An airfield can be turned into anything: an industrial zone, a solar park, warehouses. The reverse does not happen, because there is no land left for new airfields. That is why an airfield must stay an airfield. Uzundzhovo was silent for decades. On 5 September 2026 there were aircraft and people again.
The opening 10:00
I opened it, and deputy mayor Dinko Tenev spoke for the municipality. My speech, as delivered:
Dear deputy mayor, dear friends, dear guests, thank you for coming today.
If we ask our children what they want to be when they grow up, they say “a pilot” less and less often. Not because children don't dream of flying, but because nobody has shown them an aircraft up close.
When I was a child, someone showed me. Not far from here, at Malevo airfield, a pilot named Ivan Ekzarov put me in the cockpit of an aircraft. I sat there for about two minutes, and that was enough to decide that I wanted to fly and become a pilot.
We organised this day to give those two minutes to your children. To light the spark in them.
Uzundzhovo airfield was silent for decades. The runway was here, the hangars were here, the sky was here, but something was missing. The decision was missing. Now it is a fact, and Uzundzhovo is back on the aviation map of Bulgaria.
Two hangars have been restored and they are full of aircraft, but we want more. We want a flight school, a dense flight schedule and, not least, the race track we have never stopped fighting for.
But today is not a day for plans. Today is the day a child from Haskovo sits in a cockpit, smells the fuel and watches the aircraft leave the ground. And in twenty years, on this date, 5 September 2046, that child will fly a big aircraft over Uzundzhovo.
I want to thank Haskovo Municipality. The people of the Haskovo Aeroclub, who leave their hearts here so that this airfield can breathe. Olympia, our partners, who will fly today. The people running the grill fest and looking after our stomachs. And all of you who brought your children today.
Thank you for coming.
Ivan Minev, 5 September 2026 · video by Haskovo Municipality
The most important thing for us is that our airfield is working. Dinko Tenev, deputy mayor of Haskovo
The flights from 10:30 until sunset
The Olympia Air pilots did the flying, and aircraft came from all over the country. So many people wanted to fly that the queue did not end until the evening. The aircraft flew until sunset.
“How to become a pilot”
Between flights the aircraft stood on the apron with their pilots next to them, and the questions came from the kids.
She said yes 300 metres above the runway
Apti Ayhan took Ferishte Makaz up in a helicopter over the airfield, having written WILL YOU MARRY ME on the ground beforehand. She said yes. On the ground Dinko Tenev gave them a “dress rehearsal” for the wedding: they signed a declaration of joint flight. The film is at the top of this page. Congratulations, Apti and Ferishte.
No. 411 MiG-21
The number is painted on the aircraft itself. We have not restored it yet: on this day we were raising funds, and now we begin. The stand offered 3D-printed MiG figurines against a donation voucher. We are also looking for authentic parts.
The people
Thousands of visitors, free entry.
In the press (Bulgarian)
BTA · Izvestnik · Novinata.bg · Petel.bg · video of the opening
Thanks
To Haskovo Municipality and Dinko Tenev, to Olympia Air, to Slavyan Kostov for the film, to the club's and the municipality's photographers for the pictures. And to everyone who came.