Category: News

BULATSA and EUROCONTROL EATM/CERT hosted the second edition of AVIATION CAPTURE THE FLAG, which took place in Sofia.

The competition (Capture the flag) includes various challenges in the field of cyber security.

15 teams took part in the competition, including 62 competitors and 15 observers. The teams were from BULATSA, EUROCONTROL, BRITISH AIRWAYS, LUFTHANSA, Groupe ADP, Budapest Airport, Dublin Airport, Austrocontrol, DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung, DHMI, DSNA, HungaroControl, LFV, LPS, LVNL, SloveniaControl, Amadeus.

The competition included challenges of precision, speed and teamwork, which were the keys to successfully pass through the stages.

The team of BULATSA developed the cyber scenarios and the hard-to-crack hardware in order to recreate the ‘hacker’ battle.

The fastest and most resourceful team was 1А4Sky! – Amadeus. In addition to speed, Amadeus also collected the highest number of points. On second place are the BULATSA Knights. The Run[a]way SOC team of Budapest Airport took the third place.

“This event is a challenge that allowed the participants to become convinced that teamwork is the key to success in the fight against cyber attacks. Our message is to work together, share knowledge and collaborate to create a strong cybersecurity community. “Capture the Flag” provides the unique opportunity to test the knowledge and skills in a simulated environment. The competition provided a wonderful opportunity to create contacts between leading professionals in the field, who could rely on each other in a real situation in the future. I extend my gratitude to EUROCONTROL for the outstanding contribution to the implementation of this initiative.” – said the BULATSA Director General Georgi Peev.

BULATSA has once again proved its motivation and intention to be part of the community of leading organizations in the field of aviation and cyber security.

On the World Blood Donor Day, BULATSA received an honorary plaque from the National Center for Transfusion Hematology in a joint ceremony with the Bulgarian Red Cross.

BULATSA is among the distinguished organizations that have the most active participation over the years in the organized blood donation campaigns.

The Deputy General Director Ivan Diaksov received the plaque at an official event held in the hall of the National Center for Transfusion Hematology. On behalf of BULATSA, he thanked for the award and stated that the team of the enterprise has always been and will be among the first to join the campaigns. “Our colleagues are active blood donors, not only on the days organized in BULATSA, but also on their personal initiatives for years and regularly donate blood.”

The motto of the 2023 campaign is “Donate blood, donate plasma, share life, share often.”

The directors general of BULATSA Georgi Peev and the ANS of the Republic of Kosovo – ANSA Samir Bllacaku agreed on future cooperation within the framework of the Memorandum for establishment and development of strategic cooperation, signed between the two organizations in 2017.           

The team of BULATSA presented the activities of the enterprise for efficient and safe flight service without delays due to ANS, and the operational and technological innovations and the work on SESAR projects were noted.

A highlight of the meeting between the two delegations were the capabilities of BULATSA Academy for training air traffic controllers, which aroused particular interest. 

The team of ANSA visited the Operations Room and the Training Centre, where they got acquainted with the practical aspects of the work of BULATSA.

For the first time, BULATSA will host a two-day workshop-competition entitled AVIATION CAPTURE THE FLAG BULATSA AND EUROCONTROL/EATM-CERT. The event is part of the “Capture The Flag” initiative of EUROCONTROL, The European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation, and will be held on 14 and 15 June in the halls of Metropolitan Hotel in Sofia.

Leading specialists in the field of information security and aviation will take part in the event, who will share their experience and best practices.

The competitive part of the event foresees the participation of 15 teams composed of professionals from different countries, and the goal is to solve a complex puzzle of tasks and challenges related to aviation safety and protection from cyberattacks in the shortest possible time.

AVIATION CAPTURE THE FLAG BULATSA AND EUROCONTROL/EATM-CERT is entirely practically oriented, and the acquired knowledge and skills will guarantee even greater effectiveness of the efforts for a safer and secure sky.

On June 6, 2023, within the framework of the Green Week (01-06.06.2023), BULATSA organizes an eco-initiative “Day without a car – TOGETHER for cleaner air”.

Employees are encouraged to voluntarily join the initiative and demonstrate their commitment to environmental protection by using alternative transportation or carpooling to and from work on this day.

Bulgarian Air Traffic Services Authority (BULATSA) notifies aircraft operators and users of the Bulgarian airspace regarding the publication of Aeronautical chart 1:500 000, edition 10.0. The chart is available free of charge only in electronic form on the corporate website of BULATSA: Services/Airspace management /Aeronautical chart 1:500 000.

The chart is also available on the flight information portal of Bulgarian Air Traffic Services Authority (BULATSA) – https://b-flip.bulatsa.com/.

