Henri Coandă International Airport

Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport (Romanian: Aeroportul Internațional Henri Coandă București) (IATA: OTP, ICAO: LROP) is Romania's busiest international airport, located in Otopeni, 16.5 km (10.3 mi) north of Bucharest's city centre.[1] 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.

"Bucharest Airport" redirects here. For other uses, see Bucharest Airport (disambiguation).
Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport

Aeroportul Internațional Henri Coandă București
Summary
Airport typePublic / Military
OperatorThe National Company "Bucharest Airports" S.A.
ServesBucharest, Romania
LocationOtopeni
Hub for
Focus city for
Elevation AMSL314 ft / 96 m
Coordinates44°34′16″N 26°05′06″E
Websitebucharestairports.ro
Map
OTP
Location within Romania
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
08R/26L 3,500 11,484 Concrete
08L/26R 3,500 11,484 Concrete
Helipads
Number Length Surface
m ft
H1 3.5 11 Concrete
Statistics (2019)
Passengers14,824,830
Passengers change 2019–18 7.95%
Aircraft movements124,396
Sources: Romanian AIP at Eurocontrol,[1] bucharestairports.ro[2]

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 (Romanian: Aeroportul Internațional București Otopeni). Henri Coandă International Airport serves as headquarters for TAROM, the country's national airline.[3] 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. (Compania Națională Aeroporturi București S.A.).[4] The military section of the airport is used by the 90th Airlift Flotilla of the Romanian Air Force.

History

Early years
Architect Cezar Lăzărescu

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 3,500 metres (11,500 ft) from the previous 1,200 metres (3,900 ft), making it one of the longest in Europe at that time.[5]

In August 1969, when United States President 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.[5] An improvement program added a second runway in 1986, expanding capacity to 35 aircraft movements per hour.[5]

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.[6]

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 2005–2007) as well as the transformation of the old terminal building in 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.[6]

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 17,000 square metres (200,000 sq ft), was inaugurated on 29 March 2011.[6][7] It was followed, in November 2012, by the extension of the Departure Hall to a total area of 38,600 square metres (400,000 sq ft).[8][9]

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.

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).[10] A walkway with shops connects the departures and arrivals buildings. The airside concourse is organized in two (domestic and international) passengers flows.[11] The entire terminal has 104 check-in desks, 38 gates (of which 14 are equipped with jetways),[8] and a total floor area of 86,000 square metres (930,000 sq ft).[5][7][9]

Future development

Beyond Phase III, a new terminal building (Henri Coandă 2) 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 and to the railway system. 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.

On January 18th, 2021, it has been announced that the airport purchased all the land it needs in order to begin the expansion.[12][13] However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, work is set to begin in 2023.[14]

