Aviation in Romania
Encyclopedia
Romania
has a rich tradition in the aviation
field. At the beginning of the 20th century, flight pioneers like Aurel Vlaicu
, Traian Vuia
and George Valentin Bibescu
brought important contributions to early aviation history, building revolutionary aeroplanes and changing the age's mentalities.
In the present, the Romanian Civil Aeronautic Authority is the one overseeing the activities.
exhibited his first aircraft in 1910, worked in the UK to design aircraft for World War I, and continued to make inventions in a variety of fields. He discovered the Coanda effect
of fluidics.
Hermann Oberth
was also a native Romanian, born in Sibiu
.
Along the 20th century Romania built military aircraft (the IAR-39 and IAR-80 before and during World War II and the IAR-93
and IAR-99 Şoim since the 70s), helicopters (IAR 316
, IAR 330
- under Aérospatiale
licence) as well as passenger aircraft (ROMBAC 1-11 built under British Aircraft Corporation
licence).
The industrial facilities for aircraft building and maintenance are located in Bacǎu
(Aerostar
), Braşov
(Industria Aeronautică Română
), Craiova
(Avioane Craiova
) and Bucharest
(Romaero, Turbomecanica).
Dumitru Prunariu
is the only Romanian astronaut who participated in a space mission (Soyuz 40
- May 14, 1981).
Former Romanian carriers:
, but still underdeveloped compared to Western countries standards. There are 17 commercial airports in service today, most of them opened for international traffic. Five of the airports (OTP, BBU, TSR, CND, SBZ) have runways of over 3,000 m in length and are capable of handling wide-body aircraft
. Three of the airports (BCM, CRA, SUJ) have runways of 2,500 m in length, while the rest of them have runways of 1,800 to 2,000 m. As of December 2006, TCE and CSB are the only airports with no regular flights. Almost all the airports have experienced traffic growth in the last 4 years.
Here is the list of airports in Romania considering the passenger traffic criteria.
is the Romanian airline with the most spectacular growth; the national carrier TAROM
is recovering from a difficult period at the beginning of 2000s, 2004 being the first profitable year in the last 10 years, but with a price: the cancellation of the long-haul flights to New York
, Chicago
, Montreal
and Beijing
. In 2006 the company started a fleet update program with the acquisition of 4 new Airbus A318 airplanes. The first Romanian low-cost airline, Blue Air
, is going through a development phase, while other low cost airlines are ready to start their operations.
There are many investment projects also in airport infrastructure: the upgrading of the existing airports (major rehabilitation programs for OTP, TSR, CLJ, CND, the airports with the most significant traffic growth) and the construction of three new airports in Braşov
, Galaţi
- Brăila
(a 600,000 inhabitants urban area without airport access) and Deva
- Alba Iulia
(Southern Transylvania).
Currently (dec. 2006) the most advanced project is the construction of the new Braşov Airport
http://www.aeroportbrasov.ro, the construction site opening is planned for March 2007. The project consists of a 1 mil. passengers/year terminal and a runway of 2,800 m long.
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
has a rich tradition in the aviation
Aviation
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
field. At the beginning of the 20th century, flight pioneers like Aurel Vlaicu
Aurel Vlaicu
Aurel Vlaicu was a Romanian engineer, inventor, airplane constructor and early pilot.-Biography:Aurel Vlaicu was born in Binţinţi , Geoagiu, Transylvania. He attended Calvinist High School in Orăştie and took his Baccalaureate in Sibiu in 1902...
, Traian Vuia
Traian Vuia
Traian Vuia was a Romanian inventor and aviation pioneer who designed, builtand flew an early aircraft. His first flight traveled about 12 m at Montesson, France on March 18, 1906...
and George Valentin Bibescu
George Valentin Bibescu
George Valentin, Prince Bibescu was a Romanian early aviation pioneer.Prince George III Valentin Bibescu , nephew of Gheorghe Bibescu, domnitor of Wallachia, was born in Bucharest....
brought important contributions to early aviation history, building revolutionary aeroplanes and changing the age's mentalities.
In the present, the Romanian Civil Aeronautic Authority is the one overseeing the activities.