Changes in edition 10.0:

• Change of UHF frequencies of ATS units Burgas APP, Plovdiv TWR, Varna TWR and Varna APP;
• Update of geographical coordinates of lateral limits of LBTRA43A;
• Gorna Oryahovitsa aerodrome:
  • Change of the lateral limits of the aerodrome control zone.
  • Change of the lateral limits of the radio and transponder mandatory zone.
  • Changes in VFR routes V675 and V677.
  • Implementation of new significant points EFSOT and SONUF.
• Implementation of common transition altitude 10500 FT for FIR Sofia.
• Implementation of significant points AYTEK and IBLAX;
• Withdrawal of significant point IBLAL;
• Change of the vertical limits of the Area Navigation (RNAV) routes N605 (GOL-XANEX), N739 (ROVDO-ADORU), P127 (ROVDO-AYTEK) and the relevant CTA sectors;
• Update of vertical limits of airspaces;
• Implementation of LBTRA81, LBTRA89, LBTRA90 and LBTRA91.
• Withdrawal of LBTRA86 and LBTRA88;
• Changes in lateral and vertical limits of BEZMER and DOLNA MITROPOLIA military ATZ.

On Wednesday, 10^th and Thursday, 11^th May 2023, the DANUBE FAB Governing Bodies met in Sofia for their twentieth meeting, marking the continuous efforts of Bulgaria and Romania to shape the strategic direction and priorities for the FAB and to progress further their cooperation with key projects for the benefit of safe and efficient provision of ANS. 

The DANUBE FAB ANSP Board approved the FAB Strategic Programme 2023-2027, Annual Plan 2023 and Annual Report 2022 documents and presented them for approval by the Governing Council.

The Board members were updated on projects that have recently been completed and significantly progressed within the FAB. The most notable was the continued expansion of South East Europe Free Route Airspace (SEE FRA) with the inclusion of FRACZECH in February 2023.

The ANSP Board agreed to have the next DANUBE FAB Social Consultation Forum in the autumn of 2023 in Bulgaria.

The 20^th Governing Council meeting was attended by representatives of the Ministries of Transport, Civil and Military Aviation Authorities, National Supervisory Authorities and ANSPs from both States. In accordance with DANUBE FAB Observer Policy, representatives from Republic of Moldova were also welcomed.

The Council representatives focused on the on-going high priority projects: Free Route Airspace and InterFAB Cooperation. Members also approved the FAB strategic documents, Strategic Programme 2023-2027, Annual Report  2022 and the Annual Plan 2023.

Regarding the recent EU developments, specific updates and discussions took place such as the accession of BULATSA and ROMATSA to the SESAR 3 Joint Undertaking, their joint participation in the Digital European Sky Industrial Research Call for proposals, the new SESAR Deployment Manager Partnership and possible ways to find common grounds for a future collaboration.

As DANUBE FAB is following closely the potential impact of the reform of the SES legislative framework on ATM in the region as well as on FABs in general, the members of the Council reiterated the importance of the SES reform to enable the response to current challenges.

The next round of DANUBE FAB Governing Bodies meetings are planned for the autumn of 2023 in Romania.

BULATSA has started training air traffic controllers (ATCOs) of ARMATS – the air navigation service provider of Armenia. They will attend a one-week course, based on the standards and recommended practices of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), as well as on topics according to European Union regulations.

At the beginning of the year an ARMATS delegation visited BULATSA at the invitation of the Director General Mr. Georgi Peev. In response to the interest on part of the ARMATS management, a training program was developed and approved by the Armenian authorities and DG CAA.

The Bulgarian ATCOs will train their Armenian colleagues on how to cope with emergency and extraordinary situations on a simulator. Those who succeed to meet the training criteria will receive a certificate compliant with the EU legal framework.

The Armenian air traffic controllers will also participate in a one-week course to improve their English language proficiency.

Air traffic controllers from North Macedonia and Georgia have also been trained at BULATSA. With the development of BULATSA’s simulator, other foreign trainings and simulations are expected to take place.

Dear colleagues, Happy World Aviation and Cosmonautics Day!

BULATSA joins the global initiative “Earth Hour” and on March 25 will turn off the facade lighting of the buildings at the Unified Air Traffic Control Centre in Sofia and at the Airport Centres between 8:30 PM and 9:30 PM. “Earth Hour” is the largest initiative dedicated to the preservation of our common home – planet Earth. It is held annually to raise awareness of the importance of taking action to preserve the Earth. Traditionally, on the last Saturday of March, between 8:30 PM and 9:30 PM, millions of people are set to switch off their lights for 60 minutes in a symbolic movement to save the planet. Landmarks around the world also turn off their lights, thus expressing solidarity with the fight against climate change.