Environmental management system
As a part of BULATSA’s Integrated Management System (IMS), the Environmental Management System, in accordance with the ISO 14001 standard, aims to:
- improve the sustainable development by protecting the environment, reducing the impact of the enterprise’s activities on the environment, and achieving compliance with the regulatory requirements, considering the life cycle.
- reduce the business risk for BULTSA by achieving the environmental objectives and demonstrating to the stakeholders and partners (other ANSPs, airports, airlines etc.) improved performance with respect to the environment, through consultations for encouraging collaborative efforts regarding the environment.
- improve the awareness and the skills of BULATSA’s personnel for environmental protection and reduce the use of resources.
The Environmental Policy is based on the commitment to protect the environment including increasing the effectiveness regarding the environment.
Taking account of the increased public need of air transport services for ensuring socio-economic development together with the responsibility for minimizing the negative impact on the environment to ensure sustainability, BULATSA manages the impact of its activities on the environment as commitment of each employee to:
- be aware and comply with the management’s environmental policy, procedures, and instructions, applicable to its activities.
- perform analysis and evaluation of the environmental impact in case of changes in equipment, technologies, processes etc.
- apply the system for separate waste collection with focus on the dangerous and specific waste.
- Ensure monitoring and reporting in accordance with the specific obligations and the Environmental Monitoring Plan.
The Green Point messages
- In execution of the European ATM Master Plan and in accordance with one of the environmental measures of the European Single Sky Implementation Plan (ESSIP), BULATSA initiated the establishment and participates actively in the “Collaborative Еnvironmental Management“(CEM) forum in Bulgaria.
- Since 28.04.2016, BULATSA introduced procedures for arrival, approach and departure of aircraft at Sofia Airport using satellite navigation. The introduction was made pursuant to Resolution 37-11 of the Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Optimization of the airspace structure at Sofia Airport was achieved, one-way routes for departing and arriving airplanes were established with elimination of the conflict points, which increased the airspace capacity and reduced the noise impact, fuel consumption and the harmful emissions.
- BULATSA participates in the project for cross-border South-East Europe Free Route Airspace (SEE FRA) between Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, and Bulgaria. A non-stop 24/7 free planning in the airspace of the Republic of Bulgaria has been introduced since 07.01.2019. The connection of the airspace of the two functional airspace blocks – FAB CE and DANUBE FAB, gives airspace users complete freedom to plan their routes through the combined airspace of the four countries. In addition, the possibility for planning cross-border flights in the FRA between SEE FRA and BALTIC FRA (Poland and Lithuania) was introduced in 2021, and the Republic of Moldova was acceded to SEE FRA in 2022. The Czech Republic is also planned to join the countries offering a common FRA as part of the SEE FRA initiative at the beginning of 2023.
- BULATSA calculates annually its carbon footprint in accordance with ISO 14064-1:2012 and CANSO publication “Air Navigation Service Provider Carbon Footprinting: A Best Practice Guides”.