BH Air callsign?
 

What is BH Air's callsign these days?
I was loitering suspiciously up near Newcastle Airport this evening with my airband and binoculars, when a BH Air A320 came in on flight number BGH5533. The callsign sounded something like 'Polish 5523' ('Polish' as in 'of Poland' not 'substance used to shine shoes'). According to Wikipedia, their callsign is 'Balkan Holidays' but it definitely wasn't that. It was an LZ-reg A320, that doesn't appear to be leased in from anyone else.

Wikipedia is correct about "Balkan Holidays".

Other than the Air Force and Navy, the only other ICAO callsign starting "Polish ...." is the now definct Air Poland, which used "Polish Bird" until ceased operations in 2012.

I'd be very surprised if a tiny Bulgarian operator was legitimately using "Polish" as a callsign.

Me too. There was definitely a ' ʃ ' at the end rather than an 's' or 'z' sound such as you might get with a garbled 'holidays', even with a Bulgarian accent (the controller definitely wasn't saying 'Balkan Holidays' either). There's another one due in later this week. If I've time I'll get my radio out and have a listen... (don't tell the Feds).

Had another BGH arrival here at NCL this afternoon. This one was calling as 'Balkan Holidays xxxx' clear as a bell. It was actually the self-same aircraft so it's not even something to do with a lease. Straaange.

How often did you hear the "polish" on that other occasion? Perhaps you just picked up another callsign working the frequency?

Hi HT, it was several times, and from both the pilot and the Approach and Tower controllers. I think (not 100% sure) that it was the only aircraft on the Approach frequency at the time. When it called up I had a hunch it was BH Air (There was one due in/ I know their flt. nos are normally 4-digits beginning with '5' as this one was/ pilot had an Eastern European accent/ came in from the South East) so I was actually specifically listening to hear if it was indeed 'Balkan Holidays' the pilot and controllers were saying, if that makes sense.
So yes; while it wasn't definitely 'Polish' it definitely wasn't 'Balkan Holidays'.

What i have seen is controllers using the wrong callsign because they only see the 3 letter identifier?
Then sometimes the pilots use it as well because hey that's what ATC seems to be expecting.

Alternative theory: They used their name in Bulgarian instead of English? Then the controller does not understand and just uses what may be correct and sound similar.

Especially with the number 5533 after the callsign controllers and pilots might not care too much about the callsign as it's already clear who is meant.

Burgas Air with a bulgarian touch making it Burgash?
Anyone's guess unless you have some tapes to listen to.
Even then it might be anyone's guess :)

Hi wiedehopf,
Some interesting ideas there. I've wondered if they shortened it to 'BH' although even then, I'm pretty sure there wasn't an [ i ] sound in the first syllable. Burgas is pronounced with a [ s ], not a [ ʃ ] (or so Wikipedia tells me :) )
As you say, I guess that unless we can find any BH Air pilots on here (or any controllers?), it's anyone's guess...

j'sd