site.btaUPDATED Sofia Airport Named After Vasil Levski at Official Ceremony

At a solemn ceremony Wednesday, the international airport of Sofia was named "Vasil Levski".

The ceremony was attended by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Grozdan Karadjov, the CEO of the airport operator "SOF Connect" Jesus Caballero, representatives of the Presidential Institution, the National Assembly, the Council of Ministers, the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, and others.

“The naming is not only a tribute to the past, it is also a glimpse into the future. Vasil Levski is not just a name from history, he is the embodiment of the spirit, courage and tireless pursuit of freedom of Bulgaria. The airport is not just infrastructure. It is a first impression of a country, a bridge between nations. By naming the airport after Levski, we are sending a message to the world of honour, integrity and tireless pursuit of a brighter future,” Caballero said.

“It has always been strange why one of the main gateways to Bulgaria has remained nameless,” Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Grozdan Karadjov said. “It was never a question of whether the airport should have a name, but whose it should be. Among the various proposals, one name stood out - that of Levski. Not only because he is the most prominent Bulgarian patriot, but also because Levski had bold dreams. One of them was for Bulgaria to be a member of the European family,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.

Karadjov said that in six months the process should be fully completed in technical terms - the new name should be submitted to ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) and IATA (International Air Transport Association). The register must thus be updated, which takes between three and six months. In addition, BULATSA (the Bulgarian Air Traffic Services Authority) must update its electronic registers, which appear on aircraft screens. “I was assured that this will be done within a month. The abbreviation SOF will not change, as well as the one in ICAO,” Karadjov said.

“The name Vasil Levski on the facade of the airport is binding. It is not only a tribute to the traditions and worthy Bulgarians, but it is part of our future as members of the European family,” he added.

The former President of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS), Acad. Julian Revalski, said that in the process of naming the airport there was support from the President. He expressed his gratitude to former transport minister Krasimira Stoyanova for the work done in the procedure. “The road to get here was long, the idea of naming the airport dates back to 2009. The opinions of the transport ministry and the municipality were key. Levski's name is a symbol of everything we honour as principles today,” Revalski said.

Apik Garabedian, deputy chairman of the Bulgarian Airlines Association, said that this is a landmark event for Bulgaria. “With the name of Levski, Sofia will welcome the millions of passengers who come to our country and will send with dignity everyone who goes to the world. Aviation has always been a symbol of progress and limitless possibilities. The airport will not just be a gateway to Bulgaria, but a gateway to a modern, connected and dynamic nation,” Garabedian said.

Tsveta Timeva, secretary general to the President, said the process of naming the airport was the result of the work of many people. “It was only in 2023 that this idea was presented to the special committee of the President. We have a responsibility when we proceed with such an action. In the whole process, we had to take into account many details, including flight security. Levski's name for every Bulgarian is an embodiment of a flight to freedom,” Timeva said

Journalist Petar Punchev, who is among the initiators of the naming, said that from the beginning the idea was for the world to learn another Bulgarian name.

A minute of silence was held in memory of Vasil Levski.

By a Presidential Decree of February 17, Sofia Airport is named after the Apostle of Freedom Vasil Levski, the head of state's press secretariat said on Tuesday.

On February 18-19, Bulgaria marks the 152nd anniversary of the death of Levski (1837-1873). He is arguably the most influential Bulgarian revolutionary leader in the struggle for liberation from Ottoman rule and one of the few truly undisputed national heroes, whom Bulgarians hold dear to their hearts. After a decade of revolutionary activity at home and abroad, he was captured by the Ottoman authorities in Northern Bulgaria and hanged in Sofia on February 19, 1873.