North Macedonia, Bulgaria reestablish commercial air link

By KONSTANTIN TESTORIDES
Associated Press

SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — North Macedonia and Bulgaria have reestablished a commercial air link after 13 years of interruption, as a symbolic trust-building move. Relations between the two Balkan neighbors have long been strained as the Bulgarians do not recognize a separate Macedonian ethnicity and language, saying the language is actually a Bulgarian dialect. In 2020, Sofia vetoed its neighbor’s plan to start membership talks with the European Union. Bulgarian airline GullivAir will link the two countries’ capitals twice a week with a 70-seater ATR 72-600 turboprop aircraft. The first flight landed at Skopje’s international airport early Saturday. The flight is a mere 30 minutes.