Bulgaria is proposing a framework to support air routes that are commercially loss-making but considered important for connectivity. A draft ordinance prepared by the Transport Ministry would allow compensation where ordinary market conditions cannot provide the necessary service.
The proposal sets four cumulative tests. The transport need must not be met on reasonable market terms; the measure must secure a minimum level of regional connectivity; the public-service obligation must be proportionate; and the same objective must not be achievable through other suitable means. Passing only one test would not be enough.
The envisaged compensation would be limited to the net costs incurred. Competitive procedures would be organised at European level and would not be reserved solely for Bulgarian airlines. This is a mechanism for securing a defined service, not an unrestricted subsidy for any route an operator wishes to fly.
Public-service obligations already form part of the European framework for air transport. Their purpose is to preserve connections that matter to a region even where commercial demand alone does not sustain an adequate service. That policy objective must be distinguished from promotional support or a general promise of cheaper tickets.
For passengers, the immediate news is a proposal rather than a confirmed new flight. The report does not identify a final list of supported destinations, an airline award or a start date for subsidised operations. Those details would have to follow the adoption of the rules and the relevant procedures before travellers could treat them as available connections.
