Terminal 2 at “Vasil Levski“ Airport - Sofia was used for many years as a byword for leaving Bulgaria. With the construction of the future Terminal 3, the ambition is to reverse this association - for the new terminal to be associated with the return of Bulgarians to their homeland. This symbolic analogy was made by the mayor of Sofia, Vasil Terziev, at the start of the preparatory construction activities, namely the relocation of the infrastructure of the future Terminal 3 at the capital's airport. His message is that "the new infrastructure should not just be an entry point to the capital, but a sign for Sofia and Bulgaria as a place where people choose to return".
Before the actual construction of Terminal 3, however, a large-scale preparation of the terrain and reorganization of the existing infrastructure are to be carried out.
„As a technical implementation for the preparation, the entire infrastructure that is at the operating terminal is to be moved to open the site for the future Terminal 3“, Emil Angelov, CEO of „Glavbolgarstroy Holding“, told FACTS specifically for FACTS.
The preparatory activities include a change to the pre-terminal space, which should improve the organization of bus transport and prevent the formation of traffic jams.
„A change to the the pre-station square, so that the trains can be better positioned, so that there is no congestion and it becomes possible, when Terminal 3 is expanded, to have more capacity for passengers“, explained Angelov.
Part of the approach between Terminal 2 and the future Terminal 3 will also be changed. The goal is for the infrastructure to be prepared in advance and after the construction of the new terminal, there will be no need to demolish already completed sections again.
„And part of the approach between Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 is also being changed, in order to prepare, when the third terminal is built, so that the already built parking lots will not be demolished again“, said the executive director.
The value of this preparatory stage is around 7 million EUR, and the planned deadline for its implementation is approximately 11 months. The actual construction of Terminal 3 should begin next year.
“The terminal will begin construction next year, between the first and second quarter of next year. The contract will be signed and construction will begin immediately“, he told FACTS. The contractor for Terminal 3 itself has not yet been determined. The international procedure is in its final phase, and after the completion of the collection of offers, the winner will be determined.
The procedure for the construction of Terminal 3 began more than a year ago. Jesus Caballero, CEO of the airport operator “SOF Connect“, also spoke about the scale of the preparatory activities. According to him, the work is currently focused on clearing and preparing the space on which the new terminal will be built. „Here you see a visualization of what we are doing, as we are preparing the foundation of the plots in order to begin the construction of Terminal 3. Where the taxis are today, the new Terminal 3 will be built - the public area.“ In parallel, a new transport center is being built and the access area to the future terminal is being prepared. „We are currently building the new transport center here, where we are, and we are also preparing the adjacent area in front of Terminal 3 to expand - this is the new access to Terminal 3. We are improving access to Terminal 3 and traffic management, so this is part of the initial activities“, explained Caballero. He defined Terminal 3 as an extremely complex project, the implementation of which requires the interaction of numerous state and local institutions. "As you know, “Sofia“ airport is a strategic site of national importance and all decisions are made by the Council of Ministers. So many administrations, institutions and stakeholders are involved to make this happen – This is a team project.“ For the airport operator, however, the importance of the new terminal goes far beyond the mere increase in area and capacity. “Terminal 3 will position Bulgaria and Sofia in the region with greater capacity, efficiency, attractiveness and competitiveness, in order to increase routes, open up new destinations, continue to attract more airlines, more passengers and visitors“, said Jesus Caballero. The preparatory activities thus begun are the first visible step towards a project that should change not only the infrastructure of the largest airport in the country, but also its capacity and position in the region. And the symbolism used by Vasil Terziev sets an even more ambitious goal - if Terminal 2 has become a byword for departure from Bulgaria for an entire generation, Terminal 3 should become a symbol of return.