A stylised bird is the logo of Bulgaria's new flag carrier, the Transport Ministry announced at a press conference March 31.

The project, developed by Prof. Todor Vardzhiev, was selected by a jury, including artists Vezhdi Rashidov, Bozhidar Ikonomov, Prof. Svetlin Russev, Prof. Hristo Haralampiev, architect Georgi Bachev.

A triangle outlines the logo, which will be situated on the planes' tailpiece. The logo type for BULGARI@AIR.BG is in capital and italic letters, to go across the main body of the plane. Both elements are in white, green and red - the colours of Bulgaria's national flag.

The project is professional and original, it deserves to be the logo of Bulgaria's new flag carrier, to be Bulgaria's new image to the world, Transport Minister Plamen Petrov said. He announced that Balkan Air Tour will fly to twenty one destinations. Currently the state-owned company that succeeded Balkan Airlines flies to sixteen destinations. Balkan Air Tour conducted its first flights at the beginning of December with forty passengers aboard on the Sofia-London-Paris-Sofia route

The jury was unanimous that the logo, combining the Bulgarian and modern, deserved to stand for a symbol of the new national air carrier.

Still member of the jury Vezhdi Rashidov expressed disappointment with the submitted projects, which came short of the expectations for "avante guard ideas".

The competition for logo and type of the new air carrier was announced by the Transport Ministry on January 1, 2003. The deadline for submitting offers by authors under the age of forty expired on February 20.

In a separate development the Privatization Agency extended by fourteen days the deadline for submitting bids for consultant in the sale Bulgaria's flag carrier. Bidders are to required to submit EUR 5000 of deposit to participate in the competition.


In the middle of March the Privatization Agency announced that Bulgaria plans to sell a minimum 51 percent stake in Bulgaria's flag carrier Balkan Air Tour. Up to 25 percent of the carrier's shares will be floated on the stock exchange.

The Privatization Agency will look for three types of investors: strategic ones - Bulgarian or foreign air companies with over EUR 100 M revenues during the last fiscal years, financial investors, managing funds of over EUR 200 M or consortiums of strategic and financial investors.

After a competition, it was decided that the flag carrier will be renamed to Bulgaria Air. It is on a list of fifteen major privatisation deals that are to be directly handled by the government and parliament under amendments to the privatisation law. These deals are exempt from judicial control under the new legislation.

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