Ruse Airport
Encyclopedia
Ruse Airport also known as Shtraklevo (Щръклево) after the village located to the north, is a former military airport located about 20 km south of the city of Ruse, Bulgaria.
. The airport was named 11th Air Base "Shtraklevo" and equipped with Aero L-29 Delfin
coming from Dolna Mitropoliya
Airport. It was used by Balkan Bulgarian Airlines
for its domestic flights to Sofia Airport
, but with the end of the communist era in Bulgaria, domestic flights weren't profitable, due to lack of government funding. It served as a training base until 1998, when it ceased military operations and was finally abandoned in 1999.
. The government decided to make a new bid for the airport of Ruse, the new concourse should take place in the middle of December 2007, but later postponed it to unknown date.
History
The airport was established in 1967 as a training site for pilots from the Bulgarian Air ForceBulgarian Air Force
The Bulgarian Air Force is a branch of the Military of Bulgaria, the other two being the Bulgarian Navy and Bulgarian land forces. Its mission is to guard and protect the sovereignty of Bulgarian airspace, to provide aerial support and to assist the Land Forces in case of war. The Bulgarian Air...
. The airport was named 11th Air Base "Shtraklevo" and equipped with Aero L-29 Delfin
Aero L-29 Delfin
|-See also:-References:* Gunston, Bill, ed. "Aero L-29 Delfin." The Encyclopedia of World Air Power. New York: Crescent Books, 1990. ISBN 0-517-53754-0....
coming from Dolna Mitropoliya
Dolna Mitropoliya
Dolna Mitropoliya is a town in Pleven Province of northern Bulgaria, the administrative center of Dolna Mitropoliya municipality. It is about 10 km northwest of the city of Pleven. As of December 2009, the town has a population of 3,303 inhabitants....
Airport. It was used by Balkan Bulgarian Airlines
Balkan Bulgarian Airlines
Balkan Airlines was Bulgaria's government-owned flag carrier between 1947 and 2002. During the 1970s the airliner became a significant European carrier. The company encountered financial instability following the fall of communism in Eastern Europe...
for its domestic flights to Sofia Airport
Sofia Airport
Sofia Airport , sometimes also called Letishte Sofia-Vrazhdebna , is the main airport in Sofia, Bulgaria. Located east of central Sofia. In 2010 the number of passengers was 3.3 million...
, but with the end of the communist era in Bulgaria, domestic flights weren't profitable, due to lack of government funding. It served as a training base until 1998, when it ceased military operations and was finally abandoned in 1999.
Developing
The government of Bulgaria decided to grant concession of some of its international airports, but the first procedure in late 2007 wasn't successful, although there was interest from the Swiss investor Ferdinand Prisi and the Bulgarian company Prista OilPrista Oil
Prista Oil is a Bulgarian company headquartered in the city of Rousse and mainly engaged in the production of 150 kinds of motor oils and industrial lubricants, as well as their distribution, transport and storage, cleaning petroleum pollution and the production and recycling of car batteries.The...
. The government decided to make a new bid for the airport of Ruse, the new concourse should take place in the middle of December 2007, but later postponed it to unknown date.