Elhovo Cropduster Strip

The closure was due to broad economic reasons. The airfield was part of a state-owned network supporting collective farming. Its closure was a direct result of the collapse of the socialist-era agricultural system in Bulgaria, the privatization of land, and the subsequent dismantling of the national 'Agricultural Aviation' (Селскостопанска авиация) service, which made such specialized airfields economically unviable and obsolete.

The site has been permanently repurposed. A large-scale photovoltaic power plant (solar farm) has been constructed directly on top of the former runway and apron areas. While remnants of the original asphalt strip may be visible on the periphery and between the solar panel arrays, the site is no longer recognizable or usable as an airfield. It is now an industrial energy generation site.

Elhovo Cropduster Strip was a typical agricultural airfield built during Bulgaria's socialist period. It was a crucial part of a vast network of similar strips across the country. Its sole purpose was to support agricultural aviation operations for the large, state-run cooperative farms in the fertile Thracian plains around Elhovo. Operations included crop dusting, aerial application of fertilizers, and pest control. The airfield would have primarily serviced robust, short-takeoff-and-landing (STOL) aircraft common to the Eastern Bloc, such as the Antonov An-2 and the Zlín Z-37 Čmelák.

There are no plans or prospects for reopening the Elhovo Cropduster Strip. The construction of the permanent solar farm infrastructure on the runway makes its restoration as an aviation facility physically and economically impossible. The site's use has been permanently converted from aviation to renewable energy production.