle East. In summer the coast becomes busier: in June 2024 the airline added seasonal Varna flights to Frankfurt and Prague. If you fly between two foreign cities on Bulgaria Air, you change planes in Sofia.
Bulgaria Air does not belong to a global alliance, but it codeshares with 11 airlines: Aegean Airlines, Air France, Air Serbia, airBaltic, Cyprus Airways, Iberia, ITA Airways, KLM, TAROM, Qatar Airways and Windrose Airlines. Interline partners include Air Europa, American Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Emirates, Finnair, LATAM Brasil, Virgin Atlantic and Hahn Air. These let you book onward travel from Sofia on one ticket with bags checked through.
The new airline first flew briefly as Balkan Air Tour, and the Bulgaria Air name was picked through a public competition. It was privatised in 2006, when a group of Bulgarian companies led by Hemus Air won the sale, reportedly paying 6.6 million euros and promising 86 million euros of investment over five years. Hemus Air and its subsidiary Viaggio Air were later merged into Bulgaria Air, which is owned by Chimimport AD. The current livery first appeared on an Airbus A319 in 2010.
Bulgaria Air also flies charters under the Bul Air brand, revived in 2015, and works with more than 60 tour operators. It has wet-leased aircraft with crew, maintenance and insurance to Air Serbia. Meals come from Silver Wings, a catering joint venture with LSG Sky Chefs formed in 2010. The in-flight magazine is Bulgaria On Air, published since 2003.
Cabins are Business and Economy. Light fares may not include a checked bag, so check the allowance for your fare on air.bg before you travel. If you book a Bul Air charter through a tour operator, the operator's conditions apply to baggage and changes.
Checked against trusted sources:
Bulgaria Air official website
Bulgaria Air (IATA: FB, ICAO: LZB) is the flag carrier of Bulgaria, based at Sofia Airport. Founded in 2002, it flies Airbus A220, A319, A320 and Embraer E190 aircraft on domestic routes to Burgas and Varna and to destinations in Europe and the Middle East.
| Headquarters | Vasil Levski Sofia Airport, Sofia, Bulgaria |
|---|---|
| Fleet types | Airbus A220, A319, A320 and Embraer E190 |
| Frequent flyer | FLY MORE |
| Official website | air.bg |
Flight routes
Sofia (SOF) departures2 destinations
Sofia (SOF) departures2 destinations
Sofia (SOF) departures3 destinations
In August 2025 Bulgaria Air had 17 aircraft: two Airbus A220-100s, five A220-300s, one A319-100, five A320-200s and four Embraer E190s with 108 seats. The A220 is the newest type and has taken over many routes from older jets. The Embraer E190s arrived from March 2012 after a route study in 2011. Seat counts on the A320 vary between 160 and 180, depending on whether the aircraft is set up for scheduled or charter flying.
Two cabins are on sale at Bulgaria Air: Business and Economy. Not every Bulgaria Air route has all of them.
Short-haul business
Business class on Bulgaria Air flights.
Standard seat
The main cabin.
FLY MORE is Bulgaria Air’s frequent flyer scheme, and you can sign up on air.bg.
FLY MORE has three levels: Basic, Silver and Gold Privilege. Members collect points on Bulgaria Air flights; co-branded Visa cards are also available in Bulgaria.
The loyalty programme is FLY MORE, with Basic, Silver and Gold Privilege tiers. Central Cooperative Bank issues co-branded Visa Classic and Visa Gold cards that earn miles.
Check your e-ticket for the exact Bulgaria Air allowance. It is set by the fare type, the cabin and the route, whether you start at SOF or another airport.
A long-haul Bulgaria Air trip and a short hop can come with different allowances, and every cabin above the lowest economy fare gets more. The baggage page on air.bg shows the rule for your route.
The four steps below take you from your Bulgaria Air booking to the gate, whether you depart from SOF or another airport on its network.
Where your flight allows it, check in on air.bg with your surname and booking reference or e-ticket number.
Booking ref + surnamePack your passport plus any visa, residence permit or entry papers your destination asks for. Domestic FB passengers should bring a photo ID the airline accepts.
Passport · visa · IDBulgaria Air closes its check-in counters before departure, and passengers who miss the cut-off can be refused boarding. Leave room for bag drop and security at SOF.
Check your deadlineAt the airport, take your bags to the Bulgaria Air bag-drop point. Collect a printed FB boarding pass there if you have not saved one to your phone.
Bulgaria Air counterA few booking habits that tend to cut the cost of flying Bulgaria Air.
Compare a full week of Bulgaria Air departures; midweek days are often priced below Fridays and Sundays.
Midweek flightsFlights to Burgas and Varna fill up in the Black Sea summer season. Book early for July and August.
School holidays · festivalsA Bulgaria Air fare that includes a checked bag, seat choice or cheaper changes can cost less overall than adding those extras later.
Baggage & changesPopular Bulgaria Air flights fill the cheaper fares first, so give yourself several weeks of lead time on busy routes.
Popular routesAdd a FLY MORE number to your booking so points from your FB flights are credited.
Before you flySearch Bulgaria Air alongside every other airline on your route, with flexible dates.
Search Bulgaria Air flightsOthers of this kind you opened on this device, so you can get back to them quickly.
FB is the IATA code you see on tickets and departure boards. LZB is the ICAO code used in air traffic control, and pilots use the radio callsign FLYING BULGARIA.
Its main hub is Vasil Levski Sofia Airport (SOF) in Sofia, and its head office is in Vasil Levski Sofia Airport, Sofia, Bulgaria.
No. It works with airlines one by one instead, for example through a codeshare with airBaltic.
Seven Airbus A220s, the newest jets, outnumber the six older A319s and A320s, and four Embraer E190s complete the fleet (August 2025 figures).
Yes, it is called FLY MORE. Add your FLY MORE number when you book so the points are credited.
Open Manage Booking on air.bg or check your e-ticket. Bulgaria Air sets the allowance by route, cabin and fare type.
Get an answer from the bookingMentor travel team and travellers who have flown Bulgaria Air.
Everything travellers ask before flying Bulgaria Air.
Last reviewed on 10 October 2026 against air.bg and published airline records.
General
The Bulgaria Air baggage allowance depends on your route, cabin and fare. The Baggage allowance section of this guide gives 4 figures, by cabin and route where they differ. Check the allowance printed on your ticket before you pack.
Contact Bulgaria Air through its official website, air.bg.
Getting there
Bulgaria Air uses the IATA code FB and the ICAO code LZB. Its radio callsign is FLYING BULGARIA.
Check in on air.bg. The Check-in section of this guide walks through it in 4 steps.
Booking
Timing & weather
Bulgaria Air was founded in 2002, 24 years ago.
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