Azerbaijani low-cost start-up Buta Airways has started serving Bulgarian capital Sofia and intends to add a third Turkish destination to its network.

On 16 January, the carrier began Sofia flights from Baku.

Alanya in Turkey will be served by Buta from 15 May. The carrier already operates daily flights to Istanbul and a five-times-weekly service to Antalya.

During a visit to Azerbaijan last year, Turkey's foreign minister Muvlet Ceavusoglu proposed the opening of an Alanya route. Its launch has been agreed in principle by Buta's parent Azerbaijan Airlines and Gazipasa-Alanya airport's operator TAV.

Buta, which operates seven Embraer 170/190s, tentatively plans to offer three or four rotations a week on the Alanya route. The airline says it carried 92,000 passengers in 2017, its first full year in business.

Source: Cirium Dashboard