Saedinenie Airstrip

The closure was a result of major geopolitical and economic shifts. The primary reasons were:
1. **End of the Cold War:** The airfield was originally built as a military dispersal/reserve base for the Bulgarian Air Force under the Warsaw Pact. With the dissolution of the pact, its strategic military importance vanished.
2. **Collapse of State-Run Agricultural Aviation:** In its later years, the airstrip was a major hub for 'Селскостопанска авиация' (Agricultural Aviation). This state-controlled entity operated fleets of aircraft (like the Antonov An-2) for crop dusting and pest control. The transition to a market economy and the privatization/restitution of land in the early 1990s led to the collapse of this centralized system, making the large airfield economically unviable.

The site of the former Saedinenie Airstrip is now completely occupied by the **Karadzhalovo Solar Park**, which is part of one of the largest photovoltaic power plant complexes in Bulgaria and the Balkans. The construction, which began around 2011-2012, involved covering the entire runway, taxiways, and apron areas with thousands of solar panels. The original airport infrastructure is either destroyed, removed, or buried beneath the solar farm equipment. The site is now a major renewable energy generation facility.

Saedinenie Airstrip was a significant piece of Cold War-era infrastructure in Bulgaria. Its primary historical roles were:
- **Military Reserve Airfield:** It was constructed as a well-equipped reserve airfield for the Bulgarian Air Force. Its long, concrete runway (over 2,200 meters) and extensive taxiways were designed to accommodate fighter jets (such as MiGs) which could be dispersed from their main bases in the event of a conflict. It served as a key element in the national defense strategy of the time.
- **Agricultural Aviation Center:** Following its peak military importance, it became one of the largest and most important bases for Bulgaria's agricultural aviation fleet. It handled hundreds of flights per season, servicing the vast agricultural plains of the Upper Thracian Plain. The operations were crucial for the productivity of the socialist-era cooperative farms.

There are **zero prospects for reopening** the Saedinenie Airstrip for aviation purposes. The site has been permanently and fundamentally transformed into a large-scale, high-value industrial energy project. The cost and logistics of removing the multi-million dollar solar park and restoring the aviation infrastructure would be prohibitive and nonsensical. The land's purpose has been irreversibly changed from transportation/military to energy production.