A proposal to build a new airport near Sofia, replacing the current complex, was discussed at a meeting of the municipal transport commission in the presence of Sofia chief architect Petar Dikov on January 23. The environmental and noise pollution that Sofia Airport (generates were given as the reasons for relocating the airport.

Another problem is that the place where the airport was built is often shrouded in fog, Sofia city public relations officer Tsvetanka Krusteva told The Sofia Echo. She said the airport was built on the site of an old military airfield, which had been built in that location so that enemy radar could not identify the different types of aircraft. However, today the weather conditions create many problems for travellers.

The municipal transport commission will put forward a proposal for a new airport. Based on this proposal the city municipal council will instruct the city administration to prepare a survey on the different options for a new site.

During the city transport commission meeting, the Initiative Committee for Protection of the Population from Sofia Airport Activity (ICPPSAA) presented its ideas for a new airfield in the regions of Tchepintsi and Krivina villages.

Dikov said in the 1970s research was carried out into 11 possible locations for the airport and neither the current location nor the two areas suggested by the ICPPSAA were discussed at that time. In his option, the best place for a new airport would be in the Slivnitsa town region.

However, the problem with building an airport in Slivnitsa would be that on coming in to land, aircraft would have to fly across another country at a level below that allowed by law, in this case Serbia. Dikov said that by the time the construction of a new airport was started, Serbia would most probably be part of the European Union, so this would not be an obstacle.

Another solution to the current airport problem could be to force airline operators to conform to the current regulations that say that aircraft have to land from the east. However, according to Dikov, the rules were not followed because "this is eight minutes of flying and fuel saved".

He said research into a new airport did not mean that it would be constructed soon. It would take three years to conduct an environmental impact assessment and then it could be about another 15 years before construction was started.

On January 24 Bulgarian-language daily Standart reported that all municipal councils and residents living around the current airport agreed that Slivnitsa was the most appropriate location for a new airport.

The municipal councillors decided that the city has to start a wider debate on the issue.