History
The Romanian scientist Henri CoandăHenri Coanda
Henri Marie Coandă was a Romanian inventor, aerodynamics pioneer and builder of an experimental aircraft, the Coandă-1910 described by Coandă in the mid-1950s as the world's first jet, a controversial claim disputed by some and supported by others...
exhibited his first aircraft in 1910, worked in the UK to design aircraft for World War I, and continued to make inventions in a variety of fields. He discovered the Coanda effect
Coanda effect
The Coandă effect is the tendency of a fluid jet to be attracted to a nearby surface. The principle was named after Romanian aerodynamics pioneer Henri Coandă, who was the first to recognize the practical application of the phenomenon in aircraft development....
of fluidics.
Hermann Oberth
Hermann Oberth
Hermann Julius Oberth was an Austro-Hungarian-born German physicist and engineer. He is considered one of the founding fathers of rocketry and astronautics.- Early life :...
was also a native Romanian, born in Sibiu
Sibiu
Sibiu is a city in Transylvania, Romania with a population of 154,548. Located some 282 km north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles the Cibin River, a tributary of the river Olt...
.
Along the 20th century Romania built military aircraft (the IAR-39 and IAR-80 before and during World War II and the IAR-93
IAR-93
IAR-93 "Vultur" is a twin-engine, subsonic, close support, ground attack and tactical reconnaissance aircraft with secondary capability as low level interceptor, built as single-seat main attack version or combat capable two-seat version for advanced flying and weapon training...
and IAR-99 Şoim since the 70s), helicopters (IAR 316
IAR 316
-References:* http://avia.russian.ee/helicopters_eng/iar-317.php* https://sites.google.com/site/stingrayslistofrotorcraft/iar-317-airfox-See also:...
, IAR 330
IAR 330
|-See also:-External links:*...
- under Aérospatiale
Aérospatiale
Aérospatiale was a French aerospace manufacturer that built both civilian and military aircraft, rockets and satellites. It was originally known as Société Nationale Industrielle Aérospatiale...
licence) as well as passenger aircraft (ROMBAC 1-11 built under British Aircraft Corporation
British Aircraft Corporation
The British Aircraft Corporation was a British aircraft manufacturer formed from the government-pressured merger of English Electric Aviation Ltd., Vickers-Armstrongs , the Bristol Aeroplane Company and Hunting Aircraft in 1960. Bristol, English Electric and Vickers became "parents" of BAC with...
licence).
The industrial facilities for aircraft building and maintenance are located in Bacǎu
Bacau
Bacău is the main city in Bacău County, Romania. It covers a land surface of 43 km², and, as of January 1, 2009, has an estimated population of 177,087. The city is situated in the historical region of Moldavia, at the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains, and on the Bistriţa River...
(Aerostar
Aerostar
Aerostar S.A., is an aeronautical manufacturing company based in Bacău, Romania.-History:Since its establishment in 1953, the company's name has changed in turn from U.R.A. to I.R.Av, I.Av. and finally Aerostar...
), Braşov
Brasov
Brașov is a city in Romania and the capital of Brașov County.According to the last Romanian census, from 2002, there were 284,596 people living within the city of Brașov, making it the 8th most populated city in Romania....
(Industria Aeronautică Română
Industria Aeronautica Româna
Industria Aeronautică Română or Romanian Aeronautic Industry in English, is a Romanian aerospace manufacturer founded in 1925. Based in Ghimbav, near Braşov, Romania, the company employs around 1200 specialists including more than 170 engineers...
), Craiova
Craiova
Craiova , Romania's 6th largest city and capital of Dolj County, is situated near the east bank of the river Jiu in central Oltenia. It is a longstanding political center, and is located at approximately equal distances from the Southern Carpathians and the River Danube . Craiova is the chief...
(Avioane Craiova
Avioane Craiova SA
Avioane Craiova S.A. is an aeronautical company based in Gherceşti, near Craiova, Romania.-History:Established in 1972 for developing, manufacturing and providing product support of military aircraft to Romanian Air Force, the company began by co-operating with former Yugoslavian company SOKO and...
) and Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
(Romaero, Turbomecanica).
