Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Peev has not accepted the economic balance analysis regarding the concession of "Vasil Levski" – Sofia Airport, he announced during a hearing at the Parliamentary Commission on Transport and Communications on September 10. Dozens of technical and professional questions have been sent to the financial institution that conducted the assessment. According to the Minister, the issue of returning concession payments is only part of a larger problem directly linked to the need for developing and expanding the airport's capacity.

In this regard, Prime Minister Rumen Radev held a working meeting with the management of the Meridiem International Investment Fund, the lead partner in the "Vasil Levski" – Sofia Airport concession, the Government Information Service reported. During the discussion, questions were raised concerning the implementation of the investment program for airport infrastructure development, the possibilities for restoring payments to the state, and the importance of sustainable public-private partnerships.

The state emphasizes that security, safety, and the sustainable development of the airport remain its priorities. To ensure high-quality and reliable service in the long term, the growing flow of passengers must be supported by timely and sufficient investment. The government will continue to maintain an active dialogue with the concessionaire to protect the public interest and support the modernization of Sofia Airport.

Investments in capacity expansion are of particular importance to the state interest and include:

  • expanding the apron;
  • constructing additional taxiways;
  • creating aircraft parking stands;
  • the potential construction of a second runway.

The topic of passenger traffic was also emphasized during the meeting. The deferral of concession fees in 2021 was accepted as a temporary measure to deal with the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the drastic decline in traffic has now been fully overcome. Statistics show a record ascent: following the pre-pandemic level of 7.1 million passengers in 2019, this threshold was surpassed in 2023, and in 2025, a new historical peak of 8.4 million passengers was recorded.

The future of the airport will also include technological improvements. Earlier this week, during the "Kosher" career forum at the "Inter Expo Center" in Sofia, Jesus Caballero, CEO of "SOF Connect," shared that the installation and use of new applications will begin over the next five years. These innovations will be aimed at increasing operational efficiency and enhancing the passenger experience.

/BI/