The members of the board of directors of Sofia Airport Dimitar Bogdanov and Avgustin Ganchev will retain their seats during the new government, the BANKER weekly found out. Although their mandate expires on July 3 and the new Transport Minister Daniel Papazov could easily appoint others they remain in the management of the state-owned company. Expectations for a thorough reshuffles at the airport’s management intensified after on June 26 Mr. Papazov dismissed the appointed at the time of GERb-led Cabinet Veselin Peykov, replacing him with Hristo Shterionov, who headed the Aerodrome flight safety department.
Avgustin Ganchev graduated with a degree in Domestic Trade from The University of National and World Economy as well as in Law from the Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski. He has held various positions, but they have nothing to do with aviation. He was Director of Development of a regional network in the State Lottery, also the Head of Strategic Planning in Bulgarian Toto, a lawyer with LB Bulgaricum EAD – Sofia, an official in the Ministry of Interior, and in 2011 was Director of Procurement and Administrative Services in the National Company Railway Infrastructure.
Dimitar Bogdanov also has a degree in law. He has been a trustee in a bunch of companies that no longer exist – the Heating company of Pernik, Bobov Dol Mines, Kremikovtzi Trade, textile company Novotex and others.
At least for now his position keeps also the head of the Security Department Vladimir Rapondzhiev even after the rumours that he was very close to former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and that he was the person who selected people to appointed to work in the capital city’s airport.
Along with the state enterprise Air Traffic Control, the airport continues to be one of the most popular places where one can accommodate relatives at lucrative positions. For 2012 the salaries of the staff were more than 30.2 million levs, or 1.4 million levs up from the previous year. Money for social and health insurance contributions and taxes payable by the employer under the corporate income tax and the social programme of the Sofia Airport formed another 18.79 million levs. The average monthly gross salary and wages was one of the most attractive in the country – 1159 levs.
The board also has nothing to complain about. Last year Veselin Peikov, Dimitar Bogdanov and Avgustin Ganchev received a total of 91.4 thousand levs in wages. That is, each of them received over 2500 levs per month. Separately in the form of social benefits they have shared between them 12 600 levs. What’s not so good is that the result of the work of the management of the state company is too controversial. The airport still fails to utilize best commercial opportunities offered by the building of Terminal 2. In size it can compete with the biggest malls in Sofia, but something there still doesn’t work. Proceeds from the rents and advertising spaces for 2012 came to a little over 4.6 million levs, or 6% below the result for 2011.
The main reasons can be searched in a continued decline in advertising budgets of the largest investors in outdoor advertising – mobile operators, banks and car importers, that are the company’s traditional partners, commented representatives of the company.
In fact, in 2012 five-year contracts concluded in 2007 expired and tenants of commercial space at the airport had to renegotiate the terms. Airport official said it had already revised their pricing policies, renewed 13 contracts and signed five new ones – for a pharmacy, a souvenir and flowers shop, dry cleaning, additional ATMs and ticket machines for public transport. But the financial effect of all this would be seen at the end of this year.
The BANKER
