Bulgaria Air compensation: when you are owed €250 or €400
Bulgaria Air is Bulgaria's flag carrier, headquartered at Sofia Airport, which is also its hub. It took over from the old Balkan Bulgarian Airlines in 2002. We have handled more than 25 Bulgaria Air claims, on scheduled routes such as Madrid–Sofia and Sofia–Amsterdam as well as on holiday flights it operates for tour operators. If you arrived 3 or more hours late, your flight was cancelled or you were bumped, you could be owed €250 or €400 per passenger.
Bulgaria Air holds a Bulgarian operating licence, which makes it an EU airline. It must therefore apply Regulation (EC) 261/2004 on every flight leaving the EU and also on flights into Europe from outside the Union.
Delay
You land in Sofia, Varna or your final destination at least 3 hours behind schedule.
3 hours when the doors openCancellation
Bulgaria Air called off the flight with under 14 days' notice and no replacement at a similar time.
Late noticeBumped
The flight was full and you couldn't board despite a valid ticket and on-time check-in.
Payable straight awayWhen it isn't due
If the airline proves a truly extraordinary event, such as thick fog at Sofia or an air traffic control strike.
Only events beyond its controlWant a quick answer? Check your Bulgaria Air flight with the airports and date.
How much Bulgaria Air pays on its most-claimed routes
The ticket price is irrelevant: a charter seat included in a package holiday is worth exactly the same as a scheduled fare. Only the distance to your final destination matters.
| Distance | Bulgaria Air routes from our claims | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | Sofia–Varna, Palma de Mallorca–Stuttgart | €250 |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km | Madrid–Sofia, Sofia–Amsterdam, Frankfurt–Málaga | €400 |
| Over 3,500 km | Uncommon on a mostly European network | €600 |
Every traveller has their own entitlement. A couple with two children on a Madrid–Sofia flight that landed 4 hours late could receive €1,600; children with their own seat get the same as adults. Our form lets you add companions without re-entering the flight.
Bulgaria Air flight delayed: what to do
About 6 in 10 Bulgaria Air claims we receive concern a delay. While you wait at Sofia or your holiday airport:
- Keep your boarding pass, paper or mobile, with the booking confirmation.
- Screenshot the updates from Bulgaria Air or your tour operator showing the new time.
- Note when the doors open on arrival: that is the moment that counts.
- Ask the airline desk for meal vouchers and keep receipts if none are given.
- Sign nothing that waives your rights in exchange for a travel voucher.
What Bulgaria Air owes you while you wait
Separately from compensation, the airline must provide food and drink and, if you fly the next day, a hotel and transfers.
| Flight distance | Care after |
|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km, e.g. Sofia–Varna | 2 hours |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km, e.g. Madrid–Sofia | 3 hours |
| Over 3,500 km | 4 hours |
| 5 hours or more | You can cancel the trip and claim a refund |
Missed connection in Sofia
Many passengers change planes in Sofia, for example from Amsterdam to Varna or Burgas. If everything was on one booking and you reach your destination 3 or more hours late, the amount is based on the total distance. With separately bought tickets, each flight stands alone. More on our page about Bulgaria Air delays.
Bulgaria Air flight cancelled: refund and compensation
Around 3 in 10 Bulgaria Air claims start with a cancellation. You may be entitled to two separate things.
Always owed: you decide whether to get your money back or travel on another flight.
Added on top of the refund when you were told less than 14 days in advance.
| When you were told | Compensation |
|---|---|
| 14 days or more before | No, refund or new flight only |
| 7 to 13 days before | Yes, unless the replacement leaves no more than 2 hours early and arrives less than 4 hours late |
| Under 7 days before | Yes, unless the replacement leaves no more than 1 hour early and arrives less than 2 hours late |
Retimed flight. A major change to the departure time notified a few days before can be treated as a cancellation under EU Court of Justice case law. Already had your fare back? See whether compensation is due too. More on the cancelled Bulgaria Air flight page.
