Civil Aviation Act

 CIVIL AVIATION ACT

Prom. SG. 94/1 Dec 1972, amend. SG. 30/13 Apr 1990, amend. SG. 16/21 Feb 1997, amend. SG. 85/24 Jul 1998, amend. SG. 12/11 Feb 2000, amend. SG. 34/6 Apr 2001, amend. SG. 111/28 Dec 2001, amend. SG. 52/18 Jun 2004, amend. SG. 70/10 Aug 2004, amend. SG. 88/4 Nov 2005, amend. SG. 102/20 Dec 2005, amend. SG. 30/11 Apr 2006, amend. SG. 36/2 May 2006, amend. SG. 37/5 May 2006, amend. SG. 105/22 Dec 2006, amend. SG. 108/29 Dec 2006, amend. SG. 10/30 Jan 2007, amend. SG. 41/22 May 2007, amend. SG. 109/20 Dec 2007, amend. SG. 36/4 Apr 2008, amend. SG. 66/25 Jul 2008, amend. SG. 67/29 Jul 2008, amend. SG. 35/12 May 2009, amend. SG. 47/23 Jun 2009, amend. SG. 82/16 Oct 2009, amend. SG. 102/22 Dec 2009, amend. SG. 63/13 Aug 2010, amend. SG. 73/17 Sep 2010, amend. SG. 94/30 Nov 2010, amend. SG. 41/31 May 2011, amend. SG. 81/18 Oct 2011, amend. SG. 99/16 Dec 2011, amend. SG. 38/18 May 2012, amend. SG. 60/7 Aug 2012, amend. SG. 82/26 Oct 2012, amend. SG. 15/15 Feb 2013, amend. SG. 66/26 Jul 2013, amend. SG. 12/11 Feb 2014, amend. SG. 53/27 Jun 2014, amend. SG. 98/28 Nov 2014, amend. and suppl. SG. 28/17 Apr 2015, amend. and suppl. SG. 89/17 Nov 2015, suppl. SG. 15/23 Feb 2016, amend. SG. 95/29 Nov 2016, amend. SG. 58/18 Jul 2017, amend. and suppl. SG. 96/1 Dec 2017, amend. SG. 56/6 Jul 2018, amend. and suppl. SG. 1/3 Jan 2019, amend. SG. 62/6 Aug 2019, amend. SG. 60/7 Jul 2020, amend. and suppl. SG. 16/23 Feb 2021

Chapter one.
GENERAL PROVISIONS

Art. 1. (amend. SG 85/98) This Act shall provide the public relations, connected with the civil aviation in the Republic of Bulgaria and with ensuring its safety and security.

Art. 2. (amend. and suppl. SG 85/98) (1) The Republic of Bulgaria shall have full end exclusive and irrevocable sovereignty over the airspace over its territory, including the internal and the territorial waters.

(2) (amend. SG 85/98) The Council of Ministers shall determine the zones in the airspace, where aviation can be restricted.

Art. 2a. (new – SG 85/98; amend. and suppl. - SG 37/06) (1) (amend. SG 34/01, amend. SG 88/05, amend., SG 102/05; amend. – SG 82/09) The organisation and the control for use of the civil airspace, as well as the management and the control of aviation in the serviced airspace of the Republic of Bulgaria shall be implemented by an order, determined by the Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications.

(2) (amend. SG 34/01, amend. SG 88/05; amend. - SG 37/06; amend. – SG 82/09) The Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications in coordination with the Minister of Defence shall determine the order for introduction and the rules for work of the unified system for civil and military management of the airspace.

(3) (amend. SG 34/01, amend. SG 88/05; amend. – SG 82/09, amend. – SG 1/19) The Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications and the Minister of Defence shall determine the order for use of the airspace in the state of emergency, martial law and/or in the state of war.

Art. 3. (amend. SG 85/98) (1) Civil aviation shall be each aviation, implemented with civil aircrafts and designated for:

1. transport of passengers, luggage, loads and post by the air;

2. servicing of the agriculture, the forestry and other sectors of economy;

3. geologic, geographic and other scientific investigations;

4. rendering of urgent medical aid;

5. culture – educational needs, photography and advertising;

6. fight with fires and other disasters;

7. training, sport etc.

(2) The civil aircrafts shall be all the aircrafts except the state ones.

Art. 4. (amend. SG 85/98) On board of aircrafts, registered in the Republic of Bulgaria shall be applied the Bulgarian laws, except in the cases, when in a ratified, promulgated and entered into force international agreement other has been provided.

