Send to Kindle
The concession of the nearby airport in the Bulgarian Danube city of Ruse will turn it to an even more important transportation center in Europe. File photo
The Bulgarian government has started procedures for finding private operators of the cargo terminal of the southern Plovdiv Airport, and of the civilian airport Shtraklevo near the Danube city of Ruse.
The main purpose of the concession in Plovdiv is to increase the activity of the airport, to attract more air traffic and to develop competitive commercial activities regarding mostly cargo processing.
The second concession aims at restoring the activity of the Ruse Airport, at reaching certain levels of services, attracting air traffic and developing the commercial activities in the area of the airport.
The restoration of the activities of the Ruse Airport as a civil airport for public use is one of the priorities of the Bulgarian Transport Ministry and is included in the Strategy for Development of Transport Infrastructure in Bulgaria until 2015.
The proposed term of the concession is 35 years and the concessionaires will be determined through an open procedure.
On February 9, the Bulgarian government also announced a concession procedure for terminal Iztok 2 of the port in the Black Sea city of Burgas.
While there was investor interest in the cargo terminal of the airport in the southern city of Plovdiv a couple of years ago, it remains unclear if the government's motion will generate any offers.
The Bulgarian state has already failed twice to find a concessionaire for the Ruse Airport "Shtraklevo".
While the passenger section of Plovdiv Airport itself is in operation with regular and chartered flights, especially used by tourists to reach Bulgaria's winter and mountain resorts, the Straklevo airport near Ruse has not been in operation for years.
The concession strategy of the Borisov government says that the two airports in question are not very attractive as they are not fit to meet the Schengen Area criteria, and their infrastructure is in a bad condition. With respect to the Ruse Airport it says that the Romanian airports are a very serious competition.
At the same time, Shtraklevo's proximity to Bucharest - only 60 km away - might make rather attractive as a reserve, or alternative airport for the Romanian capital.
The Bulgarian Transport Ministry has announced on its website that concessions are also prepared for the airport in Gorna Oryahovitza, the Central Railway Station in Sofia, Poduene Railway Station in Sofia, Central Railway Station in Plovdiv, parts of the ports in Varna, Ruse and Vidin, and a ferry complex in Varna.
A 25-year-old man faces serious criminal charges in Plovdiv following an investigation by the Plovdiv District Prosecutor’s Office.
Three political groups in the Sofia Municipal Council have demanded the removal of Stilyan Manolov, head of Stolichni Autotransport EAD, citing a controversial bus procurement deal they claim harms the city’s residents.
The decision to change the operating rules of two major buffer parking facilities in Sofia has triggered strong public backlash and raised doubts about the real motives behind the move.
Footage from a gynecological office in Sofia has surfaced on adult websites, according to NOVA, following reports from viewers.
A street in Sofia’s Manastirski Livadi-Iztok residential area will be named after British author Terry Pratchett, following a decision taken at the most recent meeting of the Sofia Municipal Council
Newly declassified documents from the US Department of Justice have revealed multiple references to Bulgaria in the correspondence of the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In 2024, about 68% of households across the European Union were owner-occupied, a slight decline from 69% in 2023, according to Eurostat data. The remaining 32% of the EU population lived in rented homes, up from 31% the previous year.
Retail trade in Bulgaria continued its strong momentum at the end of 2025, standing out among European Union countries as one of the top performers, according to Eurostat data.
Between 2019 and 2023, Bulgaria’s industrial sector has experienced a significant contraction, with roughly 104,557 jobs lost, nearly half of them in the processing industry, amounting to almost 15% of the country’s industrial workforce
The initial drilling effort in the Han Asparuh block (offshore oil and gas exploration area) of the Bulgarian Black Sea, named Vineh-1, did not uncover significant natural gas reserves, according to Offshore-energy
French President Emmanuel Macron’s top diplomat, Emmanuel Bonne, traveled to Moscow on Tuesday to meet with Russian officials, aiming to discuss key issues, with Ukraine at the forefront.
From February 1, 2026, Bulgaria officially completes its transition to the euro, which now serves as the country’s sole legal currency.
Novinite 2025 in Review: A Year That Tested Bulgaria and the World
A Disgraceful Betrayal: Bulgaria's Shameful Entry into Trump's Board of Peace
