Henri Coandă International Airport
Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport is Romania's busiest international airport, located in Otopeni, north of Bucharest's city centre. It is currently one of two airports serving the capital of Romania. The other is Aurel Vlaicu Airport, which no longer serves scheduled passenger traffic.
The airport is named after Romanian flight pioneer Henri Coandă, 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. Henri Coandă International Airport serves as headquarters for TAROM, the country's national airline. It also serves as a base of operations for low-cost airlines Blue Air, Ryanair and Wizz Air. It is managed by The National Company Bucharest Airports S.A.. The military section of the airport is used by the 90th Airlift Flotilla of the Romanian Air Force.
History
Early years
During World War II, the airport in Otopeni was used as an airbase by the German Air Force. 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 from the previous, making it one of the longest in Europe at that time.In August 1969, when United States President Nixon visited Romania, a VIP lounge was inaugurated. A new passenger terminal, with a capacity of 1,200,000 passengers per year, was opened on 13 April 1970, for domestic and international flights. An improvement program added a second runway in 1986, expanding capacity to 35 aircraft movements per hour.
In 1992, Otopeni Airport became a regular member of Airports Council International.
Expansion since the 1990s
The first stage of the plan, 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 as well as the extension of airport ramps and of their associated taxiways.The second phase of the plan led to the construction of a terminal dedicated to domestic flights and of a multi-story car park, the complete overhaul of the control tower as well as the transformation of the old terminal building in a dedicated arrivals hall. During the same phase, two high-speed taxiways were constructed. Phase II was completed in 2007.
The third stage of the plan, which started in 2009, involved the extension of the airside concourse with 15 new gates, as well as the expansion of the Departure Hall. The airside concourse extension, designed by Studio Capelli Architettura & Associati, and measuring, was inaugurated on 29 March 2011. It was followed, in November 2012, by the extension of the Departure Hall to a total area of.
In March 2012, all air traffic except for business air traffic was transferred from Aurel Vlaicu International Airport to Henri Coandă International Airport.
Terminals
The airport's facilities consist of a single terminal with three main facilities : the Departures Hall/Terminal, the Arrivals Hall/Terminal, and the Finger Terminal. A walkway with shops connects the departures and arrivals buildings. The airside concourse is organized in two passengers flows. The entire terminal has 104 check-in desks, 38 gates, and a total floor area of.Future development
Beyond Phase III, a new terminal building at the eastern end of the current location is envisaged. 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, to the railway system, and to the Bucharest Metro system through Metro Line 6.However, the plans might get delayed due to funding problems. There is a chance however that, if funds can be allocated in time, the airport can open its new terminal by 2025.
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
Cargo
Statistics
Passengers
In 2018, 13,824,830 passengers passed through the airport, an increase of 7.95% compared to 2017.In 2018, the airport handled 13.8 million passengers and 39,534 tons of cargo.
| Year | Passengers | Change | Passengers | Aircraft movements | Cargo |
| 2005 | 2,972,799 | 49,593 | 16,887 | ||
| 2006 | 3,497,938 | 17.6% | 55,056 | 18,089 | |
| 2007 | 4,937,683 | 41.1% | 410,916 | 67,372 | 17,423 |
| 2008 | 5,063,555 | 2.5% | 497,208 | 69,916 | 22,464 |
| 2009 | 4,480,765 | 11.5% | 496,391 | 69,692 | 21,585 |
| 2010 | 4,916,964 | 9.7% | 71,481 | ||
| 2011 | 5,049,443 | 2.7% | |||
| 2012 | 7,120,024 | 41% | 98,600 | 26,493 | |
| 2013 | 7,643,467 | 7.3% | 86,730 | 28,432 | |
| 2014 | 8,316,705 | 8.8% | 91,788 | 29,193 | |
| 2015 | 9,282,884 | 11.6% | 502,928 | 97,218 | 31,421 |
| 2016 | 10,982,967 | 18.3% | 872,915 | 108,285 | 34,125 |
| 2017 | 12,804,191 | 16.6% | 1,289,596 | 116,718 | 37,415 |
| 2018 | 13,824,830 | 7.95% | 122,966 | ||
| 2019 | 14,697,239 | 6.34% |
| Month | Passengers | Change | Passengers Cumulatively |
| January | 907,630 | 7.1% | 907,630 |
| February | 847,200 | 4.7% | 1,754,830 |
| March | 1,005,602 | 6.7% | 2,760,432 |
| April | 1,139,852 | 9% | 3,900,284 |
| May | 1,182,105 | 7.2% | 5,082,389 |
| June | 1,254,710 | 7.4% | 6,337,099 |
| July | 1,394,908 | 8.9% | 7,732,007 |
| August | 1,424,175 | 7.9% | 9,156,182 |
| September | 1,339,889 | 8.2% | 10,496,071 |
| October | 1,238,860 | 7.3% | 11,734,931 |
| November | 1,063,278 | 11.1% | 12,798,209 |
| December | 1,026,621 | % | 13,824,830 |
Busiest routes
Ground transportation
Rail
A direct train service to the main railway station, Gara de Nord, runs from the Airport railway station, about 900 meters from the airport. Shuttle buses connect this station with the departures and arrivals halls; the tickets are valid for the train and for the transfer bus. As of June 2020, works are being carried out to an overpass, that will connect the existing railway to the parking lot of the Arrivals hall. The new station will link the Gara de Nord railway station to the airport in 20 minutes. The frequency of the service is estimated to be every 10 minutes.A new Metro Line M6 is also planned, connecting the airport to the Gara de Nord train station, and integrating the airport into the Bucharest Metro network.
Bus
Henri Coandă Airport is connected to the public transport company STB system. The 780 route provides express bus service to Gara de Nord and Gara Basarab railway stations in Bucharest and the routes 783 and 784 provide express bus service to the city center. Route 783 to the city center is running 24 hours a day.Car
The airport is north of central Bucharest, to which it is connected by route DN1. The A3 motorway will connect the future terminal 2 and the city.Taxi
As of May 2013, taxis serving Henri Coandă Airport can be ordered using a touch screen system in the arrivals terminal, allowing the taxi drivers to enter the pick-up area. This measure was taken after many complaints from passengers who were being ripped off when using illegal, high-price taxis.Uber and Bolt are also available at the airport.
Incidents and accidents
- On 31 March 1995, TAROM Flight 371, an Airbus A310-324 registered as YR-LCC, stalled after takeoff and crashed near Baloteşti. All 60 people aboard were killed.
- On 30 December 2007, a TAROM Boeing 737-300, 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.