Aviation History
Bulgarian civil aviation traces back to 1947 with the launch of the state carrier that became Balkan Bulgarian Airlines in 1968, a major Soviet-bloc operator and launch customer for Tupolev jets. Balkan collapsed financially during the post-communist transition and was liquidated in 2002, succeeded by the newly formed flag carrier Bulgaria Air, which was privatized in 2006 and joined IATA in 2008. Bulgaria Air remains the country's flag carrier today, operating a European and Middle Eastern network alongside low-cost and charter competition.
Bulgaria's state airline predecessor begins scheduled flights from Sofia to Burgas via Plovdiv using a Junkers Ju 52.
The carrier becomes the Bulgarian-Soviet Transport Aviation Corporation, a Soviet-Bulgarian joint venture.
The airline adopts the Balkan Bulgarian Airlines name and becomes the launch customer for the Soviet Tupolev Tu-134 jet.
Balkan becomes an early operator of the long-haul Tu-154, expanding its Soviet-built jet fleet across Europe, Asia, and Africa.
The fall of Bulgaria's communist government ushers in a difficult economic transition that strains Balkan's finances through the 1990s.
After creditors reject a restructuring plan, Balkan is liquidated in October, ending 55 years of operation.
The new national flag carrier begins operations in December, succeeding Balkan Bulgarian Airlines.
A consortium led by Hemus Air acquires Bulgaria Air, committing to fleet and operational investment.
Bulgaria Air becomes a full IATA member, around the time Bulgaria's 2007 EU accession reshapes its aviation regulatory environment.
Bulgaria Air · Balkan Bulgarian Airlines (historical) · Hemus Air (historical)
Wikipedia, airline corporate histories, IATA records
Aviation Firsts
Burgas Airport — Burgas (1927): Construction began 27 June 1927, carried out by the French company CIDNA/SIDNA; ceded to the Bulgarian state in 1941. Confirmed by Fraport Bulgaria's own 95th-anniversary press release and a Bulgarian National Radio article, both independent of Wikipedia. Wikipedia's own infobox for Burgas Airport, however, gives 'Opened: 27 June 1937' -- the same day/month but a different year -- while the article body never mentions 1937 at all and instead starts its narrative at 1947; this is an internal Wikipedia inconsistency, uncorroborated elsewhere, so the 1927 date (backed by two independent primary/broadcaster sources) is treated as the better-supported figure here. IATA code BOJ is not among our 222 profiled airports. · Fraport Twin Star Airport Management ↗
Plovdiv Airport — Plovdiv (1928): First test flight between Sofia, Plovdiv, Yambol and Burgas came in early 1928, marking the start of civil aviation at Plovdiv. · Wikipedia ↗
Sofia Airport — Sofia (1937): Opened 16 September 1937, the date of a decree signed by Tsar Boris III allocating the land, which the Wikipedia article also treats as the terminal's opening date -- a soft conflation of two different events in the same source. · Wikipedia ↗
All three airports are currently operating, which keeps the contest genuinely open: if Burgas's two-source-corroborated 1927 construction date is accepted, Burgas is Bulgaria's oldest airport, narrowly ahead of Plovdiv (1928); if only Wikipedia's uncorroborated 1937 figure for Burgas is used instead, Plovdiv (1928) becomes the oldest. Reported as an unresolved contest rather than picking one. Varna Airport (opened 1948) and Vidin Airfield (defunct, 1973-1999) are both younger and not contenders.
Bunavad (Bulgarian National Civil Aviation Company) (1927): Conceived in late 1926, founded in 1927, began scheduled service 25 October 1927; described by Wikipedia as Bulgaria's first national airline. Closed in 1930. Its successor state body (DVS/BVS) developed over time into TABSO, later Balkan Bulgarian Airlines (the state carrier), which went bankrupt in 2002. Today's Bulgaria Air (IATA: FB, founded 2002) is a distinct, separate company; no confirmed unbroken-succession claim back to Bunavad/TABSO was found. Not independently cross-verified beyond Wikipedia this session. · Wikipedia ↗
Swissport Bulgaria (Switzerland), 2007: Swissport Bulgaria's own network page states it has served Sofia Airport since 2007 — the earliest-dated foreign GH entrant found, ahead of Goldair Handling (Greek, Sofia since 2010/Burgas 2012/Varna 2014) and Aviapartner Bulgaria (entered January 2026). No source explicitly calls Swissport "first," so confidence is tentative. (best-documented candidate found — not source-confirmed as literally first.) · Swissport ↗