Bulgarian-based Aviostart is the only company which will be allowed to submit an offer for the supply of 10 engines for the country’s ageing fleet of MiG-29 fighter jets, local media reported on Thursday.
The Defence Ministry in Sofia announced a tender for the procurement of engines – either new or refurbished - for the Russian-made fighters of the Bulgarian Air Force in April. The tender commission within the ministry, which assessed the documents of the potential bidders, decided last week that only Aviostart would proceed to the next stage of the tender procedure, according to dnevnik.bg.
Charter flights are the core business of Aviostart, a private Bulgarian company established in 1999. Aviostart is also licensed for “transport of defence-related products”, according to information from the company website.
They have also won Defence Ministry orders for the supply of aircraft parts, dnevnik.bg said.
Two other potential bidders – Trade Company SRL and Hungary’s Haltech Kft - had been rejected because their documents failed to meet the criteria set by the Defence Ministry, dnevnik.bg revealed.
The ministry had set a ceiling of BGN 30 M (EUR 15) for the supply of engines for the MiG-29s.
The successful bidder must be able to deliver the engines within a year after winning the tender and ensure an operational lifespan of the units of minimum six years.
