How Sofia Airport prepares for major expansion, aims to double capacity

Sofia International Airport (SOF), Bulgaria’s main air gateway, is gearing up for a major expansion that will see it double its capacity, explained to AeroTime the airport’s CEO, Jesús Caballero Pinto. 

The airport executive shared the airport’s ambitious plans with the media during Aviation-Event SOF, an aviation conference which took place in the Bulgarian capital on November 29, 2024, gathering senior industry professionals, decision makers and media representatives from across Europe. 

SOF Connect, as the operator of Sofia International Airport is named, is planning to invest 500 million Bulgarian Levas (€250 million / US$270 million) in the construction of a brand-new terminal (T3), adjacent to the airport’s current Terminal 2. 

“We want to be Europe’s best regional airport” stated Caballero Pinto while outlining the vision behind this project. 

Jesús Caballero Pinto, CEO of Sofia International Airport. Picture: Miquel Ros / AeroTimeThe new terminal will be the centerpiece of a larger 1.2 billion Bulgarian leva (€615million / US$650 million) transformation and expansion project backed by French airport operator Meridiam, which holds the concession to manage SOF Connect. 

The World Bank Group is also backing this project with a $30 million loan provided by the International Finance Corporation (IFC).

In addition to the new facility, which aims to increase the airport’s capacity to 20 million passengers per year (for reference, Sofia International Airport handled 7.2 million passengers in 2023), SOF Connect aims to streamline several other elements of the passenger experience. 

SOF ConnectFor example, the airport operator announced during the Aviation-Event SOF conference that it had signed an agreement with technology firm SITA to fully digitize airport processes. This initiative will see state-of-the-art technology, such as, for example, biometrics, rolled out at several of the passenger experience touch points. 

The design concept has already been approved, and construction work is now expected to start in 2026, subject to the obtention of all necessary permits. Caballero Pinto stated that the goal is for the new T3 terminal to enter service by 2031. 

Caballero Pinto is also aiming to strengthen Sofia’s position as one of the largest maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) centers in Europe. At least six MRO operators are currently active in Sofia, including one of its major players, Lufthansa Technik. SOF Connect wants to add 14 additional hangars to the 19 already in place. 

The airport’s transformation will also see the existing Terminal 1, which is mostly used by low-cost carrier Wizz Air, entirely dedicated to executive aviation, with the addition of a new fixed-base operator (FBO).  

The airport’s masterplan also contemplates the set up of three vertiport areas for the operation of the new generation of eVTOL aircraft. 

The airport’s CEO also confirmed that SOF Connect is in conversation with multiple airlines in order to increase the connectivity of the airport.  

Ryanair and Wizz Air are currently the two largest operators at Sofia international airport, together with local carrier Bulgaria Air, which operates a small European network out. In this regard, while Caballero Pinto acknowledged that there were no conditions for the development of a major hub-and-spoke operation at the airport, he expressed confidence in the capacity of SOF Connect to lure to Sofia a significant number of international operators. 

Bulgaria’s geographical position together with the recognition of the whole Balkan region as an emerging tourist destination, opens up an opportunity for Sofia to become a gateway to the EU for carriers from as far as India, particularly at a time when longer range narrow body aircraft, such as the Airbus A321LR and XLR are enabling the carriers to test the addition of new long-haul destinations. The post How Sofia Airport prepares for major expansion, aims to double capacity appeared first on AeroTime.

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