Varna Airport

Varna Airport
Летище Варна
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerState-owned
OperatorFraport Twin Star Airport Management AD
ServesVarna
LocationVarna, Bulgaria
Opened9 May 1948 (1948-05-09)
Time zoneEET (+2)
 • Summer (DST)EEST (+3)
Elevation AMSL70 m / 230 ft
Coordinates43°13′55″N 27°49′31″E / 43.23194°N 27.82528°E / 43.23194; 27.82528
Websitevarna-airport.bg
Map
VAR is located in Bulgaria
VAR
VAR
Location of airport in Bulgaria
VAR is located in Black Sea
VAR
VAR
Location of airport on the Black Sea
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
09/27 2,517 8,258 Asphalt
Statistics (2023)
Passengers1,838,828
Passenger change 22-23Increase46.9%
Aircraft movements13,850
Movements change 22-23Increase23.6%
Cargo (t)62
Cargo change 22-23Decrease39.8%
Source: Bulgarian AIP at EUROCONTROL

Varna Airport (Bulgarian: Летище Варна, romanized: Letishte Varna) (IATA: VAR, ICAO: LBWN) is the airport of Varna, the historical maritime capital of Bulgaria. Varna Airport is the third largest airport in Bulgaria. It is located 10 kilometers from the center of Varna near the town of Aksakovo. The airport serves Varna, Golden Sands and northeastern Bulgaria. The busiest season for the airport is from the end of May to the beginning of October.

History

From 15 October 2011 until 28 February 2012, Varna airport was closed for a reconstruction of the runway. All flights were operated to/from Burgas Airport.[1]

Airlines and destinations

The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights at Varna Airport:[2]

AirlinesDestinations
Air Serbia Seasonal: Belgrade[3]
Austrian Airlines Vienna
Bulgaria Air Sofia
Seasonal: Frankfurt, Paris–Charles de Gaulle, Prague
Discover Airlines Seasonal: Frankfurt, Munich
Edelweiss Air Seasonal: Zürich[4]
Electra Airways Seasonal: Cologne/Bonn,[5] Stuttgart[6][7][8]
Eurowings Seasonal: Cologne/Bonn, Düsseldorf, Stuttgart
Fly Lili Seasonal charter: Hannover[9]
Israir Tel Aviv[10]
Luxair Seasonal: Luxembourg[11]
Norwegian Air Shuttle Seasonal: Oslo[12]
Ryanair Seasonal: Katowice,[13] Kraków[14]
Scandinavian Airlines Seasonal: Copenhagen
Smartwings Seasonal: Brno,[15] Ostrava,[16] Prague[17]
Seasonal charter: Bratislava (begins 16 June 2026),[18] Karlovy Vary[19]
Sunclass Airlines Seasonal charter: Bergen, Helsinki
Sundair Seasonal: Bremen[20]
Sundor Seasonal: Tel Aviv (begins 2026-05-03)[21]
Transavia Seasonal: Paris–Orly
TUI fly Belgium Seasonal: Brussels
TUI fly Deutschland Seasonal: Hannover
Turkish Airlines Istanbul
Volotea Seasonal: Lille,[22] Nantes[23]
Wizz Air Athens (resumes 2026-06-15),[24] Barcelona (resumes 2026-06-15),[25] Beauvais (resumes 2026-06-15),[26] Berlin,[27] Bratislava,[28] Charleroi,[27] Debrecen (resumes 2026-06-15),[29] Dortmund,[30] Eindhoven,[27] Hahn,[27] Gdansk (resumes 2026-06-15),[31] Hamburg,[27] Katowice (begins 7 June 2026),[32] Larnaca (resumes 2026-06-17),[33] London–Luton,[34] Memmingen,[27] Nuremberg, Rome–Fiumicino (begins 22 September 2026),[35] Tel Aviv,[27] Wrocław (begins 16 June 2026)[36]

