Rabisha Cropduster Strip

Primarily economic reasons. The airfield was part of a large, state-run agricultural aviation network supporting collective farms. After 1989, Bulgaria transitioned to a market economy, the collective farm system was dismantled, and land was privatized. This led to the collapse of the state-run agricultural aviation company ('Selskostopanska Aviatsiya') and eliminated the demand for such a large network of local airfields, rendering Rabisha Strip and hundreds of others like it obsolete.

The site is completely abandoned and has been reclaimed for agricultural use. Satellite imagery of the coordinates shows that the former grass or dirt runway is no longer distinct from the surrounding farmland, though a faint outline is still visible. There are no remaining buildings, hangars, or any aviation infrastructure on the site. The land is actively cultivated as part of the adjacent fields.

The Rabisha Cropduster Strip was a utilitarian agricultural airfield ('Selskostopansko Letishte'). Its significance was purely local, serving the collective farms in the Vidin Province during Bulgaria's socialist period (approx. 1946-1989). Its primary operation was supporting agriculture through aerial application of pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers (crop dusting). The operations were seasonal and typically carried out by robust aircraft like the Antonov An-2. It was a vital component of the region's industrialized agriculture under the centrally planned economy but held no military or significant passenger/cargo transport role.

There are no known plans or realistic prospects for reopening the airfield. The economic model that sustained it no longer exists. Modern agricultural needs in the region are met by ground-based equipment, smaller private operators, or unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), eliminating the need for a dedicated fixed-wing airstrip in this location. The site is expected to remain agricultural land indefinitely.