Bulgaria to Offer Plovdiv Air Cargo Terminal, Ruse Airport on Concession

Bulgaria's Cabinet is going to start 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 concession procedures for the two airports are on the agenda of the Cabinet's meeting on Wednesday.

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, Straklevo's proximity to Bucharest – only 60 km away – might make rather attractive as a reserve, or alternative airport for the Romanian capital.