Statistics

The runway
Terminal 2 gate area
Airport building by night

Traffic

PassengersYear300,000600,000900,0001,200,0001,500,0001,800,0002,100,0002,400,0001995200020052010201520202025PassengersAnnual passenger traffic
Traffic at Varna Airport
Year Passengers Change Cargo (tonnes) Change Aircraft movements Change
1998 273,678 Steady 114 Steady 8,920 Steady
1999 511,819 Increase87.0% 0 Decrease100.0% 9,030 Increase1.2%
2000 691,689 Increase35.1% 0 Steady 9,425 Increase4.4%
2001 932,549 Increase34.8% 160 Increase16000.0% 9,549 Increase1.3%
2002 1,090,709 Increase16.9% 85 Decrease46.9% 9,006 Decrease5.7%
2003 1,186,349 Increase8.8% 0 Decrease100.0% 10,107 Increase12.2%
2004 1,337,145 Increase12.7% 136 Increase13600.0% 11,277 Increase11.6%
2005 1,546,925 Increase15.7% 19 Decrease86.0% 13,616 Increase20.7%
2006 1,522,658 Decrease1.6% 289 Increase1421.0% 14,721 Increase8.1%
2007 1,478,093 Decrease2.9% 150 Decrease48.1% 14,971 Increase1.7%
2008 1,432,703 Decrease3.1% 1,004 Increase569.3% 15,129 Increase1.1%
2009 1,206,535 Decrease15.8% 89 Decrease91.1% 12,699 Decrease16.1%
2010 1,198,956 Decrease0.6% 83 Decrease6.7% 12,601 Decrease1.0%
2011 1,165,304 Decrease2.8% 41 Decrease50.6% 11,263 Decrease10.4%
2012 1,212,215 Increase4.0% 33 Decrease19.5% 10,739 Decrease4.7%
2013 1,303,865 Increase7.6% 35 Increase6.1% 11,516 Increase7.2%
2014 1,387,494 Increase5.2% 74 Increase111.4% 12,063 Increase4.7%[37]
2015 1,398,694 Increase0.8% 118 Increase57.2% 11,959 Decrease0.9%
2016 1,689,595 Increase20.8% 3,293 Increase2690.7% 14,818 Increase23.9%
2017 1,970,700 Increase16.6% 293 Decrease91.0% 15,950 Increase7.6%[38]
2018 2,281,134 Increase15.8% 136 Decrease40.6% 17,776 Increase11.4%
2019 2,084,319 Decrease8.7% 123 Decrease9.3% 15,468 Decrease13.0%
2020 622,215 Decrease70.1% 44 Decrease64.1% 6,881 Decrease55.5%
2021 1,010,494 Increase62.4% 34 Decrease23.9% 9,239 Increase34.3%
2022 1,484,186 Increase46.9% 104 Increase205.8% 11,420 Increase23.6%[38]
2023 1,838,828 Increase23.9% 62 Decrease39.8% 13,850 Increase21.3%[38]
2024 1,556,798 Decrease-15.3% 136 Increase119.4% 12,282 Decrease-11.3%[38]
Top 5 Markets (2023)[39]
Rank Destination
1 Germany
2 Poland
3 Bulgaria
4 United Kingdom
5 Turkey[40]

Ground transport

Bus line 409 connects the airport with Varna city center and resorts nearby (route: Varna Airport – Mall Varna – Varna Bus Station / Grand Mall – City Center – Saints Constantine and Helena - Golden Sands).[41]

