Airport Guide

History of Sofia International Airport

Bulgaria's principal air traffic gateway was originally constructed back in the 1930s, a time when the city of Sofia was home to just 250,000 people.

As with the capital, the International Airport has grown significantly over the decades, serving as a military base for the duration of the Second World War and then as a freight terminal for the early years of the Cold War.

The dawn of the jet age prompted a boom in passenger numbers, with the original terminal buildings significantly expended between the years of 1968 and 1975, with the airport handling more than three million passengers a year by 1980.

However, fluctuations in global oil prices and a slump in domestic tourism within Bulgaria saw passenger numbers fall dramatically throughout the 1980s and 1990s, only picking up again with the launch of low-cost flights.

To deal with the new wave of tourists and property investors keen to explore Bulgaria, Sofia airport benefitted from a major facelift after the millennium, with a new runway and improved public transportation links joining a revamped international passenger lounge and a new control tower.

Travelling to Sofia International Airport

Travelling between the airport terminals and Sofia's historic centre is both cheap and easy.

Regular bus services operate throughout the day from the airport to Sofia University, from where it's possible to reach all the major tourist sites and hotels, though passengers need to obtain a pre-purchased ticket from inside the terminal or from one of many kiosks or newsagents dotted around the city centre.

Running alongside these public bus services, small shuttle buses run between the city centre and link the two terminal buildings, though tickets are slightly more expensive given the quicker journey times.

Taxis are also easily found both at the airport and within the city centre, offering a quick and hassle-free link between the two destinations, although passengers unfamiliar with Sofia are always advised to be on the lookout for drivers keen to charge over-the-odds.

Airlines flying from Sofia International Airport

National carrier Bulgaria Air offers the greatest number of services out of Sofia, with the carrier operating more than 20 international and domestic routes out of the capital.

Alongside domestic services to the historic cities of Burgas and Varna, the airline also operates flights to European cities such as Amsterdam, Barcelona, Frankfurt, London, Paris, Rome and Vienna.

Departing alongside these are numerous low-cost airlines offering affordable links across central and eastern Europe.

These include the likes of TAROM, Baboo and Austrian Arrows, while easyJet offers cheap flights to the UK and western Europe.

Furthermore, a number of national carriers also fly to and from Sofia, including British Airways, Lufthansa, Czech Airlines and Swiss International.

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