News

Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia have agreed to swiftly finalise the Agreement on the construction of a cross-border railway tunnel between the two countries. This was confirmed today during a meeting between Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications of Bulgaria, Grozdan Karadjov, and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport of the Republic of North Macedonia, Aleksandar Nikoloski, held within the framework of the “Global Forum for Transport Connectivity 2025” in Istanbul. 

Two aviation incidents involving light aircraft were registered this morning, with no fatalities or serious injuries in either case.

At 05:50 a.m., a Cirrus SR22 aircraft with U.S. registration crashed shortly after take-off from Petrich, in the area below Mount Vihren. On board were the pilot and two passengers, who managed to reach a nearby mountain shelter on their own. By order of the Aviation Search and Rescue Coordination Centre, they were transported by a medical helicopter operated by Bulgaria Heli Med Service to a healthcare facility for examination.

“We must act swiftly to increase the capacity of the rail and road connections between Bulgaria and Turkey—both to enable people to travel more easily and quickly, and to ease the heavy freight traffic coming from Istanbul. Northbound freight will be able to enter Bulgaria via a high-speed road at Malko Tarnovo, and by rail at Lesovo. Bulgaria plans to grant a concession for the construction of the “Black Sea” motorway, along with two extensions: a four-lane road north of Varna to the Romanian border, and another of the same profile south of Burgas to Malko Tarnovo.

“Bulgaria currently has one major border crossing with Turkey, which is extremely congested and plagued by continuous queues stretching for kilometres. We are now beginning the construction of a high-speed road corridor from Burgas to Malko Tarnovo, as well as a new railway line from Yambol via Lesovo to Turkey.” This was announced by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications, Grozdan Karadjov, during the “Global Forum for Transport Connectivity 2025”, taking place in Istanbul.

Active work is underway on the implementation of a National Electronic Information Exchange System at Bulgaria’s public maritime ports, which will significantly reduce document processing times. This was announced by Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications, Angel Zabourtov, at the conference “Connectivity in the Black Sea Region – Turning Innovative Ideas into Practical Solutions”, held in Varna.

“Cooperation with Japan in the field of railway transport is of strategic importance for our country.” This was stated by the Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications, Lyuben Nanov, within the framework of the Japanese-Bulgarian Business Forum, held in Sofia. 

Three new railway connections through the Balkan Mountains are set to transform the transport landscape of Northern Bulgaria. The proposed routes – Stolnik–Mezdra, Hristo Danovo–Troyan, and a passage through the Hainboaz Pass – will be proposed for development under the provisions of the Concessions Act. This was announced by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Transport and Communications, Mr Grozdan Karadjov, during the forum “Northern Bulgaria – Restart and Achievable Goals”, held today in Veliko Tarnovo and organised by “24 Chasa” newspaper.

As of today, the license of Swissport Bulgaria AD for carrying out ground handling activities at Vasil Levski Airport – Sofia has been suspended. The measure will remain in effect for up to two months, or until all recommendations have been implemented and identified non-compliances fully resolved. This was announced by Aneliya Marinova, Director General of the Directorate General “Civil Aviation Administration” (DG CAA)

As early as tomorrow, the ground handling license of Swissport Bulgaria AD, operating at Vasil Levski Airport – Sofia, will be temporarily revoked. Its operations will be taken over by the remaining two ground handling operators. This was announced by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Grozdan Karadjov during an emergency inspection at Vasil Levski Airport in Sofia.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Grozdan Karadjov is convening an emergency meeting in response to operational disruptions at Vasil Levski Airport – Sofia, and a serious incident that occurred yesterday, in which nearly 300 passengers arriving on a flight from London were stranded for almost an hour in the airbridge connecting the aircraft to the terminal. 

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Grozdan Karadjov took part today in the National Roundtable on “Cybersecurity in the Defence of People, Education, and Society,” held in Sofia. The event was organized by the Academy of the Ministry of Interior and the University of Security and Economics – Plovdiv, in partnership with the Council of University Rectors.

During a meeting between Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria Rosen Zhelyazkov and the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications of the Republic of Bulgaria Grozdan Karadjov, and the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure of the Republic of Turkey Abdulkadir Uraloglu,  bilateral issues concerning transport cooperation between the two countries were discussed.

This procedure is not a race for subsidies; it is a race for better service to railway passengers. This was stated by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Grozdan Karadjov during a public discussion on the Draft Public Service Contract for Passenger Rail Transport The discussion was attended by representatives from academia, trade unions, railway organizations, experts, and other stakeholders.

Competition can deliver better quality services, and public-private partnerships yield tangible results. This was stated by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Grozdan Karadjov during the “Green Transition Forum 5.0.” “At present, 15 port terminals, four out of five airports, and one intermodal terminal in Bulgaria are under concession agreements and we are actively expanding this model. One of the successful examples, Sofia Airport, will resume concession fee payments starting next year,” he added.

DG CAA has identified numerous deficiencies in the operations of the ground handling companies servicing Sofia, Varna, and Burgas airports Since the beginning of the month, by order of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Grozdan Karadjov, emergency inspections have been conducted of all ground handling operators at the three airports. 

The DG CAA has recommended that all Bulgarian airlines suspend flights to and from the Middle East, in light of rising tensions in the region. 

In an official letter to the aviation sector, the CAA advises carriers to reassess the risks associated with flights to and from Tel Aviv, Beirut, Erbil, and Tehran, and to submit the results of their risk assessments - along with their decision regarding continued operations to these destinations - to the CAA by June 18, 2025 An official  NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) is expected to be issued shortly.

Funding under the “Transport Connectivity” Programme 2021–2027 has been approved for two key sections of the Ruse – Veliko Tarnovo Motorway —  namely, the Ruse–Byala section and the Byala bypass. The announcement was made during the seventh meeting of the Programme Monitoring Committee, held in Sofia.

The total investment for both sections is nearly BGN 2 billion, of which more than BGN 1 billion comes in the form of non-repayable financial assistance from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). 

We will no longer speak of digital nomadism, but of the opportunities that will arise not only to  for residents of sparsely populated areas, but also for future businesses that will develop their potential there. This was stated by Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov during the signing ceremony of six contracts worth over BGN 443 million for the construction of digital networks across the country. "This is an significant step towards the digital transition. I would even call it a digital campaign into underpopulated areas - thosewith no market potential," the Prime Minister noted.

Public consultation on the conditions for awarding passenger rail services in Bulgaria began on 2 June.

Bulgaria is reviewing the European Commission's proposals under the Vehicle Technical Roadworthiness Package primarily through the lens of road safety and expects this focus to be maintained in the future. This was stated by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications, Grozdan Karadjov, during a meeting of the EU Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council, held in Luxembourg.