The passenger traffic at the Varna coastal airport increased by 3.7 per cent in June.

The number of passengers serviced at the airport in June reached 271 430 people, Bulgarian news agency BTA reported.

Reservations made for the peak months of the summer tourism season July and August indicate an additional increase to nearly 16 per cent this year.

For 2006 the airport was expected to service 1.8 million passengers.

Airport management said that the number of flying requests from destinations in Austria, Hungary, Russia and the Scandinavian countries was on the rise.

Each day the airport managed nearly 80 flights, expected to reach 90 in the peak months.

According to reports more than 70 local and international air companies were flying to Varna, offering trips to destinations in 35 countries.