Veliki Preslav Airfield

Economic and political transition. The airfield was part of the state-owned 'Agricultural Aviation' (Селскостопанска авиация) enterprise, which operated during the socialist era in Bulgaria. Following the fall of the communist regime in 1989, the large-scale collective farming system was dismantled, and the state-owned aviation enterprise was liquidated. The airfield lost its primary purpose and funding, leading to its abandonment due to economic non-viability.

The airfield is abandoned and in a state of severe disrepair. Satellite imagery shows a single paved runway that is cracked, weathered, and partially overgrown with vegetation, rendering it unusable for any aviation purposes. The associated support buildings, likely former hangars and administrative offices, are derelict. The site is not maintained and is sometimes used by locals for informal activities such as driving practice, or for the temporary storage of agricultural materials on parts of the concrete surfaces. The land is slowly being reclaimed by nature and the surrounding farmland.

Veliki Preslav Airfield was a vital local hub for agricultural aviation. Its primary function was to support the intensive, industrialized agriculture of the surrounding region during the People's Republic of Bulgaria. Operations consisted almost exclusively of crop dusting, aerial seeding, and pest control. The airfield would have typically hosted robust, single-engine aircraft designed for such tasks, most notably the Antonov An-2. Its significance was not in passenger or military transport, but as a critical piece of infrastructure for the region's food production and agricultural economy under the former centrally planned system.

There are no known official plans, discussions, or prospects for reopening the Veliki Preslav Airfield. The cost of restoring the runway and infrastructure to modern aviation standards would be substantial. Furthermore, there is no current economic or logistical demand for an airfield at this location, especially given the decline of large-scale agricultural aviation and the proximity of the larger, though also underutilized, Targovishte Airport (LBGT) approximately 25 km to the west. Reopening is considered highly unlikely.