Delivered to TABSO, the forerunner of Balkan in 6.65, this one-time beauty was preserved in a playground near Sofia airport after withdrawal but unfortunately was damaged by arsonists a few months before this shot

Getting away in style after a bulk-load freight run, the crew told me they'd recently taken the old girl as far as Montevideo! Stored at Varna 1997 onwards and broken up by 2000

Delivered in 11.69 prior to introduction of the lengthened Tu-134A variant and seen here in the original colours. Preserved in a playground near Varna from 1985, scrapped 2006

Acquired from the Czech government in 1983, this 134 was one of the last active with Balkan and was derelict at Sofia from 1998, but now used for anti-terrorist training

During the 1990s Balkan operated this sombre coloured former LOT Ilyushin (ex SP-LSF) on their freight flights, with very small and rather worn 'Bulgarian Airlines' titles. They never bothered to paint it in their colours, because the aircraft didn't do much flying and spent most of its time in storage at Varna. They disposed of it in 1998, and became EL-ALD, then EX-601. It was still operational as recently as 2014, now as EX-18007, but had been withdrawn from use and stored at Fujairah a year later.

LZ-BEU passing over the lights for runway 19R. During the 1980s Balkan was one of the very few carriers that sometimes operated the Ilyushin 18 into Amsterdam. The type was not a regular though, so every visit was a treat. Pictured here is LZ-BEU, acquired by Balkan from Yemen Airways in 1984 (ex 4W-ABO). In 2000 it became EX-75427 with Daallo Airlines, and following a brief spell with GR Avia as 3X-GEZ in 2008, it was broken up in 2009.

Taken at Kastrup before my departure aboard the aircraft via Budapest to Sofia.

LZ-BEI creates an impressive smoke trail while climbing out of runway 24. Ex LOT (SP-LSC), broken up in Bulgaria during the late 1990s.

LZ-BEI rotating on take-off from 24, nicely lit by a low, early-morning sun. This former LOT aircraft (ex SP-LSC) joined the Balkan fleet two years earlier, and was withdrawn from use in 1997. It was broken up in 1999-2000.