Dumitru Prunariu
Dumitru Prunariu
Dumitru-Dorin Prunariu is a retired Romanian astronaut who flew aboard Soyuz 40.-Early life and career:Born on September 27, 1952 in Braşov, Romania, Prunariu graduated from the Physics and Mathematics high school in Braşov in 1971 and from the University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest in 1976,...
is the only Romanian astronaut who participated in a space mission (Soyuz 40
Soyuz 40
-Backup crew:-Mission parameters:*Mass: 6800 kg*Perigee: 198.1 km*Apogee: 287 km*Inclination: 51.6°*Period: 89.06 minutes-Mission highlights:...
- May 14, 1981).
Romanian air transport operators
- TAROMTAROMS.C. Compania Națională de Transporturi Aeriene Române TAROM S.A., doing business as TAROM Romanian Air Transport, is the flag carrier and oldest currently operating airline of Romania. The brand name is an acronym for...
- the state-owned Romanian operator, with the hub on Henri Coandă International AirportHenri Coanda International AirportHenri Coandă International Airport is Romania's busiest international airport, located northwest of the city of Bucharest, within Otopeni city limits. One of two airports serving the Romanian capital, the other being Băneasa, it is named after Romanian flight pioneer Henri Coandă, builder of... - RomaviaRomaviaRomavia, also known as Romanian Aviation Company, is an airline based in Bucharest, Romania. As a state-owned company controlled by the Romanian Ministry of National Defense, it has offered VIP state and ministerial flights, as well as chartered and scheduled passenger and cargo services out of its...
- CarpatairCarpatairCarpatair S.A. is the largest regional airline in Eastern Europe, based in Timişoara, Romania. It operates services to 34 destinations in Europe. It co-operates closely with Moldavian Airlines on fleet, maintenance and logistics...
- the hub airport: Timişoara "Traian Vuia" - Blue AirBlue AirBlue Air Transport Aerian S.A. is a low-cost airline based in Bucharest, Romania, operating mostly out of Aurel Vlaicu International Airport It started operations in December 2004.- Destinations :...
- hub airport: Bucharest "Aurel Vlaicu", Bacau - Jetran Air
- Acvila AirAcvila AirJeTran Air is an airline based at Aurel Vlaicu International Airport in Bucharest. It operates scheduled passenger services in few holiday destinations throughout Europe and Wet lease services to other airlines under ACMI contracts.-History:...
- Ion Ţiriac AirIon Tiriac AirȚiriac Air was founded in 1997 as part of Țiriac Group. Over the years, TiriacAIR has grown into the Romania's most prestigious charter operator specialised in VIP and corporate travel...
Former Romanian carriers:
- Jaro InternationalJaro InternationalJaro was a charter airline based at Aurel Vlaicu International Airport in Bucharest, Romania, and operated from 1991 to 2001, when it was liquided by bankruptcy.-History:...
- hub at "Aurel Vlaicu" International Airport, Bucharest - Angel AirlinesAngel Airlines (Romania)Angel Airlines was a private airline with its base at Băneasa Airport , Bucharest, Romania. It operated domestically, to main cities in Romania.-Code data:*ICAO Code: KOZ*Callsign: ANGEL WINGS-History:...
- hub airport : Bucharest "Aurel Vlaicu" - Dac AirDac Air-External links:*...
- LAR Romanian AirlinesLAR Romanian AirlinesLAR or Liniile Aeriene Române was the charter flights division of the Romanian national airline, TAROM. The company operated between 1975 and 1997 and employed a fleet of BAC 1-11s.-External links:**...
Airports in Romania
Romania has a well-developed airport infrastructure compared to other countries in Eastern EuropeEastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
, but still underdeveloped compared to Western countries standards. There are 17 commercial airports in service today, most of them opened for international traffic. Five of the airports (OTP, BBU, TSR, CND, SBZ) have runways of over 3,000 m in length and are capable of handling wide-body aircraft
Wide-body aircraft
A wide-body aircraft is a large airliner with two passenger aisles, also known as a widebody aircraft or twin-aisle aircraft. The typical fuselage diameter is . In the typical wide-body economy cabin, passengers are seated seven to ten abreast, allowing a total capacity of 200 to 850 passengers...
. Three of the airports (BCM, CRA, SUJ) have runways of 2,500 m in length, while the rest of them have runways of 1,800 to 2,000 m. As of December 2006, TCE and CSB are the only airports with no regular flights. Almost all the airports have experienced traffic growth in the last 4 years.
