Balkan Bulgarian Airlines was Bulgaria's government-owned flag carrier airline between 1947 and 2002. During the 1970s, the airline became a significant European carrier. The company encountered financial instability following the fall of communism in Central and Eastern Europe. Despite managing to continue operations, following the start of the 21st century and a controversial privatisation, it declared bankruptcy in 2002. Balkan was liquidated in late October 2002. Bulgaria Air was appointed Balkan's successor in December 2002.
Air France Flight 8969 was an Air France flight that was hijacked on 24 December 1994 by the Armed Islamic Group of Algeria (GIA) at Houari Boumediene Airport, Algiers. The militants murdered three passengers and three crew members, their intention was either to detonate the aircraft over the Eiffel Tower or the Tour Montparnasse in Paris. When the aircraft reached Marseille, the National Gendarmerie Intervention Group (GIGN), a tier one counterterrorism and hostage rescue unit of the French National Gendarmerie, stormed the plane and killed all four hijackers.
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1972.
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1971.
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1977.
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1978.
Varna Airport is the airport of Varna, the historical maritime capital of Bulgaria. Varna Airport is the third largest airport in Bulgaria. It is located 10 kilometers from the center of Varna near the town of Aksakovo. The airport serves Varna, Golden Sands and northeastern Bulgaria. The busiest season for the airport is from the end of May to the beginning of October.
Burgas Airport is an international airport in southeast Bulgaria and the second largest in the country. It is near the northern neighbourhood of Sarafovo approximately 10 km (6.2 mi) from the city centre. The airport principally serves Burgas and other seaside resorts of the Bulgarian south coast which attract many tourists during the summer leisure season.
The Delta Force is a 1986 American action film starring Chuck Norris and Lee Marvin as leaders of an elite group of Special Operations Forces personnel based on the real life U.S. Army Delta Force unit. Directed, co-written and co-produced by Menahem Golan, the film features Martin Balsam, Joey Bishop, Robert Vaughn, Steve James, Robert Forster, Shelley Winters and George Kennedy. It is the first installment in The Delta Force film series. Two sequels were produced, entitled Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection and the direct-to-video Delta Force 3: The Killing Game. The Delta Force was "inspired" by the hijacking of TWA Flight 847.
BH Air Ltd. is a Bulgarian registered airline based in Sofia. Part owned by Balkan Holidays Services based in Sofia, not Balkan Holidays Ltd, the Tour Operator based in London. BH Air provides charter flights to tour operators in the UK, Scandinavia, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and other European countries, as well as ad hoc charters to other destinations. Also, flights to Africa, Asia, and the Middle East are operated for groups traveling in connection with cultural and sports events and on business. The airline's main base is Sofia, with secondary ones at Burgas, Varna and Plovdiv.
Sabena Flight 571 was a scheduled passenger flight from Brussels to Tel Aviv via Vienna, operated by the Belgian national airline, Sabena. On 8 May 1972, a Boeing 707 passenger aircraft operating that service, captained by British pilot Reginald Levy, DFC, was hijacked by four members of the Black September Organization, a Palestinian terrorist group. Following their instructions, Captain Levy landed the plane at Lod Airport. The hijackers demanded that Israel release Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the hostages. The standoff was ended by an Israeli commando raid in which all of the hijackers were killed or captured.
Indian Airlines Flight 427, a domestic passenger flight of the Indian Airlines between Srinagar Airport and the Delhi-Indira Gandhi International Airport, was involved in an aircraft hijacking that took place in India between 24 and 25 April 1993. Commandos from the National Security Guard (NSG) rescued all 141 hostages of the Indian Airlines Boeing 737, on the ground at Amritsar airport. The lone hijacker, Mohammad Yousuf, was killed within 5 minutes of commandos entering the plane, before he could react and harm any of the hostages. The rescue was code-named Operation Ashwamedh.
Singapore Airlines Flight 117 was a Singapore Airlines flight that was hijacked en route by four Pakistani terrorists on 26 March 1991.
The Directorate"Special Operations and Counter Terrorism" is the tier one police tactical unit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Bulgaria (MVR). Its main task is to react against critical acts of terrorism, conduct hostage rescues, and apprehend high-value targets. In total 152 men are serving in the SOBT.
Balkan Bulgarian Airlines Flight 107 was an accident that occurred on 16 March 1978, when a Balkan Bulgarian Airlines Tupolev Tu-134 airliner on an international flight from Sofia Airport to Warsaw Airport crashed. All 73 passengers and crew died in the crash. As of 2024, it remains the deadliest accident in Bulgarian aviation history. The exact cause of the crash remains unknown.
Vidin Airfield, also known as Vidin Airport or Inovo Airport was a civil regional airport located in Northwest Bulgaria, in the territory of the village of Inovo, Vidin Municipality, 4 km from the city of Vidin. It operated as a regional passenger airport since 1973, and since 1999 it has been closed to air traffic.
Philippine Airlines Flight 116 was a domestic flight operated by Philippine Airlines that departed from Francisco Bangoy International Airport in Davao to Manila International Airport. On May 21, 1976, six passengers stormed the plane and diverted it to Zamboanga Airport where it was met by the military and the police. Negotiations between the hijackers and the police continued until May 23, 1976, when authorities attempted to storm the plane. A gun battle broke out and grenades were thrown, setting it on fire. 10 passengers and 3 of the 6 hijackers died in the storming.
Vnukovo Airlines Flight 2806 was a terrorist act carried out by Chechen terrorists from March 15 to March 16, 2001. During the incident, a Tu-154M airliner of Vnukovo Airlines performing flight VKO-2806 from Istanbul to Moscow was hijacked. The hijacked plane landed at Medina airport. The aircraft was freed following a special forces operation by Saudi Arabia. Three people were killed — one passenger, a flight attendant, and the terrorist leader.
