site.btaGeorgi Benkovski Higher Air Force School Opens New Academic Year for 66 New Cadets and Over 150 Students

The Georgi Benkovski Higher Air Force School welcomed 66 newly admitted cadets and over 150 students for the new 2025/2026 academic year.

The opening ceremony was held at the Aviation Education Extension Complex (AEEC) in Pleven. The event began with a formal reception of the school’s flag and the academic leadership, led by the Rector, Brigadier General Yuliyan Radoyski.

Brig. Gen. Radoyski stated that in the six years since the Higher Air Force School was reinstated, it has proven itself on the educational map both in Bulgaria and abroad. “We are now well known across all aviation bases and within the aviation industry, which is why the number of our trainees continues to grow,” emphasized Brig. Gen. Radoyski.

He added that the aviation sector is in great need of highly trained personnel, and therefore, the largest companies are partners and collaborators of the school. “Together, we prepare professionals who in a few years will enter the ranks of the aviation business,” he said.

Greetings to the students and cadets were also extended by Elina Dimitrova, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the “Georgi Benkovski” Higher Air Force School, and Col. Prof. Nikolay Nichev, Vice-Rector.

At the ceremony, student and cadet ID books were awarded to first-year students and cadets with the highest entrance scores in their specializations. Certificates were also presented to those who successfully completed the training course for remote pilots of unmanned aerial systems (category A1/A3), as well as diplomas to graduates from the Class of 2025 who earned Bachelor's and Master’s degrees.

Five cadets from the Socialist Republic of Vietnam received certificates for completing a Bulgarian language course. They are beginning their training as pilot cadets at the Higher Air Force School.

Brigadier General Yuliyan Radoyski presented a plaque for fruitful cooperation to Neli Staneva, Director of the Regional Military History Museum – Pleven.

Guests at the ceremony included Martin Machev, Regional Governor of Pleven; Valentin Hristov, Mayor of Pleven Municipality; Col. Metodi Orlov, Acting Commander of the 3rd Air Base – Graf Ignatievo; Prof. Harald Gell, lecturer at the Theresian Military Academy in Austria and Chair of the EU Military Erasmus (EMILYO) Implementation Group; Col. Enrico Spinello from the Military Academy in Turin, Italy; Elina Dimitrova, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Georgi Benkovski Higher Air Force School; Prof. Dr. Dobromir Dimitrov, Rector of the Pleven Medical University; and Assoc. Prof. Emil Tsvetanov, Director of the Institute of Viticulture and Enology.