GullivAir to fly direct from Sofia to Bangkok and Phuket from 5 November

Bulgarian airline GullivAir will start direct flights between Sofia and Thailand on 5 November 2026, serving both Bangkok and Phuket. The programme, announced by the airline and reported by TTR Weekly on 17 September 2026, runs through the winter: Sofia-Bangkok flights are scheduled until 26 March 2027 and Sofia-Phuket flights until 21 March 2027. Both routes will be flown with an Airbus A330-200 wide-body aircraft with 326 seats.

Phuket gets one rotation a week. Flights leave Sofia every Thursday and return from Phuket every Sunday. Bangkok is served twice weekly, with departures from Sofia on Thursdays and Saturdays and return flights from Bangkok on Fridays and Sundays. The airline says the timetable lets passengers from Bulgaria reach two of Thailand's most popular destinations without changing aircraft at another hub, and gives travellers from Thailand a nonstop way into Sofia.

This is not the carrier's first winter in Thailand. Schedule data compiled by AeroRoutes shows GullivAir operated a weekly Sofia-Phuket charter last season, from 18 December 2025 to 26 February 2026, also on an A330-200. The 2026/27 plan is a clear step up: it starts in early November instead of mid-December, continues into late March rather than late February, and adds Bangkok as a second destination.

For Thailand the timing is good. Early November marks the start of the dry season on the Andaman coast and the opening of Phuket's high season, which typically runs through April. Bulgaria is a modest source market on its own, but a nonstop flight tends to draw passengers from neighbouring countries as well, and with 326 seats per departure the three weekly flights add close to a thousand seats a week into Thailand. GullivAir expects the routes to support tourism, business travel and cultural and economic links between the two countries.

The connection works in the other direction too. From November to March, Bulgaria is a ski and spa destination, with resorts such as Bansko, Borovets and Pamporovo, natural mineral springs and historic cities; Borovets, in the Rila Mountains, is within easy reach of Sofia. Thai travellers who have wanted to try a European winter without a long transfer now have a direct option.

For the visitor arriving from Sofia, the practical questions start at the airport. Phuket International Airport sits in the north of the island, while most hotels are along the west coast beaches and in the south, so ground transport is part of the trip from the first hour. Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi is linked to the city by rail, but anyone planning to continue to Hua Hin, Kanchanaburi or the eastern seaboard will be looking at the road. Over a two or three week winter holiday, many European visitors rent a scooter or a car so they can explore at their own pace.

That is where Balm Rentals fits in. The marketplace brings verified, legally operating local rental businesses in Phuket, Bangkok and other Thai destinations into one app, available on iOS and Android and on the web. Prices, deposit amounts and rental conditions are shown before payment, so a first-time visitor knows exactly what they are agreeing to. The interface is available in English and several other languages, which takes some of the guesswork out of a booking made from abroad. Balm works alongside Thailand's rental shops rather than in place of them: the aim is to make good operators easier to find and their terms easier to understand.

A few reminders apply to anyone planning to drive or ride. Foreign visitors are generally expected to carry a home licence that covers the vehicle type together with an International Driving Permit, helmets are mandatory on motorcycles, and traffic keeps to the left. With those covered, an early Friday arrival in Phuket on the Thursday flight from Sofia leaves a whole weekend to settle in before the island's high season gets into full swing.