site.btaSOF Connect CEO: Construction of Terminal 3 at Sofia Airport Will Not Disrupt Passengers

The construction of Terminal 3 at Vasil Levski Airport - Sofia will not cause significant inconvenience to passengers during the building works, Jesus Caballero, Chief Executive Officer of SOF Connect, said in an interview with BTA.

Caballero explained that the project has been structured in phases to ensure uninterrupted airport operations. “Terminal 3 will be built first, followed by the renovation of Terminal 2, and at a later stage the closure of Terminal 1,” he said, adding that this approach will not require major changes for passengers or airlines.

No significant operational restrictions are expected during construction, Caballero said, noting that the main impacts will be limited to occasional noise and dust during certain activities related to connecting the new terminal to the existing building frontage. These will be managed through partition walls, zone separation, enhanced cleaning and careful scheduling.

He added that minimal additional waiting times of a few minutes may occur at bus gates due to temporarily reduced capacity in that area, as well as possible slight delays in baggage delivery because luggage carts will have to take longer routes around the construction site.

Construction of Terminal 3 is scheduled to begin in spring 2026 and is expected to last five years, until April 2031.

Passenger traffic at Sofia Airport continues to grow, Caballero said, noting that 7,696,209 passengers passed through the airport from the start of 2025 to the end of November, compared to 7,288,894 in the same period of 2024, representing a 5.6% year-on-year increase. In mid-December 2025, the airport also welcomed its eight-millionth passenger for the year.

On airport charges, Caballero said SOF Connect has committed to airlines to freeze fees for the 2023–2027 period. "Despite inflationary pressure, we do not currently foresee any increase in charges," he said.

Interest in new destinations to and from Sofia is also growing, with the five most popular destinations being London, Milan, Vienna, Rome and Barcelona, according to Caballero.

Regarding new services, he said Terminal 3 is designed to significantly improve the passenger experience. The total commercial area will increase from about 6,000 sq m at present to approximately 10,000 sq m, with plans to expand to around 12,000 sq m by 2040. The duty-free area will be enlarged, new retail outlets will open, and a modern food and beverage zone with international and local concepts will be developed.

Caballero added that the new business lounge will be three times larger than the current one. “We plan to open the first phase of the business lounge in March 2026. It will be located on Level 2 and will feature a terrace overlooking the runway,” he said, adding that the full renovation of the VIP lounge is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

“All these investments are part of a coordinated programme aimed at improving comfort, capacity and service quality for passengers, while preparing the airport for its next stage of development,” Caballero said.