In 1970 the first Lufthansa flight took off from Bulgaria. The destination was Sofia - Frankfurt. This marked the beginning of 45 years of the company’s history in this country.

During these years, the capacity of the carrier in Bulgaria has been constantly growing. Lufthansa ranks second among international carriers in Bulgaria, while the aviation group Lufthansa that consists of Lufthansa, the Austrian Airlines, Swiss International Airlines, and Brussels Airlines ranks first. Lufthansa Technik Sofia, which has been working in Bulgaria since 2008, provides repair and maintenance of aircraft, aircraft components and engines thanks to 900 highly qualified experts.

In 2014 the carrier transported 415,000 passengers from and to Bulgaria while the whole group provided transport to 750,000 people. In comparison to previous years the number of passengers marked a record 20-percent rise.

Lufthansa head in Bulgaria Alexander Tolweth told us more about the future plans of the company:

In order for an airline to be successful frequent innovations are needed. Since 2011 Lufthansa has been investing about a million euro in modernizing the cabins and lounges. New and more comfortable seats for passengers, screens with various video and audio content and quality restaurant service are just some of the improvements the company offers.

Perhaps the most interesting novelty is the access to wireless internet connection (WiFi) during long flights. More from Mr. Tolweth again:

The service will be offered on short and medium-distance flights in 2016, and Lufthansa will be the first airline to offer this service in Europe. Sending text messages will also be possible, but telephone calls will remain prohibited.

The company offers new low-tariff option "Light", which has already been gaining popularity among travellers. Ticket prices are low, but passengers are allowed only carry-on luggage. Representatives of the company said there is more work to be done for informing the passengers about using the option, as now not everyone knows that they should have only hand luggage or pay additional fee at the airport.

English: Alexander Markov