Todor Ivandjikov is the President and Chairman of the Bulgarian Aviation Industry Association (BAIA), an association that emerged in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis and the collapse of the airline industry worldwide. He is a vocal advocate for the Bulgarian aviation sector at the highest levels of government. He has led BAIA in pushing for state aid not only for airlines, but also for maintenance and ground handling companies and others affected in the aviation sector. He has campaigned actively for VAT exemption for aviation training centers, arguing that the current tax burden is not only a reason for uncompetitiveness on price, but also one of the main causes of the outflow of young specialists from Bulgaria at a time when demand for such professionals is growing.
On the international stage, he was invited to address delegates at an online Human Resource Training Seminar for Vietnam's Aviation Industry in 2023, presenting his vision for developing EASA-certified training centers in Bulgaria and exploring closer ties with the Vietnamese aviation sector.
Beyond industry advocacy, Ivandjikov is deeply committed to developing the next generation of aviation professionals in Bulgaria. BAIA has been running a large-scale mentorship programme for three years that includes school visits, open days, and aviation events featuring world records, with the aim of inspiring young people and giving them hands-on experience of aviation. He has also been working on creating a fund, supported by airlines and banks, to finance training for children from disadvantaged backgrounds, modeled on similar programmes in the UK and other countries. He is equally forward-looking on technology: he has stated his belief that Bulgaria has the potential to become a strategic hub for unmanned aviation, both civilian and military, emphasizing that business, administration, and training centers must work hand in hand to achieve this vision.