"Sofia" Airport expects to serve 7.4 million passengers this year. This is what the director of "SOF Connect" told BNR. – airport concessionaire.
7 million and 200 thousand passengers have been served by the airport "Sofia" last year, with a 1.4% increase in passengers expected this year compared to 2019, Jesus Cabayero said. When asked if the airport has fully recovered after the pandemic, he replied:
"In terms of the number of passengers, the airport has recovered, but in terms of flights, we are still below the level of 2019. This means that the flights are full, but we still suffer from the lack of aircraft in the market, which makes it difficult for the airlines. But we can say that the trend is good for overcoming the crisis after the pandemic".
Last year, 31 airlines operated flights from and to Sofia airport, and this year they will increase by two more. This summer, there will be regular flights from and to 78 destinations, and charter flights from and to 28 destinations. For this summer, there will be 4 or 5 new destinations such as Helsinki, Riga, Skiathos Island, Baku and Bristol, Jesus Caballero also said.
He also indicated that by the end of the year, the concessionaire company will invest 100 million BGN. 60 million have been invested so far, and another 40 million by the end of the year.
The construction of a new outdoor car park has started, the reconstruction of the indoor car park and the check-in counters, the replacement of the baggage system as well as the dining area are to follow, next year there will be new equipment to increase the capacity of security checks .
The construction of Terminal 3 is planned to start in the first quarter of 2026, and the construction will last 3 years, Jesus Caballero also said.