(SOFIA, BULGARIA) – Bulgaria extended access for U.S. refueling aircraft at Sofia Airport until June 30, 2026, then said it will end the authorization because Washington has not granted Bulgarians visa-free travel.

Prime Minister Rumen Radev said the extra month was meant to give U.S. allies time to “reschedule and find another location.” The aircraft are operating from Vasil Levski Sofia Airport under a Bulgarian government authorization first approved earlier this year.

The decision sets a firm end date on an arrangement that had allowed a limited U.S. presence in the Bulgarian capital. Sofia tied that deadline directly to the long-running dispute over visa-free travel for Bulgarian citizens.

Bulgaria approved Decision No. 205 of March 4, 2026, authorizing the non-military deployment of up to 15 U.S. aircraft, up to 500 support personnel, and related equipment at the airport. The current extension adds one month, allowing the aircraft to remain until June 30, 2026.

U.S. KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft had been stationed in Sofia since mid-February 2026. Six KC-135s were still in Sofia as of mid-May 2026.

Radev said he raised visa-free travel for Bulgarian citizens in a conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump but received no positive response. Bulgarian officials cited that dispute as the reason the authorization will end after June 30, 2026.

The arrangement allowed the United States to use Sofia as a refueling point without classifying the deployment as a military basing mission. Bulgaria’s government limited the authorization from the outset, setting caps on aircraft, personnel, and equipment while keeping the operation at the country’s main airport in the capital.

That structure gave Sofia room to grant access while retaining control over how long the deployment would last. It also allowed the government to attach a political condition to the extension, linking the final month of access to the unresolved visa issue rather than to the aircraft themselves.

Radev’s remarks framed the deadline as both a diplomatic message and an operational notice. His comment that allies would have time to “reschedule and find another location” pointed to a managed withdrawal rather than an immediate stop to flights.

The numbers in Decision No. 205 show the scale Bulgaria was prepared to accept before drawing the line. Up to 15 U.S. aircraft and as many as 500 support personnel could operate from Vasil Levski Sofia Airport, with related equipment covered by the same authorization.

By mid-May 2026, the actual presence was smaller than the ceiling set by the government. Six KC-135s remained in Sofia, less than half the number permitted under the decision.

The visa issue now sits at the center of the dispute. Bulgaria made clear that access for the refueling aircraft will not continue past June 30, 2026 after the United States declined to open visa-free travel to Bulgarian citizens.

That leaves a narrow window for operational changes. The one-month extension preserves the current deployment for a limited period, then ends it on a date already communicated by Sofia.

Radev cast the move as notice to partners rather than a sudden rupture. His public explanation focused on giving U.S. allies time to adjust schedules, move refueling plans, and shift activity away from Sofia before the authorization expires.

Bulgaria’s stance brings two separate tracks into the same decision: defense access at a strategic airport and the civilian demand for visa-free travel. Sofia used the first to press the second, and did so in explicit terms.

The timeline underscores how quickly the issue developed in 2026. KC-135 aircraft began operating from Sofia in mid-February 2026, the government formalized the terms in Decision No. 205 of March 4, 2026, and the final extension now sets June 30, 2026 as the end point.

Nothing in the authorization suggests an open-ended arrangement. Bulgaria approved a specific deployment, at a specific airport, with clear limits on aircraft and personnel, then added a final month before closing access.

The result is a defined cutoff for U.S. refueling operations in the Bulgarian capital unless the political dispute changes. For now, Sofia has said the aircraft can stay through June 30, 2026, and no longer.