Bulgaria Air overbooking: turned away at the gate
Denied boarding features more in our Bulgaria Air files than for many airlines: roughly 1 claim in 10. If you turn up on time with a valid ticket and are refused because the seats have run out, compensation is due immediately, along with rerouting or a refund. It is not due if you were stopped for expired documents or reached the gate late. Read our guide to Bulgaria Air overbooking and denied boarding.
Bulgaria Air strikes: who pays
When Bulgaria Air's own pilots or cabin crew walk out, the resulting cancellation is a risk the airline must bear, so compensation remains payable, as the EU Court of Justice has ruled (case C-28/20). A strike by air traffic controllers or airport workers is different: no compensation, although meals, hotel and rerouting are still required.
Has Bulgaria Air rejected your claim? The usual replies
Maintaining its Airbus and Embraer fleet is everyday business for the airline; only a manufacturing defect revealed by the maker or the authorities would change that.
EU Court of Justice, case C-549/07An aircraft running late from earlier flights does not let the airline off, unless a proven extraordinary event started the chain.
Bulgaria Air staff: compensation is normally due. Air traffic control or airport: no.
EU Court of Justice, case C-28/20Winter fog and snow in Sofia can be extraordinary, but only if they genuinely stopped your flight. We check the weather records and slots for that hour.
Charter flights and flights sold under other codes
Bulgaria Air also flies charters for tour operators and other airlines. That explains holiday routes in our files such as Palma de Mallorca–Stuttgart or Frankfurt–Málaga, which never touch Bulgaria. Your claim always goes to the airline that actually operated the flight, even on a package: if Bulgaria Air flew you, Bulgaria Air pays.
Conversely, a flight with an FB number may be operated by a codeshare partner such as Iberia, KLM, Air France or ITA Airways. In that case the operating airline is liable. Just enter the flight as it appears on your booking.
Bulgaria Air flights from outside the EU
Because Bulgaria Air is a European carrier, you are also protected when flying back to Bulgaria or elsewhere in the EU from a non-EU country, for instance on a holiday charter. The same rules and amounts apply as on flights departing Europe.
How to claim from Bulgaria Air: on your own or with us
You can write to the airline through the complaints section of air.bg with your booking reference, flight number and the passengers affected.
It costs nothing, but you run the case yourself. If the answer is no, you can turn to the national enforcement body of the country where the flight departed (the CAA in the UK) or to the courts, at your own expense.
Two minutes for the form and an e-signature. We handle the claim, formal demand and court action with our own lawyers. If you get paid, we keep 25% + VAT; legal costs are ours even if the case is lost.
If you have already been refused
We compare the reason Bulgaria Air gave with the real flight data and, if it doesn't add up, send a formal letter before action.
Useful documents
- Booking or boarding passFor charters, the tour operator's voucher also works.
- Passport or IDFor every passenger, children included.
- Messages receivedEmails, texts and receipts for expenses.
Deadline for claiming
The Regulation sets no time limit: the limitation period of the country where you claim applies (EU Court of Justice, case C-139/11). A flight from last year or earlier may still qualify: enter the date and we'll confirm.
How long Bulgaria Air takes to pay
When Bulgaria Air accepts, payment usually arrives within a few weeks. If it refuses, a formal demand and possible court action take several months. As soon as we are paid we transfer your share: €173.75 out of €250 and €278 out of €400.
Lost or damaged luggage with Bulgaria Air
Bags are covered by the Montreal Convention, not the Regulation. On arrival, complete a PIR at the baggage desk, then write to Bulgaria Air within 7 days if your case is damaged, or within 21 days of delivery if it arrived late.
Bulgaria Air contact details and flight status
- Head office
- Bulgaria Air, Sofia Airport, Bulgaria
- Complaints
- Complaints and customer service section of air.bg
- Loyalty programme
- Fly More
- Flight status
- Official Bulgaria Air website
Ryanair
Wizz Air
Vueling