Alfatar Airfield

Primarily economic reasons. The airfield was built and operated as an agricultural aviation base under Bulgaria's socialist government. It served the state-run company 'Selskostopanska Aviatsia' (Agricultural Aviation). After the fall of communism, the centrally-planned, collectivized agricultural system was dismantled, and the state aviation company eventually went bankrupt. With no economic model to support its operation, the airfield, along with dozens of similar ones across the country, fell into disuse and was abandoned.

The site has been permanently repurposed and is no longer a functional airfield. A large photovoltaic power plant (solar farm) has been constructed directly on a significant portion of the former runway and adjacent areas. The remaining sections of the paved runway and any surviving structures, such as hangars or administrative buildings, are in a state of advanced decay. The land has been redeveloped for renewable energy production.

Alfatar Airfield was a vital piece of local infrastructure during the socialist era in Bulgaria. Its primary and sole purpose was to support large-scale industrial agriculture in the Silistra Province, one of Bulgaria's key grain-producing regions. The airfield served as a base for a fleet of utility aircraft, most notably Antonov An-2 biplanes, which were used for crop dusting, aerial seeding, fertilization, and pest control over the vast collective farms in the area. It had no military or passenger transport role; its significance was entirely tied to the agricultural economy of its time.

Effectively zero. The presence of a permanent, industrial-scale solar power plant on the runway makes any aviation activity impossible. Reopening the airfield would require the complete and costly removal of the solar farm and a full reconstruction of the derelict runway and facilities. There are no known plans, economic drivers, or strategic needs that would justify such a project.