site.btaUS Military Aircraft Did Not Take Off During Sofia Airport Closure - Chief of Defence

US military aircraft did not fly during the closure of Vasil Levski Airport, Chief of Defence Admiral Emil Eftimov told journalists. He spoke to the media on Tuesday after presenting an Analysis of the Status and Readiness of the Armed Forces in 2025.

On February 19, the Defence Ministry announced that U.S. Air Force aircraft had been deployed at Sofia Airport for an exercise. Later, the airport said that the runway would be closed on February 23 between 3.15 am and 4.50 am, and on February 24 between 3.05 am and 5.35 am, due to routine maintenance of nearby shafts.

“People have nothing to worry about. Media reports about closure of Sofia Airport and U.S. aircraft are unrelated,” Admiral Eftimov explained. Caretaker Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov confirmed that the military had not closed the airport.

The Chief of Defence called for calm and explained that before allied aircraft were allowed to land, a risk assessment had been carried out and measures had been taken. “This is not the first time we have hosted allied aircraft. In the summer, we hosted 16 F-16 aircraft at Bezmer Air Base. This deployment could not take place at a military airfield, which is why it had to be at Vrazhdebna. Since there are more aircraft, we are also using the parking area on the other side. However, the host is Vrazhdebna Air Base,” Admiral Eftimov further explained.

On Monday, caretaker Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov said that no one had requested that Bulgaria provide territory for a possible future US operation against Iran.