Airlines and destinations

Passenger
AirlinesDestinations
Aegean Airlines Athens
Seasonal charter: Chania,[15] Corfu,[15] Heraklion,[15] Mykonos, Rhodes, Santorini, Zakynthos[15]
Aeroflot Moscow–Sheremetyevo
Air Bucharest Seasonal charter: Antalya,[16] Bodrum,[16] Enfidha,[16] Hurghada,[16] Sharm El Sheikh[16]
Air France Paris–Charles de Gaulle
Air Serbia Belgrade
Animawings[17][18] Hurghada
Seasonal: Antalya, Bodrum, Corfu, Dubai–International (begins 12 March 2021),[19] Enfidha, Gazipaşa (begins 7 June 2021),[17] Heraklion, Krabi (begins 5 November 2021),[20] Tenerife–South, Zakynthos, Zanzibar[21]
Seasonal charter: Agadir (begins 21 August 2021),[22] Mombasa,[23] Phuket (begins 2 November 2021)[20]
Austrian Airlines Vienna
Blue Air[24] Amsterdam, Athens (begins 29 March 2021),[25] Bacău,[26] Baia Mare,[27] Barcelona (resumes 29 March 2021),[25] Bari (begins 30 March 2021),[25] Beauvais (ends 28 March 2021),[28] Birmingham (resumes 29 March 2021),[25] Bologna (resumes 30 March 2021),[25] Brussels, Catania (resumes 29 March 2021),[25] Cluj-Napoca, Cologne/Bonn, Copenhagen, Dublin, Florence, Frankfurt (begins 28 March 2021),[29] Glasgow,[25] Hamburg (resumes 28 March 2021),[29] Helsinki, Iași, Larnaca, Lisbon (resumes 29 March 2021),[25] Liverpool, London–Heathrow,[30] London–Luton (resumes 28 March 2021),[31] Lyon, Madrid (resumes 29 March 2021),[25] Málaga, Milan–Linate (ends 25 March 2021),[32] Milan-Malpensa (resumes 28 March 2021),[33] Munich (begins 29 March 2021),[25] Naples, Nice, Oradea,[34] Oslo, Paris–Charles de Gaulle (begins 28 March 2021),[28] Prague (begins 29 March 2021),[25] Rome–Ciampino (ends 28 March 2021),[35] Rome–Fiumicino (begins 28 March 2021),[36] Stockholm–Arlanda, Stuttgart, Tel Aviv, Timișoara,[34] Turin (resumes 30 March 2021),[25] Valencia, Vienna (begins 29 March 2021)[25]
Seasonal: Heraklion (begins 15 May 2021),[37] Olbia (begins 1 June 2021),[37] Palma de Mallorca, Rhodes (begins 2 June 2021),[37] Zakynthos (begins 3 June 2021)[37]
Seasonal charter: Antalya,[38] Chania, Hurghada[38] Kittilä[39]
British Airways London–Heathrow
Czech Airlines Prague
Egyptair Seasonal charter: Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh[40]
El Al Tel Aviv
Eurowings Düsseldorf, Stuttgart[41]
flydubai Dubai–International
GullivAir Seasonal charter: Malé,[42] Mombasa (begins 3 March 2021),[43] Punta Cana[44]
KLM Amsterdam
LOT Polish Airlines Warsaw–Chopin
Seasonal: Kraków[45]
Lufthansa Frankfurt, Munich
Luxair Luxembourg (resumes 29 March 2021)[46]
Pegasus Airlines Istanbul–Sabiha Gökçen
Qatar Airways Doha
Ryanair Bergamo, Berlin, Bologna, Bristol, Charleroi, Dublin, Edinburgh, London–Stansted, London–Southend (resumes 28 March 2021),[47] Madrid, Manchester (begins 29 March 2021),[48] Marseille, Milan–Malpensa, Palermo (resumes 28 March 2021),[49] Paphos, Pisa (resumes 30 March 2021),[50] Rome–Ciampino, Tel Aviv (resumes 31 March 2021), Timișoara (resumes 28 March 2021),[51] Vienna
Seasonal: Amman–Queen Alia (resumes 30 March 2021),[52] Chania, Palma de Mallorca (begins 28 March 2021),[53] Pescara
Swiss International Air Lines Zürich
TAROM[54] Amman–Queen Alia, Amsterdam, Athens, Baia Mare, Barcelona, Beirut, Belgrade, Brussels, Budapest, Cairo, Chișinău, Cluj-Napoca, Frankfurt, Iași, Istanbul, London–Heathrow, Madrid, Munich, Nice, Oradea, Paris–Charles de Gaulle, Prague, Rome–Fiumicino, Satu Mare, Sofia, Suceava, Tel Aviv, Thessaloniki, Timișoara, Vienna
Turkish Airlines Istanbul
Wizz AirAbu Dhabi,[55] Alghero, Alicante, Barcelona, Bari, Basel/Mulhouse, Beauvais, Bergamo, Bergen,[56] Billund, Birmingham, Bologna, Cagliari,[56] Castellón, Catania, Charleroi, Copenhagen,[56] Doncaster/Sheffield, Dortmund, Edinburgh, Eindhoven, Geneva, Hamburg,[56] Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden,[56] Lisbon, Liverpool, London–Gatwick, London–Luton, London–Southend, Lyon,[57] Madrid, Málaga, Malmö, Malta, Memmingen,[56] Naples, Nice, Nuremberg, Pisa, Rome–Ciampino, Saint Petersburg, Sandefjord, Santander, Seville,[58] Stockholm–Skavsta, Tel Aviv, Tenerife–South, Treviso, Turin, Valencia, Venice, Vienna, Warsaw–Chopin, Zaragoza
Seasonal: Corfu (begins 15 June 2021),[59] Dubai–International (begins 12 February 2021),[60] Heraklion,[61] Mykonos,[56] Palma de Mallorca,[62] Santorini,[56] Zakynthos (begins 15 June 2021)[63]

Cargo
AirlinesDestinations
DHL Aviation Bergamo, Brescia, Budapest, Chișinău, Cluj-Napoca, Leipzig/Halle, Liège, Milan-Malpensa, Treviso
Turkish Cargo[64] Istanbul-Atatürk,[65] Tbilisi[65]
UPS Airlines[66]Cologne/Bonn

Statistics

Passengers
The older of two check-in halls
Arrivals hall
The newer check-in hall

In 2018, 13,824,830 passengers passed through the airport, an increase of 7.95% compared to 2017.[67]

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).[68]

Annual traffic
Year Passengers (total)[67] Change[67] Passengers (domestic flights) Aircraft movements[69] Cargo (tonnes)
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%
-
-
-

See source Wikidata query.

2018
Month Passengers[67] Change (2017–2018) 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
Busiest Domestic Routes from Henri Coandă International Airport
RankAirportPassengers 2016Passengers 2017Passengers 2018Carriers
1 Cluj Airport
289,665
493,956
489,757
Blue Air, TAROM
2 Timișoara Airport
219,070
356,684
410,140
Ryanair, TAROM
3 Iași Airport
285,085
297,879
286,728
Blue Air, TAROM
Sources:Eurostat,[70] INSSE[71]

Ground transportation

Rail

An airport rail link service to the main railway station, Gara de Nord (Bucharest North), runs from the Airport railway station located near the parking lot of the Arrivals hall.[72] As of December 2020, the trains, alternately operated by CFR, Regio and TFC, travels in 20 minutes, departing every 40 minutes, seven days a week.[72]

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.[73]

RATB Route 783 diagram (connections to Bucharest Metro lines shown)

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 (Piața Unirii).[74] Route 783 to the city center is running 24 hours a day.

Car

The airport is 16.5 km (10.3 mi) 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.[75]

Uber and Bolt are also available at the airport.

Incidents and accidents

See also

References
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