Balgarianovinite.com Terminal 2 at Sofia Airport (now Vasil Levski Sofia Airport) opened officially on December 7, 2006, with then Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev, Transport Minister Petar Mutafchiev, MPs, the mayor of Sofia and other official guests in attendance. The ceremony included a welcome for the first passenger flight to land at the new terminal, operated by Bulgaria Air from Brussels.
EU Regional Policy Commissioner Danuta Hubner and Antonio Izquierdo Ramon, Charge d’Affaires, a.i., EC Delegation to Bulgaria, addressed those present.
The expansion and modernization project for the capital’s airport dates from the mid-1990s. Ahead of Bulgaria’s accession to the European Union on January 1, 2007, it was important that the new terminal should meet international standards.
The project cost EUR 135 million and was financed through the EU’s ISPA (Instrument for Structural Policies for Pre-Accession) programme, the State budget, loans from the European Investment Bank and the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development.
Terminal 2 covers 56,850 sq m and has an annual capacity of 2.6 million passengers. Facilities include retail outlets, information desks, ticket offices, a business centre and parking.
Following is an authentic news item from BTA’s External Service:
New Passenger Terminal Commissioned at Sofia Airport
Sofia, December 27 (BTA) – Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev and Transport Minister Peter Mutafchiev attended a commissioning ceremony for a new passenger terminal at Sofia Airport.
Addressing the ceremony, the Prime Minister described Sofia Airport as “Bulgaria’s principal gateway to the world” and an “infrastructure project of major national importance.” In his opinion, this project demonstrates Bulgaria’s new European present. “I would like to emphasize that our country’s EU membership opens up a new window of opportunity for modernization of infrastructure, of the economy, of social relations, and I am convinced that an increasing number of Bulgarians will feel the tangible benefits of EU membership next year,” Stanishev said.
He thanked the audience for wearing on their lapels Bulgarian tri-colour ribbons inscribed “You Are Not Alone”. “This is a token that neither the Bulgarian State nor Bulgarian society have given up the cause of having the Bulgarian nurses [sentenced to death in Libya] back home safe and sound,” the PM noted.
The new 50,000 sq m terminal took Austrian-registered Strabag and Bulgarian subcontractors some 22 months to build. It has a capacity to handle 2,600,000 passengers and 26,000 tonnes of cargo annually. Between 1,500 and 2,000 passengers can pass through the terminal in peak hours.
The new terminal has 38 check-in desks, 32 passport control booths and a four-level parking for 820 cars. The facility will be manned by 274 border police officers, all of whom have a command of one Western language, and 30 per cent can speak two, the Interior Ministry said.
According to EU requirements, separate corridors are provided for passengers from EU Member States and from other countries.
The airport’s old terminal will remain in operation, with ten gates for arrivals and ten gates for departures, one gate at the VIP lounge and two gates at the Government lounge. Arrangements have been made at both terminals for uninterrupted work at 12-hour shifts. IT/LG December 27, 2006: Sofia Airport Opens Terminal 2 2025 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2025-12-27 09:01:54 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law