Air Freight Transport Developments in Bulgaria – Trends and Perspectives

Abstract

Air transport is developing at a rapid pace globally and is of particular importance for the mobility of people and goods. Through its flexibility, it responds to the ever-changing situation in commodity markets and provides the necessary conditions for transport services’ supply and demand in shortening the delivery times. The main subject of analysis in the presented article is the development of air freight transport over the last 12 years. The main results of the analysis of the volumes and changes of freight traffic to and from Bulgarian airports, as well as carried by the main carriers, give the grounds for SWOT analysis and is used to outline the main prospects for the future of air freight transport. The main objective of the survey presented is to outline trends for the development of air freight transport in the country and in particular to clarify the various factors influencing the demand for freight transport by identifying a system of indicators measuring the freight volumes and the loading work carried out, which can be analyzed regularly, and which allows the forecasting of changes in freight volumes during certain periods of time.