site.btaUPDATED Helipad for Air Ambulances Unveiled in Kardzhali

A helipad was unveiled at the Atanas Dafovski Hospital here on Thursday by Health Minister Silvi Kirilov together with Kardzhali Hospital Director Todor Cherkezov and Kardzhali Mayor Erol Myumyun. The pad is intended to serve helicopter flights for the needs of the air emergency medical service system. 

Bulgaria currently operates three medical helicopters and expects to add two more by the end of the year, the Health Minister told journalists. He explained that the three existing helicopters are already staffed, and work is underway to staff the ones expected to arrive by end-2025. The fourth helicopter is due to arrive by the end of September, after which it will undergo at least two months of servicing, registration, and inspections.

Kirilov said Bulgaria aims to have a total of eight helicopters and six bases in Sofia, Plovdiv, Sliven, Targovishte, Dolna Mitropoliya, and the Montana region. This setup will allow several helicopters to operate simultaneously while others undergo maintenance.

The six bases currently have landing pads ready and hangars to be built by end-2026 with a public procurement procedure already launched. 

The Kardzhali hospital helipad was built under a project worth just over BGN 160,000, provided by the Ministry of Health, said Cherkezov. He pointed out the facility’s importance, noting that the hospital almost daily has emergency transports to various university clinics in Plovdiv and Sofia.