The overall reconstruction, refurbishment and modernisaiton of the Plovdiv airport's old terminal and the construction of the new terminal will require nearly 40 million leva  until  August 2009. The public spending scheme is part of the anti-economic crisis programme implemented by the Bulgarian Government that is aiming to sped five billion leva on infrastructure projects nationwide, as set forth by the Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev, Stroitelstvo Gradut reports.

The modernisaiton of the airport, plus the development of its auxiliary infrastructure is meant to stimulate and develop the tourism in the region, as well as create conditions that will transform the airport and the town of Plovdiv in general as a major national and international destination, with regular flights being served from Western Europe, Greece, Eastern Europe, Russia and Ukraine.

"We are confident that the Plovdiv airport will be transformed into a modern, busy airport in Bulgaria by the end of the year," Transport Minister Petar Moutafchiev said, as quoted by Stroitelstvo Gradut.

For the time being, Plovdiv airport is not servicing regular flights or carriers, as it still functions primarily as a reserve airport for the Sofia International Airport, which re-directs its flights there in case of bad weather over the Bulgarian capital.

The busiest part of the annual calendar for the facility is winter, when the Plovdiv airport services charter flights to winter resorts like Bansko, Pamporovo and Borovets.

The airport will also service cargo flights, creating permanent employment and thus becoming a major economical buttress of the area, according to the modernisation plan.