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In December 2023, the Bulgarian air traffic controllers provided air navigation services to 69 756 aircrafts, which is a 14.53% increase compared to 2022. For the last month of the year 2023, the number of international flights that arrived and departed in and from our country was 5 491. This is an increase of 9.91% compared to the same month the previous year. BULATSA also serviced more domestic flights. In the past month they were 1 534, which is 20.98% more than those in December 2022. The serviced overflying aircraft in December 2023 were 63 498, while in December 2022 – 55 276, which is an increase of about 15%.

Continuing its commitment to encourage and maintain the social dialogue within the framework of DANUBE FAB, the twentieth meeting of the DANUBE FAB SCF took place in Pravets, Bulgaria on 2 November 2023. The forum provided an opportunity for participants to share their views on various topics related to the FAB activities.

During the meeting the social representatives from ROMATSA and BULATSA were presented with the developments since the last meeting of the SCF in January 2023. The participants were informed about the DANUBE FAB strategic matters such as Strategic Programme 2024-2028, Annual Plan 2024, and Annual Report 2023. Information was also provided on the planned procurements and budget of the FAB for 2024. Regarding operational matters the highlight was the expansion of the SEE FRA in February 2023 with the inclusion of the FRACZECH (Czech Republic).

Other items that were discussed were the cooperation with other FABs under the InterFAB cooperation platform – including the publication of two studies on fragmentation and traffic scenarios, latest EU developments, activities related to the SESAR 3 Joint Undertaking, the new SESAR Deployment Manager and Infrastructure Partnership (SDIP) and SESAR Deployment manager. The planned joined participation of ROMATSA and BULATSA in the Digital European Sky Industrial Research projects ATC-TBO and NETWORK TBO are an important milestone in the DANUBE FAB cooperation framework.

The next DANUBE FAB Social Consultation Forum will be held in the first half of 2024 in Romania.

As the aviation industry faces an ever-evolving landscape with increasing demands in the region, with a shared vision for safer, more efficient skies and a commitment to sustainability, Tuesday, October 24th and Wednesday, 25th October 2023, the DANUBE FAB Governing Bodies met in Bucharest for their 21st meetings.

In its usual display of cooperation, the DANUBE FAB ANSP Board held yesterday the 21st bi-annual meeting that brought together decision-making and key experts from ROMATSA and BULATSA. They were briefed on of the progress of the latest round of DANUBE FAB strategic planning and reporting, status of the FAB procurements, InterFAB coordination activities and the progress of the FAB High Priority projects, thus exploring new avenues of collaboration and improve air traffic management on a regional scale.

The agenda also centered on several topics such as ongoing SES developments, planned joint exercises in SESAR 3 projects ATC-TBO and NETWORK TBO and coordination of operational matters and common activities, addressing the pressing challenges and opportunities faced regionally by the two ANSPs. The insightful discussions during this meeting resulted in potential solutions, such as the establishment of a new SESAR 3 Task Force or setting the scene for analyzing and testing of possible scenarios in order to enhance operations and thus, to reduce the workload on ATCOs.

From a social perspective, ANSP Board agreed to have the next DANUBE FAB Social Consultation Forum in the autumn of 2023 in Bulgaria.

Following the ANSP Board meeting, representatives of the Ministries of Transport, of National Supervisory Authorities and of the ANSPs from Romania and from the Republic of Bulgaria came together to align on the DANUBE FAB future goals and objectives. The Council representatives reviewed the activities carried out so far in 2023, with a specific focus on the on-going high priority projects: Free Route Airspace and InterFAB Cooperation. By applying the rotation principle, a new InterFAB Point of Contact was appointed from Romania DANUBE FAB for the next one-year term.

Members were also informed regarding the ANSP Board and NSA Board activities, so as on other activities, such as budget planning for next year and the development of the FAB strategic documents, Strategic Programme 2024-2028, Annual Report 2023 and Annual Plan 2024.

To be noted that at the 21st DANUBE FAB NSA Board meeting held on 24 October 2023 in Bucharest, the NSA of Romania and of the Republic of Bulgaria updated and signed the DANUBE FAB NSA Cooperation Agreement. The new provisions of the Agreement accurately reflect the changes in the EU legislation related to ATM/ANS oversight, as well as the potential NSA common activities for further safeguarding the air safety in the DANUBE FAB airspace.

Regarding the recent EU developments, specific updates and discussions took place, such as the status of the SES 2+ (recast) proposals and the possible impact the new requirements, participation of ROMATSA and BULATSA in the Digital European Sky Industrial Research projects, the new SESAR Deployment Manager Partnership and possible ways to find common grounds for a future collaboration.

