AN AIRPORT in Europe wants to be the “first five star regional airport” on the continent ahead of a huge new terminal.
Sofia Airport, in Bulgaria, has revealed its latest plans for its new Terminal 3.
Sofia Airport has revealed plans for its new terminal[/caption]
The £214million terminal will be the new Terminal 3[/caption]
The airport currently has two terminals although Terminal 1 is mainly used for executive aviation[/caption]
Set to cost around BGN 500 million (£214million), the terminal will allow up to 20million passengers a year to use the airport.
The airport welcomed around 7.2million passengers back in 2023 – so more than doubling its capacity.
The new 65,000sqm terminal will be connected to the current Terminal 2.
All gates will be “accessible within five minutes of the shopping area” to speed up the travel process.
New security checkpoints will be able to process 3,250 passengers an hour, with a total of 35 gates across the two terminal when it opens.
Both kids play areas and dog areas will be inside the airport as well.
More low-cost airlines are also expected to operate from the terminal, which already has flights with Ryanair and Wizz Air.
Works hope to start next year, with an opening date of 2031.
The airport’s CEO, Jesús Caballero Pinto said: “We want to be Europe’s best regional airport.”
It also hopes to be the first regional airport in Europe to be awarded a 5-star SkyTrax certification.
The airport’s Terminal 1 is rarely used by passengers, and is more for executive aviation travellers.
He also said he had seen “more of an appetite” from airlines since Bulgaria joined the Schengen Zone.
He added: “What we are now noticing, what we are now talking about with airlines, especially with the third countries and non-Europe destination, is increasing appetite to open flights to Sofia, thanks to the Schengen accession.”
Currently, Brits can fly to Sofia for as little as £14.99 with Ryanair, with the cheapest fares from Birmingham and London Stansted.
It hopes to open by 2031[/caption]
Flights take around 3hr5 from the UK.
Munich Airport in Germany is one of the few in Europe that has been named a five-star one by SkyTrax.
Joining Rome Fiumicino Airport and Istanbul Airport, the airport has everything from indoor gardens and spas.
Other five-star airports are in Japan, Singapore and Korea.
When it comes to regional airports, none in Europe make the list.
Three other new airports opening in Europe
Luis de Camoes Airport, Portugal
First discussed back in 2008, Lisbon has revealed plans for its new Luis de Camoes Airport. The £7billion airport will replace the current Lisbon Airport. The new travel hub will have two runways and welcome 100million passengers by 20250. Luis de Camoes Airport hopes to open in 2034.
Kastelli International Airport, Greece
Greece has revealed plans for a huge new £422million airport. Kastelli International Airport will become one of the largest in the country when it opens in Crete. The new airport will initially be able to welcome up to 10million passengers, when it opens in 2027.
New Bodø Airport, Norway
Norway is replacing its current Bodø Airport with the new £546million New Bodø Airport. The airport aims to be open by 2029, with the capacity to handle 2.3million passengers per year.
In Poland, a huge new £25billion mega airport hopes to take on London Heathrow and Dubai.
CPK Airport, which will start construction next year, will be able to hold 65million passengers a year by 2060.
The capacity limit will more than double to 20million a year[/caption]
