Air Force 28 wants a new derogation for Lukoil in order to shop cheaply The state aviation operator, better known as "Aviootryad 28", has sent a letter to the Minister of Transport, Georgi Gvozdeikov, requesting a derogation for the supply of aviation fuel. In the document, the aviation unit signals to the minister that the contract for the supply of fuel from "Lukoil Aviation Bulgaria" is expiring, and they cannot fulfill their obligations. Until now, they have supplied fuel under the contract with "Lukoil" at a price of 1009.53 US dollars per ton. The aviation operator sent letters to the three licensed ground operators - "Goldair Handling Bulgaria", "Sof Connect" and "Swisport Bulgaria", but received a response only from "Sof Connect", which offered a price of 3440 euros per ton and insisted on a deposit in amount of 200,000 euros. In addition, talks were held with "Shell&MOH Aviation", who replied that they could not deliver under the specified conditions, and that they planned to freeze their activities at the Bulgarian airport. And this answer was received at the last moment - on February 27. Given this fact, the airline operator offers three options - a derogation for "Lukoil", additional negotiations with "Shell" for a temporary contract until the end of June 2024, when the company stops working, or purchase from "Sof Connect" at high prices.
Source: Sega (05.03.2024)

GBS-Infrastructure Construction, part of the Glavbolgarstroy corporate group, is starting the construction of a large open-air parking lot at Sofia Airport. It will cover a total area of ??25,000 sq. m. and will provide travelers with nearly 1,000 parking spaces. The parking lot will also have spaces for electric cars with adjacent charging stations. The activities are expected to be completed this fall. Emil Angelov, CEO and Deputy Chairman of the Management Board of Glavbolgarstroy Holding, Jesus Caballero, CEO of SOF Connect - operator of Sofia Airport, Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications Anna Natova and Mayor of Slatina District Georgi Iliev participated in the "first sod" ceremony on the terrain near Terminal 2. "In the next six months, the team of "GBS-Infrastructure Construction" will work tirelessly to transform this area of ??Sofia Airport so that it will soon be able to accommodate 1,000 cars. Of course, the project does not only include parking spaces. A new road will be built, there will be charging stations for electric cars, the installations of the pass-through regime will read license plates and access control will be significantly increased. All innovations in the construction of such a facility will be implemented,” said Emil Angelov, CEO and Deputy Chairman of the Management Board of “Glavbolgarstroy Holding” AD. “The open-air parking lot is a key project for us and is part of the plan for modernization and development of Sofia Airport. After the construction of the open-air parking lot, we will also start the renovation of the covered parking lot at Terminal 2. As a result of these projects, passengers will have about 1,800 parking spaces available,” said Jesus Caballero. An access control system will also be implemented at Terminal 2. It recognizes the license plate and will ensure that every arriving driver who intends to drop off or pick up passengers will have quick access, without waiting in lines, and will limit the access of unregulated taxis to the parking lot.
Source: Company information (22.04.2024)

The construction of 1,000 new parking spaces at Terminal 2 of Sofia Airport begins SOF Connect, the operator of Sofia Airport and "Glavbolgarstroy Holding" are starting the construction of the new outdoor parking lot at Sofia Airport, which will cover a total area of 25,000 square meters and provide travelers with nearly 1,000 parking spaces. The project is worth more than BGN 7 million. After the construction of the open parking lot, the renovation of the covered parking lot of Terminal 2 will also start. As a result of these projects, passengers will have around 1,800 parking spaces available. A new road will be built, there will be charging stations for electric cars, the pass mode installations will read the numbers and the admission control will be significantly increased.
Source: news.bg (23.04.2024)

The largest shop in Bulgaria for duty-free trade was opened at Sofia Airport. Sofia Airport operator SOF Connect and Avolta - a leading global company for providing an excellent passenger experience, opened the store. All passengers traveling through Terminal 2 will pass through the new 1,733 m? shopping area, located immediately after security. In 2022, SOF Connect and Avolta signed a contract for the management of duty-free shops at Sofia Airport for eight and a half years. Avolta operates in 73 countries and 1,000 locations including airports, highways, cruise ferries, train stations and more. Avolta is a public company, its shares are traded on the SIX stock exchange in Zurich, Switzerland.
Source: money.bg (29.04.2024)

