GullivAir, a Bulgarian airline, scheduled direct flights from Sofia to Bangkok and Phuket for this winter. Sofia–Bangkok is scheduled twice weekly from 5 November 2026 to 26 March 2027, and Sofia–Phuket weekly from 5 November 2026 to 21 March 2027, both on an Airbus A330-200 with 326 seats, as reported by TTR Weekly. For agencies in Bulgaria, a nonstop to Thailand removes the connection that has shaped every package until now. This guide, from a Thailand DMC for travel agents, sets out the schedule and how to build programmes around it.
Update, 9 November 2026. The routes were scheduled to start on 5 November 2026. We have not seen a report confirming that the first flights operated, nor a report of a delay. Reconfirm the schedule with the airline before ticketing or confirming land arrangements.
Update, 12 November 2026. The Sofia–Phuket route has started. TAT Newsroom (9 November) reports that the inaugural flight left Sofia on 5 November, with arrival in Phuket scheduled for 6 November, and that the service is weekly; TTR Weekly (9 November) also reports a weekly service. The two differ on the aircraft: TAT gives a 240-seat Airbus A330-200, TTR Weekly 326 seats, so do not quote a seat count as fixed. TAT describes a Sofia–Bangkok route only as planned, and we have seen no report that it has operated. Reconfirm with the airline before selling Bangkok on this service.
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The schedule
As reported in September, the two routes were scheduled on fixed days. Only Sofia–Phuket is confirmed as operating:
- Sofia–Bangkok: departures from Sofia on Thursdays and Saturdays, and from Bangkok on Fridays and Sundays, from 5 November 2026 to 26 March 2027.
- Sofia–Phuket: departures from Sofia on Thursdays and from Phuket on Sundays, from 5 November 2026 to 21 March 2027.
The aircraft is an Airbus A330-200, a wide-body; TTR Weekly reports 326 seats and TAT Newsroom 240. Reconfirm the operating days and times against the airline's own schedule before building a series, because the first and last weeks of a winter programme are where schedules most often move.
What a fixed-day service changes
The rotation sets the length of stay. A once-weekly Phuket service means a client travels out on a Thursday and home on a Sunday, so beach stays fall into the lengths that rotation allows rather than the round seven or fourteen nights a daily service would give. Build the hotel nights from the flight days, not the other way round.
Bangkok gives more combinations. If the Bangkok route operates as scheduled, two departures a week in each direction give a Bangkok programme more possible lengths, and Bangkok is the natural gateway for a touring programme to Chiang Mai, Ayutthaya or the islands by domestic connection.
Ask whether the two routes can be combined. Flying into Bangkok and home from Phuket would suit a city-and-beach programme. Whether the airline sells that combination, and on what terms, is a question for the airline or its sales agents; do not assume it.
Entry rules for Bulgarian clients
Thailand's visa-exemption rules changed on 15 September 2026, and the length of a visa-free stay now depends on nationality. Check the current list for Bulgarian passport holders, and for any other nationality travelling on the same booking, before confirming a stay; our guide to the visa-exemption change sets out how the new rules work. Every arrival also completes the Thailand Digital Arrival Card before travel.
How to sell it
A new nonstop is the moment to move a client from an indirect itinerary to a simpler one, and the winter season is when Bulgaria's clients most want the sun. Lead with the beach programme on the Phuket rotation, and offer Bangkok with a touring extension for clients who want more than one base. For the wider picture of direct flights from Europe this season, see our note on Europe–Thailand nonstop flights for 2026–27, and our Bulgaria market page for how we work with agencies there.
How to package it
A fixed weekly arrival is easy to handle well: one airport meet, one transfer wave, one day to prepare for. Our transfers and hotel desks cover Phuket and Bangkok arrivals, and your Thailand DMC can build the whole programme around the flight days. The full range of Thailand DMC services for travel agents goes on one quote; send the dates to the trade desk.
Sources
- ARKA: Yerevan–Sofia flights resume, with GullivAir's winter flights from Sofia to Bangkok and Phuket
Frequently asked questions
When do GullivAir's Sofia flights to Thailand start?
The Sofia–Phuket route started on 5 November 2026, as TAT Newsroom and TTR Weekly report, and was scheduled to run until 21 March 2027. Sofia–Bangkok was scheduled from the same date to 26 March 2027, but TAT describes it only as planned; reconfirm with the airline before ticketing.
Which days do the flights operate?
Sofia–Phuket departs Sofia on Thursdays and Phuket on Sundays. Sofia–Bangkok was scheduled for Thursdays and Saturdays from Sofia and Fridays and Sundays from Bangkok, but TAT describes that route only as planned. Reconfirm with the airline before building a series.
What aircraft does GullivAir use?
An Airbus A330-200. Reports of the seat count differ: TTR Weekly gives 326 and TAT Newsroom 240.
Can a client fly into Bangkok and home from Phuket?
Only if the Sofia–Bangkok route operates, and TAT describes that route only as planned. Whether the airline sells that combination, and on what terms, is a question for the airline or its sales agents. Confirm it before quoting a city-and-beach programme on one ticket.
Do Bulgarian clients need a visa for Thailand?
Thailand's visa-exemption rules changed on 15 September 2026 and now vary by nationality. Check the current list for Bulgarian passport holders before confirming the length of a stay, and remind every traveller to complete the Thailand Digital Arrival Card.
