Check our guide to all international airports in Bulgaria, featuring information on airlines, flights, WiFi an other services in airports in this Eastern European country
Are you considering visiting Bulgaria? Learn more about domestic and international airports in Bulgaria in this detailed list about flights, routes and services available in the country.
Flying to Bulgaria: General Information
Bulgaria is a country in Southeastern Europe, part of the European Union and with a rather good travel infrastructure. Considering its size, Bulgaria has a good number of international airports.
The main airport in Bulgaria is in its capital Sofia. It is not only the biggest in the country in terms of passenger traffic, but also in the number of airlines and destinations.
The Balkan country is also one of the main European summer destinations. Most of the travelers arriving to the country to enjoy the country arrive in one of the two airport serving the Bulgarian coast on the Black Sea. These airports are located in Burgas and Varna.
Bulgaria Air is the flag carrier of Bulgaria, and currently operates flights to three cities in Bulgaria, as well as many international destinations. Other airlines with an important presence in the Bulgarian aviation market are European low cost airlines Wizz Air and Ryan Air.
If you are traveling to the country and want to compare the cheap flights to Bulgaria, check Jetradar.
If you need a transfer for most airports in Bulgaria you can find them on GetYourGuide. For those willing to rent a car in Croatia, check RentalCars.com.
Map of International Airports in Bulgaria
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IATA Codes for Airports in Bulgaria:
Sofia Airport IATA: SOF
Varna Airport IATA: VAR
Burgas Airport IATA: BOJ
Plovdiv Airport IATA: PDV
International Airports in Bulgaria
Sofia Airport
As mentioned above, the Sofia Airport (IATA: SOF) is the biggest and the busiest in Bulgaria. It serves as headquarters for Bulgaria Air, and it is also the only destination for most international airlines in Bulgaria. The airport is easily connected to the city via the Sofia Metro.
Website: //www.sofia-airport.bg/en/passengers
Main Airlines: Bulgaria Air, Wizz Air, Ryanair.
WiFi: available (free)
Lounge: Book on Lounge Pass.
Varna Airport
The Varna Airport (IATA: VAR) is the third biggest in Bulgaria and has most of its traffic based on seasonal flights bringing tourists to enjoy the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. It also counts with some scheduled flights that operate year round.
Website: //www.varna-airport.bg/
Main Airlines: Wizz Air, Bulgaria Air, Bulgarian Air Charter.
WiFi: available (free)
Lounge: Book on Lounge Pass.
Burgas Airport
The Burgas Airport (IATA: BOJ) is the second biggest in Bulgaria, and just like the Varna Airport, has most of its traffic from summer season flights. It also counts with a few year round scheduled flights.
Website: //www.bourgas-airport.com/
Main Airlines: BH Air, Bulgarian Air Charter, TUI Airways.
WiFi: available (free)
Lounge: Book on Lounge Pass.
Plovdiv Airport
Plovdiv is another city in Bulgaria counting with commercial passenger flights. As of 2018, they were operated by Ryanair, with a very few amount of seasonal flights as well.
Website: //www.plovdivairport.com/en
Main Airlines: Ryanair.
WiFi: available (free)
Other Airports in Bulgaria
Bulgaria has a small number of commercial airports, and virtually all of its passenger traffic is in Sofia, Burgas as well as Varna. Apart from these three cities and Plovdiv, there is also the Gorya Oryahovitsa airport, with no commercial flights as of 2018.
The country also counts with a number of other airfields and military bases.
Biggest Airports in Bulgaria (Passenger Traffic)
Sofia SOF 6,490,096 passengers (2017)
Burgas BOJ 2,982,339 passengers (2017)
Varna VAR 1,970,700 passengers (2017)
Do I Need a Visa for Bulgaria
Despite being a member of the European Union, Bulgaria is still not in the Schengen Area. That means when you are flying from other European Union countries to Bulgaria, one still needs to go through immigration when leaving your departure airport, as well as when arriving in Bulgaria.
All EU and EEA citizens do not require a visa to Bulgaria. The same applies to most western nations, including the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Despite not being part of the Schengen Area, Bulgaria applies the Schengen visa policy to foreigners to enter the country. That is, if one needs a visa to enter the Schengen area, a visa will be needed to enter Bulgaria.
More information on visas to Bulgaria is also available at the Bulgaria Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.
Airports Near Bulgaria
Bulgaria is a relatively small country in Southeastern Europe. For that reason and in some cases, it might be more convenient for you to travel to some of the nearby countries’ airports and continue your travel by land to Bulgaria. Some of the airports you also might want to consider are: Skopje Airport in Macedonia, Belgrade Airport in Serbia, Bucharest Otopeni Airport in Romania.
Other Resources for Bulgaria
If you are travelling to Bulgaria you will certainly enjoy our other guides to the country.
Booking.com: find acommodation for all budgets in one of the biggest reservations website.
TransferWise: Use TransferWise to send and receive money abroad with extremely low fees.
Insurance: Get your travel insurance to cover your next vacations with our insurance guide.
If you are continuing your travels in other countries of the region, check our guides to Romania, Serbia, Greece and Montenegro.
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