Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport
Template:Short description Template:Redirect Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox airport
Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport (Template:Langx) Template:Airport codes is Romania's busiest international airport, located in Otopeni, Template:Convert north of Bucharest's city centre.<ref name="AIP" /> It is currently one of the two airports serving the capital of Romania, the other being the smaller Aurel Vlaicu Airport. The airport covers 605 hectares (1,495 acres) of land and contains two parallel runways, both 3,500 meters long.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The airport is named after Romanian flight pioneer Henri Coandă (1886–1972), builder of Coandă-1910 aircraft and discoverer of the Coandă effect of fluidics. Prior to May 2004, the official name was Bucharest Otopeni International Airport (Romanian: Aeroportul Internațional București Otopeni). Henri Coandă International Airport serves as headquarters for TAROM, the country's national airline.<ref>"TAROM S.A. – Identification Data</ref> It also serves as a base of operations for low-cost airlines FlyOne, HiSky, Ryanair and Wizz Air. It is managed by The National Company Bucharest Airports S.A. (Compania Națională Aeroporturi București S.A.).<ref>"Contact Template:Webarchive." Henri Coandă International Airport. Retrieved on 1 December 2011. "The National Company "Bucharest Airports" S.A. Calea Bucurestilor nr. 224 E Otopeni, Ilfov County Postal code 075150 Romania" – Address in Romanian Template:Webarchive: "Compania Națională "Aeroporturi București" S.A. Calea Bucureștilor nr. 224 E Otopeni, județul Ilfov Cod postal 075150 România"</ref> The military section of the airport is used as the 90th Airlift Base of the Romanian Air Force.
History
Early years
Originally, the airport in Otopeni was intended to be used as a Romanian civil aviation and military training center. During World War II, it was used as an airbase by the Luftwaffe. It was further developed in 1943, becoming one of the principal Luftwaffe bases around Bucharest. By 1944, it featured a beam approach system and two concrete runways, one of Template:Convert aligned North-South and one of Template:Convert aligned East-West.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> After 23 August 1944, the airport was used to launch air raids on Bucharest in support of the German efforts to overthrow the new government.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It was bombed by the USAAF on 26 August and taken over by the Romanian military in the aftermath.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Until 1965, it was a major airfield for the Romanian Air Force, with Băneasa Airport serving as Bucharest's commercial airport. In 1965, with the growth of air traffic, the Otopeni airbase was converted to a commercial airport. The runway was modernized and extended to Template:Convert from the previous Template:Convert, making it one of the longest in Europe at that time.<ref name="2007Report">Template:Cite web</ref>
In August 1969, when United States President Richard Nixon visited Romania, a VIP lounge was inaugurated. A new passenger terminal (designed by Cezar Lăzărescu), with a capacity of 1,200,000 passengers per year, was opened on 13 April 1970, for domestic and international flights.<ref name="2007Report" /> An improvement program added a second runway in 1986, expanding capacity to 35 aircraft movements per hour.<ref name="2007Report" />
In 1992, Otopeni Airport became a regular member of Airports Council International (ACI).
Expansion since the 1990s
The first stage of the plan (Phase I), taking place between 1994 and 1998, involved the construction of a new departures terminal and of a new airside concourse with five jetways and nine gates (referred to as 'the Finger') as well as the extension of airport ramps and of their associated taxiways.<ref name="mt.ro">Template:Cite web Romanian Ministry of Transportation – Descriptive Note – Otopeni Airport Development Strategy</ref>
The second phase (labeled Phase II/IIe) of the plan led to the construction of a terminal dedicated to domestic flights and of a multi-story car park (2003), the complete overhaul of the control tower (between 2005 and 2007) as well as the transformation of the old terminal building into a dedicated arrivals hall (in 2000). During the same phase, two high-speed taxiways (Victor and Whiskey) were constructed. Phase II was completed in 2007.<ref name="mt.ro" />
TAROM ended its unprofitable service to New York City in November 2003.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In June 2007, Delta Air Lines began flying the same route with Boeing 767s.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The company made the link seasonal in 2008.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Delta terminated it in September 2009 due to the recession and difficulty competing with other airlines.<ref name="wo1009">Template:Cite news</ref> HiSky has commenced service to New York in June 2024, reconnecting Bucharest to the United States.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The third stage of the plan (Phase III), which started in 2009, involved the extension of the airside concourse ('the Finger') with 15 new gates (nine of which have jetways), as well as the expansion of the Departure Hall (with 8 new gates). The airside concourse extension, designed by Studio Capelli Architettura & Associati, and measuring Template:Convert, was inaugurated on 29 March 2011.<ref name="mt.ro" /><ref name="a10">"Bucharest Airport Template:Webarchive at a10.eu</ref> It was followed, in November 2012, by the extension of the Departure Hall to a total area of Template:Convert.<ref name="Departure">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="avimag">Template:Cite web</ref>
In March 2012, all air traffic except for business air traffic was transferred from Aurel Vlaicu International Airport (at that time Bucharest's low-cost hub) to Henri Coandă International Airport.Template:Citation needed Air Canada Rouge introduced seasonal routes to Toronto and Montreal in June 2018. The carrier operated the flights with Boeing 767s.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>
Future development
Beyond Phase III, a new terminal building (Henri Coandă 2) at the eastern end of the current location is envisaged. The new building is expected to include a large commercial space.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Henri Coandă 2 will be of a modular design, consisting of four separate buildings, each capable of handling 5 million passengers annually. Each module will be built as traffic demands dictate. By 2030, Terminal 2 alone should be able to handle the expected volume of 20 million passengers per year. The terminal will be directly connected to the A3 motorway and to the railway system. However, the plans might get delayed due to funding problems.
