Despite the very modest size of the country, the number of international airports in Romania reaches fourteen. The two largest airports are in the capital, Bucharest. However, other major cities of the republic also have busy airports.
Otopeni metropolitan air hub
Bucharest Airport, located in the small town of Otopeni, officially bears the name of Romanian aviation pioneer Henry Coanda, who built the first aircraft in Romania. However, the name of this designer was assigned to the airfield only in 2004, and before that it was called Bucharest-Otopeni.
Starting from World War II, Otopeni was used as an air force base, and it was rebuilt into the Romanian civilian airport only in 1968, when it became clear that Baniza airport could not cope with the increasing flow of passengers. As part of the reconstruction, the runway was rebuilt for civilian needs and a new terminal building was erected, which immediately began serving both domestic and international flights.
The increased load on the airport over the past decade clearly demonstrates the need for rapid reconstruction. The airport management plans to expand the arrivals and departure halls, increase the number of gates to twenty-four, and also build a new terminal, since the capacity of the existing one has been exhausted.
Directions and airlines of the main airport of the country
The airport is one single terminal, however, consisting of two buildings - the arrival hall and the departure hall. Two halls are interconnected by a corridor with a shopping area. To date, there are nine departure gates at this Romanian airport, only five of which are equipped with telescopic traps.
The airport is home to the national air carrier TAROM, the country's oldest and largest airline, flying to fifty destinations.
In addition to TAROM, thirty-one more companies fly to Otopeni Airport, which allows a very wide geography of flights - from Dublin to Tel Aviv.
Baneas Airport
The second airport of the capital's air hub is Bureas Aurel Vlaiku International Airport. This is the oldest of the capital's airports, which began its work in 1909. However, in terms of passenger traffic, it is inferior to Otopeni, although it is closer to the city center. From an administrative point of view, the airport is located within the city, only nine kilometers from its center.
Five airlines use the services of the Benias terminal, each of which positions itself as a budget. In four directions flights are carried out only in the summer season.
The largest and most famous company flying from Benias (there is also a variant of pronouncing Beniz) is the Hungarian WizzAir.
Regional Airports of Romania
In addition to the capital's airports, there are also regional ones in Romania. The largest of them is the Cluj-Napoca airfield. In terms of passenger traffic, this regional airport surpasses even the capital named after Banyas.
The airdrome begins its history in 1932, when a military test airfield was built in its place. Throughout its history, the airport has been repeatedly modernized and expanded.
Today, seventeen airlines take off from the airport, most of which are low cost. The main user is WizzAir, which has a total of thirty-six destinations.
The busiest routes from Cluj-Napoca are considered flights to Bucharest and London. On the first, 43 flights a week are made every week, on the second - 24.
Timisoara
Timisoara International Airport is named after the famous Romanian inventor and pioneer in the field of aviation Trajan Vuja. Located in the historical area of Banat, it is the main air hub of Western Romania.
WizzAir Airlines uses the Timisoara terminal as an operating base. In addition, this airport is a reserve for incidents or non-flying weather over Bucharest, Budapest or Belgrade.
Most flight destinations operate only during certain seasons. The rest of the time, flights to Budapest, Bergamo, Frankfurt, Munich, Rome, Madrid, Barcelona and several other European capitals regularly operate.
In addition, it is worth saying that at each international airport in Romania there is also a cargo terminal.