Transport Minister Plamen Petrov announced Wednesday optimistic projections for the profit of Bulgaria's new flag carrier Bulgaria Air in the summer season, following its higher-than-expected losses during the first quarter. In the opinion of Minister Petrov the company's profit from charter flights alone will boost to USD 2,5 M by the end of September. The flag carrier's development exceeds expectations as envisaged by the business plan, the minister said. About 18% more than planned are the passengers who chose to fly with Bulgaria Air since the beginning of the year. Overperformance on the charter flights schedule has reached 41%. The state-owned company succeeded Balkan Airlines and conducted its first flights at the beginning of December with forty passengers aboard on the Sofia-London-Paris-Sofia route.