Validation date: 18 09 2015
Updated on: Never
Views: 2750
See on the interactive map:
44°01'22"N 022°49'04"E
Runway: 09/27 - 2080x38m/6888x110ft - concrete
Vidin airfield (Bulgarian: летище Видин, also known as Inovo airfield (Летище Иново), ICAO: LBVD) was an airfield 150 kilometer north of Sofia.
It was built in 1973 as civilian airport and it was served by twice daily An24 flights to Sofia (30 minutes) by state owned BGA Balkan, shortening travel to and from the capital by a factor of 8. In addition seasonal weekly flights were made on the line Vidin - Sofia - Burgas (90 minutes). On avarage, it served 40,000 passengers per year.
Photo of Ivan Mihajlov performing the official act of opening Vidin Airport (vidin-online.com)
Passengers walk towards their An24 for a flight to Sofia (vidin-online.com)
On 18 June 1977 Vidin was the starting point of the third hijack in Bulgarian history. The hijacker, who had demanded to be taken to Munich and London by aiming a gun at a stewardess, was captured by Yugoslav police when the pilots had convinced the hijacker of the need to refuel in Belgrade.
As a result of economic developments in the post Cold War world, the airline stopped operating to Vidin on 5 February 1991, but the airfield remained open to aircraft and helicopters. In 1999, the airfield was shut down by the Ministry of Transport. Since, it has mainly seen use for drag races.
Vidin airfield, 2005. Despite having been closed for over 6 years, all runway markers appear to be still there and no X's appear on the runway (Google Earth)
After investors showed interest for reopening the airport in 2007, the regional administration of Vidin undertook measures to revive it. The Vidin local government reported on its website the runway was still in good condition as late as 2015, but that the buildings were generally in poor condition. On a Bulgarian aviation forum, the buildings were described as gutted, with everything of value (essentially everything but the concrete) stolen.
The derelict Vidin station building in 2010 (Vasilam, via ImageShack on AirGroup2000).
The Vidin runway in 2010 (Vasilam, via ImageShack on AirGroup2000).
The eastern treshold in 2010 (Vasilam, via ImageShack on AirGroup2000).
2011 black&white photo of the airfield (Google Earth)
Skidmarkings on the runway and the platform in 2014 are evidence the airfield was used at least once for car racing (Google Earth)
Vidin (Видин) 
Vidin (Видин)