Sofia airport's old runway closed at midnight on Wednesday for reconstruction, while its new track was to open just a few hours later. The first plane to take off the brand new runway at three in the morning on Thursday was a Boeing from the fleet of flag carrier Bulgaria Air. It services a flight from the capital Sofia to the Black Sea city of Varna. The new runway is 3,600-m-long and suitable even for the largest aircraft.

The airport authorities promised that the noise would be reduced since all aircraft, taking off from Sofia, will have to fly by 400-500m higher. The traffic will be soon diverted and planes will no longer fly above the heads of the capital's citizens. The project for reconstruction and renovation of the Sofia Airport is one of the biggest ISPA projects in Bulgaria. With a decree of the Council of Ministers, the Airport is given the status of a strategic location. Sofia Airport is planned to have a capacity of 2.6 million passengers and 26,000 tons of cargo exchange per year.