The next round of DANUBE FAB Governing Bodies meetings are planned for the spring of 2024 in Bulgaria.

BULATSA will present its activities at the first career exhibition in the aviation industry in Bulgaria – Sofia Air Careerport, which will take place on 20 and 21 October at Sofia Airport, Terminal 2.

The exhibition is organized by SOFConnect, the operator of Sofia Airport, and five other companies from the airport ecosystem, which employs over 6,000 specialists. During the two days, the companies will present the opportunities for professional development and the open positions for work in them.

Sofia Air Careerport presents through employer stands – SOF Connect, BULATSA, GoldairBulgaria, DufrySofia, LufthansaTechnik Sofia and Swissport Bulgaria. Lecture panels will meet the candidates with aviation industry experts who will share their knowledge and experience in inspiring presentations and discussions.

All participants will have the opportunity to consult with experienced professionals and receive valuable advice for their career.

You can find information about the exhibitors and the program of the forum at the following link: https://sofia-airport.eu/bg/careerport/

All 28 air traffic controllers from the Air Traffic Control Authority Pristina Approach in the Republic of Kosovo are undergoing training at BULATSA. They will undergo a specially designed refresher course to ensure that they will provide safe, orderly and expeditious flow of air traffic in their country.

The course fully meets the requirements of the European Regulation 2015/340 and the refresher training program of ANSA and is conducted on the basis of a contract between the Air Navigation Services Agency – Republic of Kosovo and BULATSA. The training is necessary so that the Kosovo air traffic controllers can extend the validity of their licenses in order to perform their duties.

In addition to a theoretical part, they will also go through practical exercises, which will be conducted in the BULATSA’s simulator, where they will act out high-workload situations, work in adverse weather conditions, failure of surveillance equipment, as well as other extraordinary and emergency situations.

The simulations are conducted in an airspace specially created by the specialists of BULATSA, which fully matches the real airspace of the Republic of Kosovo, including all the current way points, means and procedures that the air traffic controllers apply. The aircraft used in the simulator match those operating at Pristina Airport.

The simulator of BULATSA provides the capability to set up the Human Machine Interface (HMI) so that it fully resembles the one used in the Republic of Kosovo.

The training is part of BULATSA’s plan to develop its simulator and provide the opportunity to train and conduct real time simulations, both for its own needs and for external contractors. Similar courses were conducted for air traffic controllers from North Macedonia and Armenia under the guidance of experts from the training center of BULATSA.

BULATSA Academy announced its autumn recruitment campaign for the position of “Air Traffic Controller”.

As every year, those wishing to be trained for the profession, can submit documents online until 30 October inclusively. Admission is continuous, but those who submit their application after this date will be included in the selection for the spring session in 2024.

The increased traffic in the sky over Bulgaria opens up a chance for everyone who wants to be trained for this profession. The candidates will have to pass through five stages of examination in order to be admitted to the training for the position of Air Traffic Controller.

The application requirements are higher education – with a minimum degree of “Bachelor”, regardless of the specialty. The first stage of the selection is admission of documents, after which the candidates who meet the requirements of the announcement will be invited to the FEAST test (First European Air Traffic Controller Selection Test), which is conducted in two parts. After successful performance at FEAST, they must pass a Class 3 medical fitness test. The final two stages of the selection are practical exercises on a simulator and a conclusion interview.

An English language proficiency certificate is no longer necessary, because the level of language proficiency is assessed through the FEAST test.

Those who pass all the stages of the exams will begin a two-year training at the BULATSA Academy, where they will be trained to become qualified Air Traffic Controllers. During this period they will also receive a monthly scholarship.

In order to present the details of the selection and the activities of the enterprise, BULATSA will conduct “Open Days” on 25 September, 13 and 26 October. Those who are interested to participate in the event must register on the enterprise’s website: “Open Days” of BULATSA in Sofia – BULATSA.

BULATSA set a record for serviced flights in the airspace of Bulgaria. On August 6, the Bulgarian air traffic controllers provided air navigation services to 3,715 aircraft, of which 3,451 were overflights, which is 18% more than the same period in 2019. This placed BULATSA in 8th place in Europe in terms of air traffic workload.

A record was also set in July with 110,947 aircraft operated, a 10.98% increase compared to 2022, when their number was 99,972 flights.

The number of international flights landed and departed for the month in and from our country was 10,425. An increase of 799 flights or 8.30% compared to the same month last year was reported.

BULATSA has also served more domestic flights. In the past month, they were 3570, 5% more than July 2022.

The largest increase is recorded in the serviced overflight aircraft – 96,952, compared to 86,972 for 2022.