Varna Airport will be closed four months for renovation. This will happen after the end of the tourist season -  from the end of October 2011 at the end of February 2012, according to a statement from the company that manages the airport.

Airlines have announced that they will redirect flights to Burgas Airport because Varna Airport will be closed four months long for renovation, Narodno Delo newspaper publication says. This happens for the first time after the airport first opened its doors in 1948 and will last from October after the end of the tourist season untill late February 2012.

The airport says it has already started notifying airlines and tour operators about the closure. The procedures for redirecting the passengers to Burgas are now being prepared. The closure will mostly affect passengers who travel frequently between Varna and Sofia whose only option will be to take the bus between the two cities which is to last 5 hours longer.

The airport renovation will include new 30 cm thick asphalt coverage on the landing-strip, a new drainage system and new signaling lighting system. The landing-strip will also have its width extended by additional five meters. During the renovation period the airport will provide the passengers with free bus transportation between Varna and Burgas.