Air Service One – Bitesize Analysis of the Day – 2nd June 2026 – Sophia 2015 – 2026H1

Ryanair – Europe’s Favourite Airline and Wizz Air compete head-to-head on 17 routes this summer from Vasil Levski Sofia Airport. They also both serve London, Rome and Warsaw but use different airports in those cities. Between them they account for around 60% of all seats departing the Bulgarian capital this year. National carrier Bulgaria Air has seen its share of seats fall from almost 30% in 2015 to only just over 10% this year.

Last year, Sofia welcomed 8.41 million passengers, up 6.2% versus 2024 and 18% more than in 2019. Traffic growth is continuing in 2026 with demand up more than 10% in January and February (but flat in March and up only 3% in April).

New destinations from Sofia in 2026 (compared with 2025) include Lamezia Terme, Palermo, Porto, Rimini, Santander and Tirana. Destinations dropped since last year include Bratislava, Helsinki, Yerevan and Zadar.

Next year will see Sofia likely host the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time, after Bulgaria won this year’s event last month in Vienna with “Bangaranga” by Dara.