The concessionaire of Sofia Airport owes nearly BGN 155 million The concessionaire of Sofia Airport - "Sof Connect" - owes concession fees in the amount of over EUR 79 million (over BGN 154.8 million) only for the first three years of the 35-year concession. The amounts will be paid in two equal installments only in the period 2046-2048. The huge sums will be paid only after about 20-22 years, as shortly after the start of the concession, the outgoing government of Boyko Borisov in the spring of 2021 voted for a 10-year postponement of concession fees due to the pandemic and reduced passenger traffic. We remind you that "Sof Connect" only paid the initial concession fee in the amount of BGN 660 million (over EUR 336.7 million) at the beginning of 2021. The concession fees for the first 10 years of the 35-year concession have been deferred for payment in the last 10 years of her, that is. they are due and payable by the concessionaire from the 26th to the 35th year of the concession term. For the period April 20 - December 31, 2021, the annual concession fee due is in the amount of more than 17.2 million euros without VAT. It will be paid by Soft Connect in two equal installments in the 26th year of the concession term, i.e. only in 2046. For 2022, the annual concession fee amounts to over BGN 27.2 million excluding VAT. It will also be paid in two installments in the 27th year of the concession period, i.e. 2047. For the last year - 2023 - the concession fee due is in the amount of over 34.5 million euros without VAT. The amount is to be paid in two equal installments in the 28th year of the concession period, i.e. in 2048. According to the five-year investment plan (2021-2025), "Sof Knet" has an obligation to invest BGN 143 million (about EUR 73 million). At the end of last year, the realized investments amounted to BGN 49 million (EUR 25 million), and by the end of 2024, their total amount is expected to be BGN 98 million (EUR 50 million). Such intentions were also announced by the concessionaire at the beginning of the year. More than 7.2 million passengers are served in 2023 by the airport, according to passenger flow data. Compared to 2022, this is an increase of 1 million. Before the pandemic - in 2019 - more than 7.1 million passengers were served, i.e. last year, airport traffic normalized and reached pre-pandemic levels. The weakest was 2020 (note - that's when the pandemic broke out in Bulgaria), when just under 3 million passengers were served. In 2018, before the concession, just over 6.9 million passengers passed through the airport.
Source: economic.bg (16.07.2024)

The concessionaire is investing BGN 500 million in a new terminal at Sofia Airport, it will be ready in 2031 A BGN 500 million investment in Terminal 3 at Sofia Airport and an increase in passenger capacity to 20 million per year were announced by concessionaires from the French investment fund Meridiam. The new building will be at Terminal 2, with which they will have a warm connection. The terminal will have an area of ??65,000 square meters, the plans are for construction to start in April 2026 and to be put into operation in April 2031. The goals are that this transformation of the capital airport will give it a 5-star SkyTrax certification. the first for a regional airport in Europe. According to the operator of the airport "SOF Connect", the concessionaire's investments in the airport will total BGN 1.2 billion for the duration of the concession, which is 35 years.
Source: 24 chasa (11.09.2024)

Sofia Airport launched the new parking lots with over 1000 spaces Sofia Airport is putting into operation new open-air parking lots with a capacity of over 1,000 spaces. The facilities are located on an area of ??25,000 sq. m. and include spaces for cars of people with limited mobility and charging stations for electric vehicles. The project is worth over 7 million leva. P3 or standard parking has been operating for a month and is suitable for both short-term and long-term stays. P4 or the economy parking lot has also been opened, which will be a budget solution for longer stays. P5 is the parking lot for short-term stops when meeting and sending off passengers, and P8 is specialized for buses that come to meet large groups. The multi-storey covered parking lot is already closed for major repairs. It will also be carried out by Glavbolgarstroy Holding, and the project is worth 25 million leva.
Source: actualno.com (27.11.2024)