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Sofia Airport Arrivals and Departures

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Facts About Bulgaria Did you Know?
1) Location: Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Romania and Turkey.

2) Population: 7,385,367 (July 2006 est.) 0-14 years: 13.9% (male 527,881/female 502,334) 15-64 years: 68.7% (male 2,496,054/female 2,579,680) 65 years and over: 17.3% (male 527,027/female 752,391) (2006 est.)

3) Area: Land: 110,550 sq km Water: 360 sq km Total: 110,910 sq km

4) Land Boundaries: Total: 1,808 km border countries: Greece 494 km, Macedonia 148 km, Romania 608 km, Serbia and Montenegro 318 km, Turkey 240 km.

5) Climate: Cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers.

Public transport..... All cities and major towns have buses, but they tend to be overcrowded and uncomfortably hot in summer. New privately run minibuses operate in some cities, such as Sofia but you’re almost always better off using a taxi. Bus tickets are regularly checked by conductors, especially in Sofia. Don’t forget to buy an extra ticket for each piece of large luggage (ie suitcase or backpack). Major cities also have trams and trolleybuses (a cross between a tram and bus) and Sofia has a modern metro system.

Bus & tram.....  Buses link all cities and major towns and connect villages with the nearest transport hub. In some places, buses are run by the government. These buses are old, uncomfortable (when compared with city buses) and slow. Newer, quicker and more commodious private buses often operate in larger towns and cities, and normally cost little more than the fare on a ramshackle public bus.

There are also numerous private companies running services all across the country, the biggest of which are Etap-Grup (02-945 3939; www.etapgroup.com) and Biomet (02-963 1366; www.biomet-bg.com), which operate from Sofia and link up with most major towns and cities.

All timetables are listed (in Cyrillic) inside the bus stations and all buses have destination signs (in Cyrillic) in the front window.

For a public bus, you normally buy a ticket from the counter marked kasa inside the station. This way you’re guaranteed a seat and you know the correct departure time and platform number. However, in some cases the cashier will tell you to buy a ticket on the bus.

Flying to Bulgaria? Flights to Bulgaria - discounted flights and lots of information about Airlines, Airports Visas and useful travel tips.

There is a great and extensive network of transportation services in Bulgaria, run by air, rail, bus, and rent-a-car companies. Due to the central location of Bulgaria, direct flights take approximately between three and five hours and travel from the main European cities. For example, it takes up three hours from London Gatwick (Bulgaria Air) or London Heathrow (British Airways).



The main airline in Bulgaria is Balkan Bulgarian Airlines (LZ) and the main international airports in Bulgaria are:

Sofia Airport: (SOF) 10 km. Far from the city, a 20-minute trip. There are buses every ten minutes that join the airport with the city. There is a service of taxis: the route must be negotiated before departure.

Vrazhdebna, more commonly known as the Sofia Airport (SOF), is the main airport in Bulgaria. The airport serves Bulgaria Air and Hemus Air. Sofia Airport was the main headquarters for Balkan Airlines, but recent bankruptcies in the airline industry has led to that once popular airline’s demise.

Built in the 1930s, Sofia Airport has outgrown its location. Decades ago, Sofia was a small city with plenty of room. Today, the airport can barely handle the air traffic it receives on a daily basis, and expending the airport is planned for the future.

Architectural plans call for a new airport terminal to be built east of the present airport. A second runway will be installed and will cross the Iskar River via a large bridge. The current cost of this expansion is 200 million euros. There is some financial help being planned with contributions by the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, EU's Phare Programme, and the European Investment Bank. The ISPA has offered an additional 50 million euro grant.

Unfortunately, the construction company discovered a problem after a geological study and the expansion was delayed pending a review of the contract and new estimate. The works were reassumed in August 2005, after the amends. Strabag, the building company, also announced in August that they would be unable to meet the deadline for construction. They requested an eight-month extension. By February 2006, a five hundred meter section of ceiling fell off the new terminal’s ceiling. This led to an investigation into poor construction quality. The expansion was stopped until a new estimate and construction plan could be agreed upon.

In the meantime, other airports accept travellers.

Varna Airport (VAR) 9 km. Far from the city. There is a service of buses every 20 minutes, and a good taxi service.

Bourgas Airport (BOJ) 13 km far from the city. There is a service of buses every 20 minutes, and a good taxi service.

If you are flying in or out of Bulgaria, the following airlines offer service from both Varna and Bourgas Airports.

Aegean Airlines
Aeroflot
Aerosvit
Air France
Air Malta
Alitalia
Austrian Airlines
Bulgaria Air
British Airways
Czech Airlines
El Al
Helios
Hemus Air
Jat Airways
LOT
Lufthansa
Malev Hungarian Airlines
Olympic Airlines
Pulkovo Airlines
SkyEurope
SN Brussels Airlines
TAROM
Turkish Airlines
Viaggio Air
Wizzair