Art. 5. (amend. SG 85/98) (1) The aircrafts which implement civil aviation shall be registered under this Act.

(2) The aircrafts entered into the register of the civil aircrafts of the Republic of Bulgaria shall fly with national and registration identification signs of the Republic of Bulgaria.

(3) The civil aircrafts for sanitary means shall have also the sign of the Red Cross.

(4) (amend. SG 34/01; amend., SG 52/04, amend. SG 88/05; amend. – SG 82/09) The Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications shall issue an ordinance for the order of determining and affixing the registration signs.

Art. 6. (amend. SG 85/98) (1) (amend. SG 34/01, amend. SG 88/05; amend. – SG 82/09; amend. – SG 81/11) The Bulgarian aviation operators shall implement commercial operations by aircraft in the country and abroad on the basis of a commercial contract and if there is no such contract – under conditions and by order determined with an ordinance by the Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications.

(2) (amend. SG 34/01, amend. SG 88/05; amend. – SG 82/09; amend. – SG 81/11) The foreign aviation operators shall be able to implement commercial operations by aircraft in the country by force of an international agreement in which the Republic of Bulgaria is a party and if there is no such contract – under conditions and by order determined with an ordinance by the Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications.

Art. 7. (amend. SG 85/98) (1) (prev. text of art. 7 – amend., SG 52/04) The transport of passengers, luggage, loads and post with regular international lines shall be implemented by Bulgarian and foreign air carriers by the force of international contracts, of which the Republic of Bulgaria is a party.

(2) (new, SG 52/04) The appointment of a Bulgarian air carrier shall be carried out by virtue of bilateral or multi-lateral international contracts.

(3) (new, SG 52/04, amend. SG 88/05; amend. – SG 82/09) Not allowed shall be a monopolistic status on the market of air carriers on a line of regular air destinations, unless stipulated otherwise by an international agreement which the Republic of Bulgaria is party to. Where an international contract contains restrictions for the number of Bulgarian air carriers, for the frequencies of operation of the line or for the offered capacity the choice shall be made by the Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications on the grounds of a competition or through assignment when only one candidate appears for participation in the competition for a line. The conditions and the order of holding a competition for access to the market of air carriers shall be determined by an ordinance of the Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications.

Art. 8. (amend. SG 85/98) (1) (amend. SG 34/01, amend. SG 88/05; amend. – SG 82/09, amend. – SG 60/20, in force from 07.07.2020) The Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications conducts the state policy in the field of civil aviation.

(2) (amend. SG 34/01, amend. SG 88/05; amend. – SG 82/09, amend. – SG 60/20, in force from 07.07.2020) The regulatory and control functions in the field of civil aviation are performed by the Civil aviation administration. The Civil aviation administration shall be a corporate body at budget maintenance at the Ministry of Transport, Information Technology and Communications with headquarters in Sofia.

(3) (amend. SG 34/01, amend. SG 88/05; amend. – SG 82/09) The Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications shall determine with a regulation the structure, the activity and the functions of the Civil aviation administration.

(4) (new – SG 89/15, amend. – SG 1/19, amend.and suppl. - SG 16/21) Directorate General “Civil Aviation Administration” is the competent authority under Regulation (EU) 2018/1139 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 July 2018 on common rules in the field of civil aviation and establishing a European Aviation Safety Agency and amending Regulations (EC) № 2111/2005, (EC) № 1008/2008, (EU) № 996/2010, (EU) № 376/2014, and Directives 2014/30/EU and 2014/53/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council, and repealing regulations (EC) № 552/2004 and (EC) № 216/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Council Regulation (EEC) № 3922/91 (OJ, L 212/1 of 22 August 2018) hereinafter referred to as "Regulation (EU) 2018/1139", as well as on the implementing regulations and delegated regulations adopted on the basis thereof and the rules for their implementation.

(5) (New - SG 16/21) The Directorate General "Civil Aviation Administration" is the competent authority for the implementation of Regulation (EU) No 376/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 3 April 2014 on the reporting, analysis and follow-up of occurrences in civil aviation, amending Regulation (EU) No 996/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Directive 2003/42/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and Commission Regulations (EC) No 1321/2007 and (EC) No 1330/2007 (ОВ, L 122/18 of 24 April 2014), hereinafter referred to as "Regulation (EU) № 376/2014".