Here is the list of airports in Romania considering the passenger traffic criteria.
International airports
| Airport | IATA code | passengers (2008) | % compared to previous year | aircraft movements (2008) | website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bucharest "Henri Coandă" Henri Coanda International Airport Henri Coandă International Airport is Romania's busiest international airport, located northwest of the city of Bucharest, within Otopeni city limits. One of two airports serving the Romanian capital, the other being Băneasa, it is named after Romanian flight pioneer Henri Coandă, builder of... (former Otopeni Otopeni Otopeni is a town in Ilfov County, Romania, some north of Bucharest along the road to Ploieşti. It has 10,215 inhabitants, of which 99.0% are Romanians. One village, Odăile, is administered by the town.... ) |
OTP | 5,064,230 | +1.7% | 71,137 | www.otp-airport.ro |
| Bucharest "Aurel Vlaicu" Aurel Vlaicu International Airport -Terminated destinations:-See also:*Aviation in Romania*Transport in Romania*Blue Air-External links:**... (former Băneasa Baneasa Băneasa is a borough in the north side of Bucharest, near the Băneasa Lake . Like all north-side districts of Bucharest, it is relatively sparsely populated, with large areas of parkland... ) |
BBU | 1,768,000 | +80% | www.baneasa-airport.ro | |
| Timişoara "Traian Vuia" Traian Vuia International Airport Timişoara "Traian Vuia" International is Romania's third largest airport in terms of air traffic, after Bucharest Henri Coandă and Bucharest Aurel Vlaicu Airport and the main air transportation hub for the western part of Romania. It is located in Timişoara, in the region of Banat, near the... |
TSR | 900,000 | +5% | 27,100 | www.aerotim.ro |
| Cluj-Napoca Cluj-Napoca International Airport Cluj-Napoca International Airport serves the city of Cluj-Napoca, Romania. It was initially known as Someşeni Airport as it is located east of the city centre in the Someşeni area, which is now within the Cluj-Napoca city limits. In terms of traffic, it is the fourth airport in Romania, after... |
CLJ | 753,000 | +93% | 25,000 | www.airportcluj.ro |
| Iaşi Iasi International Airport Iaşi Airport is an airport serving the city of Iaşi, Romania. It is situated northeast of the city centre.-History:Iaşi Airport is one of the oldest accredited airports in Romania. The Iaşi region earned its commercial representative status on 24 June 1926, when scheduled flights were... |
IAS | 146,000 | +21% | www.aeroport.ro | |
| Sibiu Sibiu International Airport Sibiu International Airport or Aeroportul International Sibiu serves the historic city of Sibiu. It is located in southern Transylvania, west of Sibiu and about northwest of Romania's capital city, Bucharest. In 2006 - 2008, the airport passed through the most important rehabilitation program in... |
SBZ | 141,012 | +33% | 5,995 | www.sibiuairport.ro |
| Arad Arad International Airport Arad International Airport is located west of Arad, in western Romania, in the historical region of Crisana. The airport is located only north of Timişoara Airport, the third largest airport in the country.-Airlines and destinations:... |
ARW | 130,000 | +93% | 787 (2004) | www.aeroportularad.ro |
| Bacău "George Enescu" Bacau International Airport -Terminated destinations:-Traffic statistics:George Enescu International handled 241,000 passengers in 2010, which represents a 23.4% increase over the previous year.-External links:*... |
BCM | 114,000 | www.bacauairport.ro | ||
| Constanţa "Mihail Kogălniceanu" Mihail Kogalniceanu International Airport Mihail Kogălniceanu Airport is situated in south-east Romania, in the commune of Mihail Kogălniceanu, north northwest of Constanţa. It is the main airport of Dobrogea region and it provides access to the Constanţa County, the Constanţa city port and Black Sea Romanian resorts... |
CND | 80,000 | www.mk-airport.ro | ||
| Târgu Mureş Târgu Mures International Airport Târgu Mureş International Airport is an international airport located southwest of Târgu Mureş, Mureş County, in central Romania.Opened in 1961, it serves the city of Târgu Mureş Târgu Mureş International Airport is an international airport located southwest of Târgu Mureş, Mureş County, in... |
TGM | 70,173 | -56% | 2,500 | www.targumuresairport.ro |
