Airport Bourgas The Aviation Museum, Bourgas, Burgas
Airport Bourgas is located on a territory that has been the contact zone and crossroad for civilizations and cultures from ancient times till the present day.
The location of today’s Airport Bourgas has been selected in the year 1926. The Aviation Administration to the Ministry of Railways, Post, Telegraph and Aviation has requested the Municipality of Anhialo (Pomorie at present) to allot a terrain of 250 000 square meters for the construction of an airport. In the early 1927 the state has entered an agreement with the First Bulgarian National Aviation Association (BUNLVAD) concerning the establishment of domestic flights, inclusive of Sofia-Bourgas. Tentative flights have been started. In April 1927 the Regional Council of Bourgas has decided to use the terrain at the village of Paparos (Currently Sarafovo, being a district of the city) selected for an airport site for the needs of the newly established aviation communications.
At that time the Kingdom of Bulgaria has also signed an agreement with CIDNA (Compagnie Internationale de Navigation Aerienne) having its seat in Paris, in relation to the operations of the line Paris - Strasburg - Prague - Vienna - Budapest - Belgrade - Sofia - Istanbul, and later the same airline has been authorized to fly over the Bulgarian territory along the route Bucharest – Istanbul with a landing option Bourgas.
In the year 1930 the first massive buildings and the Radio Direction Finder Station of CIDNA have been constructed here; the antenna of the station being approximately 40 meters high. That Radio Direction Finder Station has been designed to serve both the airplanes of CIDNA, and all other civil airplanes.
The first French airplane has landed here in March 1928. In the year 1933 CIDNA and another four aviation companies have established Air France that has been present at the airport as late as the year 1941 when the Bulgarian Aviation Administration has bought the Radio Direction Finder Station.
In March 1941 Airport Bourgas and the Radio Direction Finder Station have been used for Bulgarian airplanes Lufthansa flights only. The eastern Bulgarian border was guarded from here by the airplanes of His Majesty, types Messerschmitt/09E & Avia B534, DOGAN. An extension of the airport was made, electric power was also supplied and underground storage tanks were constructed in the year 1942.
On July 29, 1947 an aircraft of the type Junkers Ju 52/3m has landed here. This being the very first regular flight between Bourgas and Sofia, which has later been maintained by flights of LI-2, IL-14, АN-24 and others. This day is the birthday of Bulgaria aviation.
Since the year 1959 charter flights have been made predominantly in service of foreign tourists visiting the Bulgarian Black seacoast and since 1971 regular international flights to and via Bourgas have been renewed.
After runway reconstructions, construction of buildings, runways and sites of various application, at present Airport Bourgas has a total runway length of 3200 m and can accommodate the heaviest aircrafts such as АN-124 ROUSLAN, Boeing 747, IL-86 and others.
Here for the first time in Bulgaria an underground centralized 400 Hz power supply system and an underground re-fuelling system for the cargo site have been installed.