Draft legislation approved by the Bulgarian Cabinet on Wednesday is going to allow the Sofia International Airport to determine its own airport fees, a measure that could lead to increase of plane ticket prices.

Sofia Airport will be determining its fees, and will coordinate them with air companies and land operators using its services, the Cabinet-approved legislation stipulates.

At present, the fees of the Bulgarian airports are determined by the Civil Aviation Administration, a directorate-general of the government.

However, EU regulations require that airports servicing more than 5 million passengers annually (Sofia Airport is the only such airport in Bulgaria) should introduce individual fees for noise, light, and security.

Under the draft legislation, the Civil Aviation Administration will continue to set the fees for the other airports in active use in Bulgaria – Plovdiv Airport, Varna Airport, and Burgas Airport.

According to Bulgarian Transport Minister Ivaylo Moskovski, the new fees of Sofia Airport will mean for spending for the airline companies but should not lead to a substantial increase of plane ticket prices.