Ryanair to set up base at Sofia Airport in Bulgaria

Ryanair plans to start operations from Sofia in October as it seeks to expand into smaller markets such as Bulgaria, CCO David O’Brien said. Ryanair plans to invest US$300m to deploy 3 aircraft at the Sofia Airport and will operate 21 routes, O’Brien said Wednesday. Ryanair plans to carry 1.5m passengers a year in 2017 from the Sofia and Plovdiv airports, up from estimated 700,000 people this year, he said. Destinations from Sofia will include Berlin, Barcelona, Valencia, Milan and Athens. “There’s the possibility to fly potentially from Sofia to 150 Ryanair routes out of Sofia,” O’Brien said. “That potential exists in the future. ” Ryanair will become the biggest foreign carrier at the Sofia Airport, which now has 52 international routes. <br/>