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Bulgarian financial group Alpha Finance Holding sold its 58.08% stake in the airport in the country’s second-largest city of Plovdiv to Denmark’s Nordic Airport Infrastructure ApS, the company said on its website, IntelliNews reported.
The price of the deal has not been disclosed yet. The sale follows a change in the investment strategy of Alpha Finance, which excluded the airport from its core activities.
The company will focus on renewable energy projects developed by its subsidiary Solarpro, the expansion of mineral extracting company Kaolin, and the consolidation of the alternative telecom branch through Spectrum Net.
Alpha Finance bought the airport stake in 2007 and had proposed several times strategic public-private partnerships but with no positive results. The remaining part of the airport stake is held by the transport ministry. The air traffic in Plovdiv is now concentrated in the winter months when charter fliers are servicing the nearby ski resorts of Chepelare and Pamporovo.
Rumours, rumours, rumours.
This one has been floating around for a while now…
1: Location
Half of Bulgaria’s population live within an hour and a half of Plodiv airport. It has 2 major ski resorts a short distance away as well. The Trakia Highway is continuing to expand and in a few years it’ll reach Bourgas.
2: Ownership
The EU is rather touchy about State owned airports and their municipalities subsidizing the arrival of new airlines which has the knock on effect of stimulating the economy of the immediate surrounding area. However when airports are not in State hands it’s a rather different story. Plovdiv Airport, as far as we understand, is not operated on concession so is therefore not under direct State influence.
3:Logistics
The low cost model is new in Eastern Europe. The reason Ryanair don’t fly into Bulgaria at the moment may have to do with logistics. It’s a three hour flight there and three hour flight back. The best that they’ll be able to do is 4 journeys a day. This is viable, as long as they’re not giving away flights for one euro. And there’s no need to give away flights that cheap when there is no competition!
So it could finally be on the cards. We’ll keep our ear to the ground.
 Newly renovated Plodiv airport Watch this space.
The Winter Olympics has come and gone, and once again Bulgaria has drawn a blank. For a country that has serious aspirations to host the Olympics in the next eight years this isn’t really good enough. More has to be done to help these athletes reach their full potential and thus promote Bulgaria as a top ski destination. That’s my rant for today over.
PS. On the good side. Skiing conditions great in Pamporovo at the moment with more snow due on Monday.
Pamporovo will host a snowmobile rally for the second year on 27 February. The event is called Snow temptation – Pamporovo 2010.
This is a one of its kind for Bulgaria competition with motor sledges on a specially marked terrain.
The competition will take place on two stages, pretty much like a classic car rally.
The first stage starts form Malina 3 ski lift – Pamporovo and is 8 km long. The terrain is really fast and the starts commence every 2 minutes
A safety zone for the audience, parking lot and competitors zone is planned at the beginning of the terrain. The second stage will take place of the ski slopes of “Pamporovo” Lts. The competitors will have a group start with direct eliminations. The terrains is 400 m long. The competitors will be divided in two classes, according to the engines of the snow mobiles. The starting fee is just 20 BGN and includes an insurance and a cocktail cover after the event.
Participants will be also able to rent a snow mobile.
 Program of the event
Saturday, 27 Feb. 2010
07:30 – 10:00 AM – free training and machine fix.
10:00 – 11:00 AM – trechnical maintenance of the terrain;
11:00 – 02:00 PM – Stage 1 of the rally (Prevala – Perelik).
04:00 – 05:00 PM – Presentation of the sponsors of the event – Malina
05:00 – 07:00 PM – Rally stage 2 – Malina
07:00 – 07:30 PM – Demonstrations
7:30 – Award ceremony.
This year the competition will be bind with an eco initiative – buying back the emissions of carbon dioxide, emitted during the competition.
Just back from Pamporovo. Had a great break. I’ve uploaded a few snaps along with descriptions of what you’re looking at. Click here...Pamporovo photos
Source: BTA
It is mostly people who make one-day trips that cross the new Zlatograd-Xanthi checkpoint, the Border Police Regional Directorate in Smolyan said during the past week.
It is mostly people who make one-day trips that cross the new Zlatograd-Xanthi checkpoint, the Border Police Regional Directorate in Smolyan said during the past week.
The checkpoint is crossed by some 300-400 cars daily, Border Police says.
Hotel-keepers in the Pamporovo Mountain Resort report an increase of visits by non-package tourists during the past two weeks and are drafting special offers for touroperators from the region of Xanthi.
The two-way traffic increases in the weekends as the Greek visitors go to Pamporovo and the Bulgarian ones,
to neighbouring Greek settlements.
As the Greek side is still carrying out finishing construction works, it has introduced a restriction for the incoming traffic and only up to 3.5-tonne and up to 12-seat vehicles may enter Greek territory, said Commissioner Todor Georgiev, Director of the Border Police Regional Directorate.
 From the Sofia Echo:
Bulgarian Deputy Foreign Minister Marin Raikov and his Greek counterpart Dimitris Droutsas signed an agreement in Athens on January 11 2010 paving the way for the opening of the Zlatograd-Termes border crossing point between the neighbours
The new checkpoint will be inaugurated officially by Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Boiko Borissov and his Greek counterpart, George Papandreou, on January 15 2010.
The decision follows people’s desire on both sides of the border for faster and easier communication, Droutsas was quoted as saying by BTA.
According to Raikov, the initiative for the new border checkpoint had been in the pipeline for many years, hence it was only a matter of time before both countries finally agreed to proceed.
“Considering the number of Greeks who ski in Pamporovo, and the number of Bulgarians shopping in Athens, this will only stimulate further economic and tourist development in the region,” Raikov was quoted as saying.
A message from Galina in Pamporovo:
“Good morning to all!
Much better ski conditions in Pamporovo today. Most of the ski runs are open and people are enjoy skiing on them. The snow cannons are working non stop for the last two day.
The weather forecast is for snow and most important for low temperature.”
Lots of sore heads waking up to a beautiful sunny day in Pamporovo. Hotels report full occupancy. But with fresh snow not due until Sunday, the artificial snow machines are going full blast to keep the slopes up to scratch. Snow…snow…where fore art thou?
 Evening falls at Pamporovo, Bulgaria. The ski season in Bulgaria’s southernmost resort of Pamporovo in the Rhodope Mountains is due to open on December 19 2009, a media statement said.
The newest attraction at the resort is floodlights installed at the Snejanka 3 slope as well as the Stanata (The Wall), Pamporovo’s most demanding slope. The media statement also says the complex is equipped with a new dental and first aid medical centre, Medicus Alfa, which will operate 24-hours.
The resort currently has more than 19km of slopes, 95 per cent of which can be serviced by snow cannons if needed. A brand new six-seater lift has also been installed as well as a recreational park and an “extreme park” all within the premises.
Finally, the report’s authorities believe that with the inauguration of the new border crossing point between Bulgaria and Greece at Zlatograd, many people in northern Greece will visit the resort, thus boosting the local economy.
Greek tour operators have been invited to attend the official inauguration ceremony.
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