Livada Airport

Military decommissioning and strategic obsolescence following the end of the Cold War. As a reserve/dispersal airfield, its purpose was directly tied to the main operating base at Ravnets, which was officially closed in 2002. The post-Cold War downsizing of the Bulgarian Air Force, coupled with significant budget cuts and a shift in military doctrine, made maintaining a network of reserve airfields like Livada unnecessary and financially unsustainable.

The airport is completely abandoned and in a derelict state. Satellite imagery shows a single, long runway that is heavily cracked, weathered, and overgrown with grass and shrubs, making it unusable for any aviation activity. The associated taxiways and hardstands are also decaying. There are no remaining significant buildings or infrastructure on the site. The land is not officially maintained and is sometimes used unofficially for activities such as car drifting and drag racing. A large photovoltaic (solar) park has been built on land immediately adjacent to the former airfield, a common form of repurposing for such defunct sites in the region.

Livada Airport was a strategic military airfield for the Bulgarian Air Force during the Warsaw Pact era. Its primary function was to serve as a 'Zapasno Letishte' (Reserve Airfield) or dispersal field for the 15th Fighter Aviation Regiment, which was based at the nearby Ravnets Air Base. This regiment primarily operated Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 fighter jets. In the event of a conflict, aircraft would be dispersed from the main, high-profile base at Ravnets to smaller, less conspicuous airfields like Livada to protect them from a pre-emptive strike. Its location, approximately 35 km from the Black Sea coast and near the Turkish border, made it a key component in the air defense infrastructure of southeastern Bulgaria against potential NATO threats.

There are no known or credible plans to reopen or reactivate Livada Airport. The cost to restore the runway and other essential infrastructure to modern standards would be substantial. Furthermore, its strategic and economic utility is negligible. Civilian air traffic for the region is served by the large Burgas International Airport (LBBG/BOJ), and remaining military operations are consolidated at other active bases like Bezmer. The airport is considered permanently closed.