Polikraishte, BG 🇧🇬 Closed Airport
BG-0026
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- ft
BG-04
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Loading...GPS Code: Not available
Local Code: Not available
Location: 43.199333° N, 25.640889° E
Continent: EU
Type: Closed Airport
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Flight operations ceased around 1998, with the associated military unit being formally disbanded in 2002.
The airfield was closed as a direct result of the large-scale military reforms and downsizing of the Bulgarian Armed Forces that occurred after the end of the Cold War. The restructuring led to the consolidation of air force training activities at fewer locations, making the Polikraishte base redundant and economically unsustainable to maintain.
The site has been completely repurposed and is no longer an airfield. The entire length of the runway, as well as the taxiways and apron areas, are now covered by a large-scale photovoltaic power plant. While some of the original military hangars and support buildings still stand on the periphery of the site, some in a state of decay and others possibly repurposed for the solar park's operations, the primary function of the land is now renewable energy generation.
Polikraishte Airfield was a significant military installation for the Bulgarian Air Force, primarily serving as the home of the 1st Training Air Base (1-ва Учебна Авиобаза). It was an integral part of the national pilot training system, linked to the Georgi Benkovski Higher Air Force School. The base operated large fleets of jet trainer aircraft, most notably the Aero L-29 Delfín and later the Aero L-39ZA Albatros. For decades, it was a crucial hub where air force cadets received their flight training, making it instrumental in producing new generations of Bulgarian military pilots.
There are no known plans or prospects for reopening Polikraishte as an airfield. The complete conversion of its operational surfaces into a major solar power park makes any future aviation use practically impossible. Re-establishing the site as an airport would require the complete removal of the multi-million dollar solar farm and a full reconstruction of the runway and infrastructure, which is considered economically and logistically unfeasible.
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