Four of US Aircraft Deployed at Sofia Airport Have Departed
Four of the US aircraft deployed at Vasil Levski Sofia Airport have departed so far, with the remaining planes scheduled to leave in stages by Monday, Bulgaria’s Defence Ministry told the Bulgarian News Agency.
Earlier in the week, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said that the US aircraft would leave the airport by the end of June. He stressed that the United States remains Bulgaria’s strategic ally in security and a key partner in energy, the economy, high technology and artificial intelligence.
On May 29, Bulgaria’s government adopted a decision to extend until June 30, 2026, the deployment in Bulgaria of up to 15 US aircraft, along with their support personnel and equipment. Under Decision No. 205 of March 4, 2026, the Council of Ministers authorized the non-military deployment in Bulgaria of up to 15 aircraft and up to 500 support personnel from the United States at Vasil Levski Sofia Airport.
In late February, then caretaker Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov told Parliament that ten Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers had been stationed at the airport as of February 25. He noted that the number of aircraft changes on a daily basis but cannot exceed the authorized limit of 15.