Incidents and accidents

  • On 5 June 1992, Balkan Bulgarian Airlines Tupolev 154B overran runway 27 in bad weather conditions. There were no casualties, but the plane was written off.[42]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Varna Airport Closes for Runway Overhaul in October". Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  2. ^ "Flight Search". www.varna-airport.com. 10 September 2020. Archived from the original on 15 July 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  3. ^ "Air Serbia to launch New Service to Krakow, Ohrid and Varna for Summer 2023". 16 December 2022.
  4. ^ "Zurich, Switzerland". OAG Flight Guide Worldwide. 25 (2). Luton, United Kingdom: OAG Aviation Worldwide Limited: 1178–1184. August 2023. ISSN 1466-8718.
  5. ^ "Electra Airways fliegt von Köln/Bonn ans Schwarze Meer". aerotelegraph.com. 4 February 2025.
  6. ^ "Electra Airways begin service to 7 destinations in Germany with partnership of SunExpress".
  7. ^ "SunExpress partnership with Electra Airways for 2025 summer season".
  8. ^ "SunExpress and Electra Airways launches a 3-year flight program to Bulgaria".
  9. ^ "Fly Lili will operate charter flights from Germany, Poland and Czechia to Burgas Airport".
  10. ^ Ingilizova, Svetoslava (30 July 2025). "Israel remains a strategic market for Bulgarian tourism". Fakti.bg - Да извадим фактите наяве. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
  11. ^ "Luxembourg, Luxembourg". OAG Flight Guide Worldwide. 25 (2). Luton, United Kingdom: OAG Aviation Worldwide Limited: 616–617. August 2023. ISSN 1466-8718.
  12. ^ "Oslo, Norway". OAG Flight Guide Worldwide. 25 (2). Luton, United Kingdom: OAG Aviation Worldwide Limited: 807–814. August 2023. ISSN 1466-8718.
  13. ^ "5 kolejnych nowych tras Ryanaira z Polski! Dużo wakacyjnych kierunków".
  14. ^ "Pasazer.com: Ryanair poleci z Krakowa nad Morze Czarne". Pasazer.com. 9 December 2022.
  15. ^ "Brno, Czech Republic". OAG Flight Guide Worldwide. 25 (2). Luton, United Kingdom: OAG Aviation Worldwide Limited: 165. August 2023. ISSN 1466-8718.
  16. ^ "Ostrava, Czech Republic". OAG Flight Guide Worldwide. 25 (2). Luton, United Kingdom: OAG Aviation Worldwide Limited: 814. August 2023. ISSN 1466-8718.
  17. ^ "Prague, Czech Republic". OAG Flight Guide Worldwide. 25 (2). Luton, United Kingdom: OAG Aviation Worldwide Limited: 877–880. August 2023. ISSN 1466-8718.
  18. ^ "Flights to Varna (VAR) to Bratislava (BTS)". flyteam.jp/access-date=23 January 2026.
  19. ^ "Letiště Karlovy Vary bude mít další charterové spojení, tentokrát s bulharskou Varnou". 7 January 2023.
  20. ^ "New to Varna: Bremen Airport expands summer flight schedule with Sundair". 24 June 2024.
  21. ^ Cotler, Amit (19 January 2026). "Sun Dor Reveals Varna As Its 20th Destination for Summer 2026". passport.news. PassportNews. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
  22. ^ "Lille, France LIL". OAG Flight Guide Worldwide. 26 (11). Luton, United Kingdom: OAG Aviation Worldwide Limited: 597–599. May 2025. ISSN 1466-8718.
  23. ^ "Nantes, France NTE". OAG Flight Guide Worldwide. 26 (11). Luton, United Kingdom: OAG Aviation Worldwide Limited: 782–784. May 2025. ISSN 1466-8718.
  24. ^ "WizzAir to Open Flight Routes from Varna to Barcelona, Athens, Paris from June 15". bta.bg. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  25. ^ "WizzAir to Open Flight Routes from Varna to Barcelona, Athens, Paris from June 15". bta.bg. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  26. ^ "WizzAir to Open Flight Routes from Varna to Barcelona, Athens, Paris from June 15". bta.bg. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  27. ^ a b c d e f g "Varna, Bulgaria VAR". OAG Flight Guide Worldwide. 26 (11). Luton, United Kingdom: OAG Aviation Worldwide Limited: 1169–1170. May 2025. ISSN 1466-8718. OCLC 41608313.
  28. ^ "Wizz Air expanduje v Bratislavě – otevře 13 nových linek - Zaletsi.cz". zaletsi.cz. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  29. ^ "WizzAir to Open Flight Routes from Varna to Barcelona, Athens, Paris from June 15". bta.bg. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  30. ^ Braun, Ralf K. (12 February 2021). "Neues Sommerziel ab Dortmund-Wickede: Mit Wizz Air ins bulgarische Burgas an die Schwarzmeerküste". Lokalkompass (in German). Retrieved 23 December 2025.
  31. ^ "WizzAir to Open Flight Routes from Varna to Barcelona, Athens, Paris from June 15". bta.bg. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  32. ^ https://www.gospodarkamorska.pl/wizz-air-uruchamia-nowe-polaczenie-z-katowic-nad-bulgarskie-morze-czarne-89899
  33. ^ "Wizz Air expands its presence in Varna with a new route to Larnaca, a Mediterranean gem". Wizz Air Hungary Ltd. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
  34. ^ "London, UK LON". OAG Flight Guide Worldwide. 26 (11). Luton, United Kingdom: OAG Aviation Worldwide Limited: 609–633. May 2025. ISSN 1466-8718. OCLC 41608313.
  35. ^ Orban, André (18 December 2025). "Wizz Air expands Warsaw and Rome bases with new aircraft and dozens of new routes". Aviation24.be. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  36. ^ "3 nowe trasy Wizz Aira z Wrocławia! Wracają tanie loty na Islandię, ale jest też ciepły wakacyjny kierunek".
  37. ^ "Статистическа информация за международните летища в Република България" (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  38. ^ a b c d "Traffic Figures".
  39. ^ "Летищата във Варна и Бургас отчитат повече пътници през септември". travelnews.bg. 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  40. ^ "▷ Почивки в Алания, Анталия". www.mistralbg.com/ (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  41. ^ "Начало". Archived from the original on 1 September 2013. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  42. ^ Harro Ranter (5 June 1992). "ASN Aircraft accident Tupolev 154B LZ-BTD Varna Airport (VAR)". Retrieved 7 June 2015.

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