Sofia Vasil Levski Airport

Sofia isn’t one of the airports at the top of every spotter’s wish list. Unjustly so: on the eastern edge of the Bulgarian capital, you’ll find a long runway with a clear favorite direction, a small national airline with brand-new A220s and older Embraers, the bases of Europe’s two big low-cost airlines, an air force transport squadron on the same grounds and, again and again, visitors you hardly see in Western Europe anymore. Add spots that are established in the scene and can mostly be used without a ladder. If you know the runway direction in use, Sofia makes for a relaxed and varied spotting day.

From Vrazhdebna to Vasil Levski

The airport’s history begins in the 1930s. On September 16, 1937, a decree by Tsar Boris III set aside land near the village of Vrazhdebna, east of Sofia, for a new airport. In 1939, a first waiting room for passengers opened, and by the early 1940s the runway was paved. The actual terminal building went into operation in 1947 after wartime delays – it is the core of today’s Terminal 1. Older Bulgarians therefore still know the airport simply as Vrazhdebna.

For decades, Sofia was home to the state airline Balkan Bulgarian Airlines, which flew a network as far as Africa and Asia with Soviet types such as Tupolev, Ilyushin and Antonov. After the fall of communism, Western aircraft and new destinations arrived: in 1991, transatlantic flights even started from Sofia, including to New York. Balkan Bulgarian Airlines ceased operations in 2002, and Bulgaria Air took over its role as the national airline.

The year 2006 brought the big modernization push. On August 31, the new runway, shifted about 210 meters to the north, went into operation, and on December 27 Terminal 2 opened. The terminal was built by Strabag, financed in part with a loan from the European Investment Bank. In 2012, a new control tower about 50 meters tall was added, and in 2015 the metro.

In February 2025, the airport received a new name by presidential decree: since then it has been called Sofia Vasil Levski Airport, after Vasil Levski, a leader of the Bulgarian independence movement in the 19th century. Codes, location and operations are unchanged.

Traffic: a record after the pandemic

In 2019, Sofia counted about 7.1 million passengers. The pandemic halved the number, then it quickly climbed again: about 6.0 million in 2022, about 7.2 million in 2023, about 7.9 million in 2024 and finally about 8.4 million in 2025 – more than eight million for the first time. The number of aircraft movements also rose to just over 68,000 in 2025. In cargo, Sofia reached just under 22,000 tons in 2025 – so the airport is primarily a passenger airport.

According to the published route figures for 2025, London was the most important destination, followed by Vienna, Istanbul, Frankfurt and Milan. That shows how the traffic works: lots of low-cost to Western Europe, plus feeders to the big hubs and a strong link to the Bosporus.

Ownership: SOF Connect and Munich

The airport belongs to the Bulgarian state but has been privately operated since 2021. After a multi-year tender process, SOF Connect was awarded the concession in 2020, a company in which the French infrastructure investor Meridiam holds 99 percent and Strabag 1 percent. SOF Connect formally took over the airport in April 2021 – for 35 years.

Interesting for German readers: day-to-day operations in the first twelve years of the concession are run by Munich Airport International, the consulting and operating subsidiary of Munich Airport. The concessionaire’s plans include a third terminal. According to reference works, it is planned for around 2030. There was no reliably confirmed opening date at press time – expect construction sites around the terminals on later visits.

One runway, a clear favorite direction

Unlike many airports of comparable size, Sofia gets by with a single runway. 09/27 is 3,600 meters long and runs east–west. The terminals lie south of it, and the military part with Vrazhdebna Air Base is also on the airfield. The airport sits at an elevation of about 531 meters in a basin bounded to the south by the Vitosha mountains – a beautiful backdrop on clear days.

According to spotter guides, 27 is used predominantly because the wind mostly comes from the west. Aircraft then land from the east over the fields on Krivinski Street and take off toward the city. With an east wind, operations switch to 09. With only one runway, planning is easier than at airports with parallel runways: you only need to know which direction is currently used for takeoffs and landings.

