Bulgarian Airliners have Operating Certificates Cancelled

It is reported that all Bulgarian cargo charter airlines are to have their Operating Certificates withdrawn. All their AN12 and An26 aircarft have been grounded since earlier this year, since Bulgaria joined the EU.

 The European Safety Authority had since been investigating whether Bulgarian operating standards were up to European Standards. Obviously they have decided that the answer is no, and all Bulgarian cargo charter operators using these types are now banned from EU skies. This affects companies such as Vega, Air Sofia, Bright Aviation, Heli Air and Scorpion, all of whom had been regular visitors to UK airports such as East Midlands, Coventry and Stansted.

  As a curious footnote, it is believed that at least 2 of the grounded An12s are already back flying over Europe, Spotters have reported at least 2 freshly painted An12s registered in Kazakhstan as UN-11012 and UN11014 visiting airports around Europe, for a Kazak company called ATMA. These are both reported as being ex. Air Sofia. UN-11012 has even been seen at London Heathrow, the first An12 to visit there since the mid-1990s.

AWA

 

AWA:

it is believed that at least 2 of the grounded An12s are already back flying over Europe, Spotters have reported at least 2 freshly painted An12s registered in Kazakhstan as UN-11012 and UN11014 visiting airports around Europe, for a Kazak company called ATMA.

Correct. If the serial numbers quoted for these aircraft are to be believed, then UN-11012 is ex-LZ-SFR and UN-11014 is ex-LZ-SFS, both transferred from Air Sofia between January and April this year.

You've got to wonder how many more of these beasts we'll see appearing on 'flags of convenience'....

Titch