On 18 January 2021, it has been announced that the airport purchased all the land it needs in order to begin the expansion.<ref name="Global Construction Review">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> However, on 15 May 2023, the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure declared that a new terminal will not be built in the near future, because it is not necessary,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> a declaration which sparked criticism.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Terminals
The airport's facilities consist of a single terminal with three main facilities (colloquially referred to as "Terminals"): the Departures Hall/Terminal, the Arrivals Hall/Terminal, and the Finger Terminal (the airside concourse).<ref name="Schengen">Template:Cite web</ref> A walkway with shops connects the departures and arrivals buildings. The airside concourse is organized in two (domestic and international) passengers flows.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The entire terminal has 104 check-in desks, 38 gates (of which 14 are equipped with jetways),<ref name="Departure" /> and a total floor area of Template:Convert.<ref name="2007Report" /><ref name="a10" /><ref name="avimag" />
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights at Bucharest Henri Coandă Airport:
Cargo
Statistics
Passengers
In 2018, 13,824,830 passengers passed through the airport, an increase of 7.95% compared to 2017.<ref name="Anna.aero database">Template:Cite web</ref> In 2018, the airport handled 13.8 million passengers (63.3% of the total number of passengers carried by Romanian airports) and 39,534 tons of cargo (81.4% of the total amount of cargo handled by Romanian airports).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
| Year | Passengers (total)<ref name="Anna.aero database" /> | Change<ref name="Anna.aero database" /> | Passengers (domestic flights) | Aircraft movements<ref name="ordin">Template:Cite web</ref> | Cargo (tonnes) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 2,972,799 | - | - | 49,593 | 16,887 |
| 2006 | 3,497,938 | Template:Increase 17.6% | - | 55,056 | 18,089 |
| 2007 | 4,937,683 | Template:Increase 41.1% | 410,916 | 67,372 | 17,423 |
| 2008 | 5,063,555 | Template:Increase 2.5% | 497,208 | 69,916 | 22,464 |
| 2009 | 4,480,765 | Template:Decrease 11.5% | 496,391 | 69,692 | 21,585 |
| 2010 | 4,916,964 | Template:Increase 9.7% | - | 71,481 | - |
| 2011 | 5,049,443 | Template:Increase 2.7% | - | - | - |
| 2012 | 7,120,024 | Template:Increase 41% | - | 98,600 | 26,493 |
| 2013 | 7,643,467 | Template:Increase 7.3% | - | 86,730 | 28,432 |
| 2014 | 8,316,705 | Template:Increase 8.8% | - | 91,788 | 29,193 |
| 2015 | 9,282,884 | Template:Increase 11.6% | 502,928 | 97,218 | 31,421 |
| 2016 | 10,982,967 | Template:Increase 18.3% | 872,915 | 108,285 | 34,125 |
| 2017 | 12,804,191 | Template:Increase 16.6% | 1,289,596 | 116,718 | 37,415 |
| 2018 | 13,824,830 | Template:Increase 7.95% | - | 122,966 | - |
| 2019 | 14,697,239 | Template:Increase 6.34% | - | - | - |
| 2020 | 4,456,577 | Template:Decrease 59.68% | |||
| 2021 | 6,914,610 | Template:Increase 55.2% | |||
| 2022 | 12,610,247 | Template:Increase 82.37% | - | 102,134 | - |
| 2023 | 14,630,715 | Template:Increase 16.11% | - | 111,820 | - |
| 2024 | 15,946,791 | Template:Increase 8.99% | 118,693 |
Busiest routes
| Rank | Airport | Passengers 2016 | Passengers 2017 | Passengers 2018 | Carriers | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cluj Airport | 289,665 | 493,956 | 489,757 | TAROM, HiSky | |||
| 2 | Timișoara Airport | 219,070 | 356,684 | 410,140 | TAROM, HiSky | |||
| 3 | Iași Airport | 285,085 | 297,879 | 286,728 | TAROM | |||
| Sources:Eurostat,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> INSSE<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | ||||||||
| Rank | City |
|---|---|
| Template:01 | Template:Flagicon London |
| Template:02 | Template:Flagicon Istanbul |
| Template:03 | Template:Flagicon Rome |
| Template:04 | Template:Flagicon Bergamo |
| Template:05 | Template:Flagicon Vienna |
| Template:06 | Template:Flagicon Amsterdam |
| Template:07 | Template:Flagicon Tel Aviv |
| Template:08 | Template:Flagicon Frankfurt |
| Template:09 | Template:Flagicon Paris |
| 10 | Template:Flagicon Madrid |
Busiest airlines
| Rank | Airline | Alliance |
|---|---|---|
| Template:01 | Template:Flagicon Wizz Air | |
| Template:02 | Template:Flagicon Ryanair | |