Two terminals with a clear split

Terminal 1 is the historic terminal building, modernized in 2000. Today it handles low-cost and charter traffic, including Wizz Air and easyJet. There are no jet bridges there; passengers are bused to the aircraft.

Terminal 2 opened at the end of 2006 and has seven jet bridges. Bulgaria Air and the network airlines are handled here – and since January 2017 also Ryanair, the only low-cost airline there. Bulgaria Air’s domestic flights to Varna and Burgas also depart from Terminal 2. The metro station is right in front of the building, and from there you also walk to the most important spot on the Iskar River.

Bulgaria Air: small fleet, new A220s

Sofia is the hub of Bulgaria Air. The national airline operates a small, easily manageable fleet. Since June 2023 it has flown the Airbus A220-300 and the A220-100, plus older Airbus A320s and – as long as they are still in service – Embraer 190s. The airline is gradually switching its fleet to the A220. Because the fleet is so small, on a good day you have a large part of it in the can – a rewarding target for registration collectors.

Bulgarian charter airlines are also at home in Sofia, such as BH Air and European Air Charter. In summer, they mainly fly vacationers to the Mediterranean and bring tourists to the country’s ski and beach resorts. That makes the summer schedule much more colorful than the winter one.

Wizz Air and Ryanair: low-cost dominates

As in many capitals of Central and Eastern Europe, low-cost carriers account for a large share of traffic. Wizz Air and Ryanair each have a base in Sofia. According to the most recently published market shares from 2021, Wizz Air led with just under 30 percent, Ryanair followed with just under 25 percent, and Bulgaria Air came next with about 16 percent. More recent figures may differ.

At Wizz Air you mainly see the A321neo in pink and purple, at Ryanair the Boeing 737-800 and jets of the 737 MAX family. Because the jets of the two fleets look very much alike, the registration is your best friend. easyJet also flies to Sofia.

Network airlines and feeders

The big hubs are well connected. According to reference works, Lufthansa flies to Frankfurt and Munich, Austrian to Vienna, British Airways to London Heathrow, Turkish Airlines to Istanbul and Aegean to Athens, among others. From Israel come El Al and Israir, from the Gulf flydubai. As of October 2026 – routes change with every schedule, so check the offering before your visit.

Cargo, maintenance and rare visitors

In terms of volume, cargo plays a smaller role in Sofia, but it is still interesting for spotters. According to reference works, DHL Aviation, Swiftair and Compass Cargo, among others, fly to the Bulgarian capital. According to spotter guides, the Boeing 757 on DHL service is the main reason foreign spotters travel to Sofia. Occasionally 747 or 777 freighters stop by – and, surprisingly often, Soviet-built types such as the An-12, An-26, An-124 or Il-76. How to recognize freighter versions is shown in the article Identifying cargo aircraft.

Lufthansa Technik Sofia is also based at the airport, a joint venture founded in 2007 between Lufthansa Technik and a Bulgarian partner. As a result, aircraft of other airlines keep turning up for maintenance. Since 2018 there has also been a maintenance facility for Wizz Air jets. There is no fixed schedule for such visits – which is exactly what makes them appealing.

Military: Vrazhdebna Air Base

Vrazhdebna Air Base is on the airport grounds. According to spotter guides, the 16th Transport Squadron of the Bulgarian Air Force is stationed there, mainly with the C-27J Spartan, the Let L-410 and the An-26. On the military apron there are also older Antonov and Tupolev aircraft that, according to the same sources, are used for exercises – though they are mostly too far away for usable photos.

Occasionally the base opens its gates to visitors, and then you can get close to the aircraft with a ticket. The best way to check dates is on short notice with the Bulgarian armed forces. What to keep in mind when photographing military facilities in general is in the article on military airfields; tips on identification are under Identifying military transports.

