The government has approved a bill to amend Bulgaria's Civil Aviation Act, its press office said. The bill updates the rules and brings them in line with EU law.

To meet Single European Sky requirements, the rules on air traffic management and on oversight of air navigation services will change. Ground handling at airports gets a new set of rules. As EU law requires, the licensing system ends and a declaration system replaces it.

The bill sets minimum quality standards for airport services and ground handling. It also changes aviation security rules, including checks on staff and security programmes for certain groups of people.

Administrative fees and penalty rules are also updated, including the size of fines and financial penalties. Some of the changes relate to the switch to the euro.

The government says the rules should work better, be more transparent and keep a high level of safety, security and service quality in civil aviation. It says the bill is part of Bulgaria's commitment as an EU member to put EU requirements into national law on time.

Separately, EU institutions reached a deal in July on changes to the rules on air passenger rights. The changes are expected to take effect in mid-2027.

Under the new rules, compensation for a delay of at least three hours, or for certain flight cancellations, will be €250 to €600. The right to compensation stays, and passengers can claim within nine months. Ticket prices will include hand luggage by default. Children up to 14 will sit next to their parents at no extra charge.

Name errors on tickets will be fixed free of charge, and printed boarding passes will be issued without a fee. Passengers will get written information about their rights within 96 hours of the end of their trip.