Varna Airport
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| Varna International Airport | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: VAR - ICAO: LBWN | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | public | ||
| Operator | Varna Airport ltd. | ||
| Serves | Varna | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 230 ft (70 m) | ||
| Coordinates | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 09/27 | 8,202 | 2,500 | Asphalt |
Varna International Airport (IATA: VAR, ICAO: LBWN) is the airport of Varna, the sea capital of Bulgaria.
Contents |
[edit] History
The history of the airport dates back to 1916 when two sheds for the first hydro-port in Bulgaria were built in the Peinerdzhik area (present-day Chaika residential area). Irregular mail-plane service from Sofia to Varna was held between 1919 and 1920 and it was not until 1947 that a permanent airline between the two cities was established. What had grown into Tihina Airport was situated west of the present-day Asparukhovo Bridge and was indeed quite primitive for the demands of a modern city. Thus in 1946 a decision was made and a new airport was constructed several kilometres west of the city, near the village of Aksakovo, with local people enthusiastically working on the site together with the constructors. Construction and improvement continued throughout the years, with a new terminal erected in 1972 and a new runaway in 1974.
[edit] Future plans and expansion
Currently, Varna International Airport is subject to heavy traffic following the growing tourist industry in Bulgaria and is in need of major investments to modernize, expand and handle projected passenger traffic. In June, 2006 the Bulgarian Government awarded FRAPORT AG Frankfurt Airport Services Worldwide a 35 year long concession on both Varna and Burgas airports in return for investments exceeding €500 million.
[edit] Airlines and destinations
- Aerosvit Airlines (Kiev-Boryspil)
- Air Via (Berlin-Schönefeld, Berlin-Tegel, Frankfurt)
- Austrian Airlines (Vienna)
- British Airways (London-Gatwick)
- Bulgaria Air (Amsterdam, Berlin-Schönefeld, Berlin-Tegel, Cologne/Bonn, Dublin, London-Gatwick, Madrid, Milan-Malpensa, Vienna)
- Bulgarian Air Charter (Berlin-Schönefeld, Berlin-Tegel, Cologne/Bonn, Frankfurt)
- Condor Airlines (Stuttgart)
- Continental Airways
- Germanwings (Berlin-Schönefeld) [starts May 2007]
- Hemus Air (Sofia)
- LTU International (Berlin-Schönefeld, Cologne/Bonn, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, Stuttgart)
- Malév Hungarian Airlines (Budapest)
- Thomsonfly (Cardiff, London-Gatwick, Manchester, Newcastle)
- Norwegian Air Shuttle (Oslo)
- South Airlines
- Wizz Air (Budapest) [starts June 10, 2007]