| Template:03 | Template:Flagicon TAROM | SkyTeam |
| Template:04 | Template:Flagicon HiSky | |
| Template:05 | Template:Flagicon Lufthansa | Star Alliance |
| Template:06 | Template:Flagicon Turkish Airlines | Star Alliance |
| Template:07 | Template:Flagicon Austrian Airlines | Star Alliance |
| Template:08 | Template:Flagicon KLM Royal Dutch Airlines | SkyTeam |
| Template:09 | Template:Flagicon LOT Polish Airlines | Star Alliance |
| 10 | Template:Flagicon Air France | SkyTeam |
Ground transportation
Rail
An airport rail link service to the main railway station, Gara de Nord (Bucharest North), runs from the Henri Coandă Airport railway station, located near the parking lot of the Arrivals hall.<ref name="train">Template:Cite web</ref> Trains operated by CFR and Transferoviar Călători run 24 hours a day, every 40 minutes, and the journey takes about 20–25 minutes.<ref name="train" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Metro Line M6, currently under construction, will connect the airport to Gara de Nord and integrate it into the Bucharest Metro network.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Bus
Henri Coandă Airport is served by Bucharest's public transport operator STB. Express bus line 100 connects the airport with the city centre (Piața Unirii) and operates 24 hours a day; buses run roughly every 15 minutes during the day (every 20 minutes at weekends) and every 30 minutes at night.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Journey times typically range from about 35 to 50 minutes, depending on traffic, and can be significantly longer during peak periods, occasionally approaching 75 minutes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Express bus line 442 also serves the airport, linking Piața Presei Liberei in northern Bucharest with Therme Bucharest via Henri Coandă Airport.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Car
The airport is Template:Convert north of central Bucharest, to which it is connected by the DN1 national road. DN1 also connects to the nearby A0 ring motorway and Bucharest Băneasa Aurel Vlaicu International Airport, located within the city.
Plans for the development of the airport include a new access road linking the proposed Terminal 2 to the A0 motorway ring, designed so that it can later be extended to the A3 motorway, providing an additional road connection to the city and the surrounding region.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Taxi and ride-share
Taxis serving Henri Coandă Airport can be ordered using touch-screen terminals in the arrivals hall, which connect passengers with licensed taxi companies. The system was introduced in 2013 as part of a reorganisation of taxi services at the airport, replacing an earlier phone-based ordering scheme and intended to simplify bookings and reduce problems with intermediaries and unauthorised drivers soliciting passengers and overcharging.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Ride-sharing services such as Uber and Bolt also operate at the airport, using authorised pick-up areas in a dedicated ride-sharing zone on the upper level of the multi-storey car park in front of the international arrivals terminal.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Incidents and accidents
- On 9 February 1989, a TAROM Tupolev TU-154 crashed during a training flight following a simulated engine failure when a flight crew member raised the flaps too soon. All 5 occupants were killed.<ref>Template:ASN accident</ref>
- On 31 March 1995, TAROM Flight 371, an Airbus A310-324 registered as YR-LCC, simultaneously experienced asymmetric thrust during climb and one of the pilots being incapacitated. The plane crashed near Balotești just two minutes after takeoff. All 60 people aboard were killed.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- On 30 December 2007, a TAROM Boeing 737-300 (YR-BGC "Constanța"), flying Flight 3107 hit a car on the runway while taking off for Sharm-el-Sheikh. The aircraft stopped beside the runway and was severely damaged.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
See also
- List of the busiest airports in Europe by passenger traffic
- List of the busiest airports in Romania
- List of airports in Romania
- Aviation in Romania
- Transportation in Romania
References
External links
Template:Commons category-inline
Template:Portal bar Template:Airports in Romania Template:Transport in Bucharest