site.btaUPDATED Transport Ministry, SOF Connect Present Conceptual Design for Terminal 3 at Sofia Airport

The Ministry of Transport and Communications follows a sustainable policy of airport infrastructure development, part of which is the attraction of large investors, such as the current concessionaire of Sofia Airport, SOF Connect, said caretaker Minister of Transport and Communications Krasimira Stoyanova who participated in the presentation of the conceptual design of the future Terminal 3 of the capital airport.

"When the State and the private investor join hands in a partnership, things work out," she pointed out.

Minister Stoyanova also recalled the benefits for this country of joining the Schengen area by air.

"The Schengen area enables more than 40 million people to travel freely between individual member states without going through border controls. We are already part of this space by air and by sea. We hope that soon we will be celebrating the abolition of land border control as well," she commented.

Stoyanova also recalled that Terminal 3 should be put into operation by the tenth year of the concession term, as stipulated in the signed concession contract. "The main aim is to get a terminal that is modern, up-to-date. When having airport layovers, passengers should feel comfortable and convenient," she stressed.

SOF Connect, the capital airport operator, said that the project is worth BGN 500 million and will transform Sofia Airport into the first 5-star regional airport in Europe with an airport capacity of up to 20 million passengers per year. The new terminal will have a modern and innovative design in accordance with the latest international standards and with an emphasis on environmental sustainability. With the construction of Terminal 3, Sofia Airport will become a key strategic centre of Eastern Europe, which connects global destinations and will position Bulgaria on the world aviation map, the airport operator pointed out.

The key investment in Terminal 3 of Sofia Airport will set new standards in industry and travel in Eastern Europe, said Jesus Caballero, CEO of SOF Connect, during the presentation of the conceptual design of the future Terminal 3 of the airport. Hе added that the large-scale transformation and the new terminal will make the airport the first five-star regional airport in Europe.

"The transformation of Sofia Airport will play a decisive role in the economic development of Bulgaria," Caballero pointed out.

Data shows that that more than BGN 1.2 billion will be invested during the concession period, and BGN 500 million is planned for the construction of the new Terminal 3. This will help the capital airport to increase its capacity up to 20 million passengers per year.