Spotting in Sofia: the spots on the Iskar and at 27

Sofia has no official observation deck, but it does have several places that have been used in the scene for years. The following spots are described by the common spotter guides; access roads and vegetation can change.

On the Iskar (all movements): The most important spot is on the small Iskar River east of Terminal 2. From the terminal, you walk there through the park in ten to 15 minutes. The vantage point is slightly elevated, so you look over the fence. With operations on 27, you catch all takeoffs here because the jets taxi past the spot, plus the landings. With operations on 09, you also see takeoffs and landings. Because you stand south of the runway, you have the sun behind you from about 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in summer and from about 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in winter. Restrooms, food and drinks are available in the terminal and at the metro station.

Iskar east bank (mainly takeoffs on 09): Opposite, on the other side of the river, is a second vantage point, reachable via a dirt track about 1.5 kilometers long from Krivinski Street. After rain or in snow, according to spotter guides, the track is often passable only with four-wheel drive; on foot, it takes about 20 minutes from the Nova Mahala bus stop of line 14. There is no infrastructure there.

Meadow on Krivinski Street (landings on 27): Right behind the runway end are fields over which the aircraft float in very low on final approach. You can park at the roadside. In winter, the south side of the approach line works all day; in summer, you switch to the north side for morning and evening light. Because the jets are so close, a wide-angle or standard zoom is worthwhile.

At the lake and on the hill (takeoffs and landings on 27): Further north along the fence are two more vantage points overlooking 27 – one at a small lake, one on an earth mound at taxiway H, where departing jets taxi onto the runway right in front of you. You reach both via dirt tracks that get muddy after rain; in that case, it’s better to park beforehand and walk.

The best season is summer: lots of sun and extra charter traffic. On the other hand, the air over the long runway shimmers strongly from late morning on warm, windless days – especially for landings on 27 from the spot on the Iskar. How to get around that is explained in the article Avoiding heat haze. How to plan the sun for your vantage point is under Planning the sun position at your photo spot; you’ll find the right focal length in Lens and focal length for plane spotting.

Getting there: metro, bus or car

The airport is about ten kilometers east of downtown. The easiest way is the metro: since April 2015 it stops right at Terminal 2, and the ride to the center takes about 20 minutes. A free shuttle bus runs between the metro station and Terminal 1, according to reference works from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. Bus line 84 serves both terminals and also goes into the city.

By car, you reach the airport via Brussels Boulevard, with connections to the motorways around Sofia. For the spots on Krivinski Street, you drive around the airport to the north. If you want to get there without a car, take bus line 14 to the Nova Mahala stop and walk the last stretch.

Sofia compared

In the Balkans, Sofia plays in the same league as Belgrade Airport and lags well behind Bucharest Henri Coandă Airport and Athens Airport. Unlike Belgrade with Air Serbia, Bulgaria Air has no long-haul, but the low-cost share is high. The picture is similar at Budapest Airport, where Wizz Air is at home – there, in the Aeropark, you can also tour historic Eastern Bloc aircraft.

If you travel to Bulgaria in summer, you can combine Sofia well with Burgas Airport on the Black Sea coast, where leisure airlines from all over Europe land. More ideas for a spotting trip are collected in the article on the best spotting spots in Europe.

Verdict

Sofia Vasil Levski Airport is not a major airport, but a very versatile one. A single runway with a clear favorite direction makes planning easy, Bulgaria Air delivers a small, easily collectible fleet with the A220, A320 and Embraer 190, and Wizz Air and Ryanair provide dense traffic. Military transports, maintenance visitors, the DHL 757 and occasional Soviet freighters make a visit more varied than the passenger numbers suggest.

Without a car, you have the spot on the Iskar, which covers almost all movements. With a car, you can also reach the fields on final approach during operations on 27, where the jets pass low overhead. Pack your ID, keep your distance from the fence, bring water – then Sofia makes for a relaxed spotting day.