Lovets Cropduster Strip

Lovets, BG 🇧🇬 Closed Airport

ICAO

BG-0103

IATA

-

Elevation

640 ft

Region

BG-24

Local Time

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Airport Information

GPS Code: Not available

Local Code: Not available

Location: 42.2796° N, 25.59664° E

Continent: EU

Type: Closed Airport

Terminal Information Not Available
Terminal arrivals and departures are only available for airports with scheduled commercial service and IATA codes.

External Links

Nearby Points of Interest

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Airport Information

Airport Closure Information

Last updated: Jul 24, 2025
Closure Date

Approximately early 1990s (c. 1990-1993)

Reason for Closure

The airport's closure was a direct result of major economic and political changes in Bulgaria. It was not due to a specific incident but rather the systemic collapse of the state-run agricultural system following the end of the socialist era in 1989. The state-owned enterprise 'Agricultural Aviation' (Селскостопанска авиация), which operated a vast network of these strips, was dismantled. The privatization of farmland and the dissolution of large collective farms eliminated the demand and economic basis for such a dedicated, localized crop-dusting infrastructure.

Current Status

The site is completely abandoned and no longer functions as an airfield. Satellite imagery shows that the land has been fully reclaimed for agricultural purposes. The former runway area is now part of a cultivated field, and there are no visible remnants of any aviation infrastructure such as hangars, service buildings, or markings. The site is indistinguishable from the surrounding farmland.

Historical Significance

Lovets Cropduster Strip was a utilitarian airfield with local, rather than national, significance. It was an integral part of Bulgaria's socialist-era agricultural infrastructure. Its sole purpose was to serve as an operational base for agricultural aircraft, primarily the Antonov An-2 biplane. These planes conducted crop dusting, pest control, and fertilization operations for the large, state-run collective farms in the Stara Zagora region. It was one of hundreds of similar unpaved airstrips scattered across rural Bulgaria, all essential for the country's centralized agricultural model at the time.

Reopening Prospects

There are no known plans or realistic prospects for reopening the Lovets Cropduster Strip. The economic model that supported its existence is gone. Modern agricultural aviation in Bulgaria is on a much smaller scale and typically operates from existing regional airports or private strips. The land has been re-purposed, and there is no economic or logistical incentive to re-establish an airfield at this location.

Nearby Airports

Stara Zagora Airport
LBSZ
Stara Zagora, BG
Small Airport
~12 km away
Vinarovo Cropduster Strip
BG-0106
Vinarovo, BG
Closed Airport
~12 km away
Opan Airport
BG-0112
Opan, BG
Closed Airport
~13 km away
Gita Airfield
BG-0105
Gita, BG
Closed Airport
~16 km away
Galabovo Cropduster Strip
BG-0136
Galabovo, BG
Closed Airport
~22 km away
Daskal-Atanasovo Airfield
LBDA
Daskal-Atanasovo, BG
Small Airport
~25 km away
Distances are approximate and calculated as straight-line distances.

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