Sofia International Airport will temporarily close to all civilian air traffic on February 23 and 24, while a growing number of US military aircraft will use the airport. Observers are calling this the largest US air force deployment to Europe and the Middle East since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

According to flight data from Flightradar24, non-military flights will be suspended between 1:15 and 2:50 a.m. on February 23 and between 1:05 and 3:35 a.m. on February 24. Only military flights will be permitted to operate during these time windows, the research platform Obektivno.BG reported, citing official aviation notifications (NOTAM). Aerotime, among others, reports this.

The deployment in Sofia is part of a much broader US mobilization. According to Obektivno.BG, more than 120 United States Air Force aircraft have crossed the Atlantic in just a few days, including F-16s, F-35As, and F-22 fighters, as well as tanker and reconnaissance aircraft. Six KC-135R tanker aircraft from MacDill Air Force Base have also been spotted in Sofia.

The troop buildup extends beyond Bulgaria. F-22s have arrived at RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom. In addition, the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford is en route to join the USS Abraham Lincoln, already stationed in the Arabian Sea. Open-source analysis points to a broader movement of fighter and support aircraft to bases in countries including the Azores, Crete, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.

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* Origin: AVIATION ECHO HQ (2:292/854)