| Suceava "Stefan cel Mare" Suceava Airport Suceava "Ştefan cel Mare" Airport is an airport located in northeastern Romania, east of the municipality of Suceava, west of the municipality of Botoşani and close to the town of Salcea. It serves both Suceava and Botoşani counties. The airport has six parking stands.-History:Ştefan cel Mare... |
SCV | 22,791 | +70% | 872 (2006) | www.aeroportsuceava.ro |
| Baia Mare Baia Mare Airport Baia Mare Airport is situated in northwest Romania, located in Tăuţii-Măgherăuş, west of Baia Mare municipality and in the historic region of Maramureş.... |
BAY | 22,462 | 503 (2006) | www.baiamareairport.go.ro |
Domestic airports
Note that some of these airports see at least some minor seasonal international charter activity, and are thus, at least part-time, staffed by customs officials. Tulcea has a fairly important general and private aviation role (including international flights of such nature).| Airport | IATA code | passengers (2008) | % compared to previous year | aircraft movements (2004) | website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oradea Oradea International Airport -Accidents and incidents:On 4 February 1970, an Antonov 24B operated by TAROM crashed into the mountains near Oradea while inbound from Bucharest Otopeni InternationalOn 27 May 1971, an Ilyushin 14 operated by TAROM was hijacked after departure from Oradea... |
OMR | 50,000 | 2,078 | www.aeroportoradea.ro | |
| Craiova Craiova Airport Craiova Airport is located in south-western part of Romania, east of Craiova municipality, one of Romania's largest cities. The airport region is the headquarters of Avioane Craiova SA , the company which built the Romanian IAR-93 and IAR-99 aircraft.A new terminal was opened at Craiova airport... |
CRA | 23,000 | |||
| Tulcea Tulcea Airport Tulcea Airport is located in south-eastern Romania, south of the city of Tulcea, on the Danube bank and close to the Danube Delta. It is Dobrogea's second important airport .... |
TCE | unknown | unknown | www.aeroportul-tulcea.ro | |
| Satu Mare Satu Mare International Airport Satu Mare International Airport is located in north west Romania, it is located south of Satu Mare municipality and county. The airport is located in a "high density" airports area, with many airports on an radius .... |
SUJ | 10,000 | 800 | www.aeroportulsm.ro |
Future development
Following the ascending curve of the economy growth, the air transportation in Romania experiences a favorable trend. CarpatairCarpatair
Carpatair S.A. is the largest regional airline in Eastern Europe, based in Timişoara, Romania. It operates services to 34 destinations in Europe. It co-operates closely with Moldavian Airlines on fleet, maintenance and logistics...
is the Romanian airline with the most spectacular growth; the national carrier TAROM
TAROM
S.C. Compania Națională de Transporturi Aeriene Române TAROM S.A., doing business as TAROM Romanian Air Transport, is the flag carrier and oldest currently operating airline of Romania. The brand name is an acronym for...
is recovering from a difficult period at the beginning of 2000s, 2004 being the first profitable year in the last 10 years, but with a price: the cancellation of the long-haul flights to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
and Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. In 2006 the company started a fleet update program with the acquisition of 4 new Airbus A318 airplanes. The first Romanian low-cost airline, Blue Air
Blue Air
Blue Air Transport Aerian S.A. is a low-cost airline based in Bucharest, Romania, operating mostly out of Aurel Vlaicu International Airport It started operations in December 2004.- Destinations :...
, is going through a development phase, while other low cost airlines are ready to start their operations.
There are many investment projects also in airport infrastructure: the upgrading of the existing airports (major rehabilitation programs for OTP, TSR, CLJ, CND, the airports with the most significant traffic growth) and the construction of three new airports in Braşov
Brasov
Brașov is a city in Romania and the capital of Brașov County.According to the last Romanian census, from 2002, there were 284,596 people living within the city of Brașov, making it the 8th most populated city in Romania....
, Galaţi
Galati
Galați is a city and municipality in Romania, the capital of Galați County. Located in the historical region of Moldavia, in the close vicinity of Brăila, Galați is the largest port and sea port on the Danube River and the second largest Romanian port....
- Brăila
Braila
Brăila is a city in Muntenia, eastern Romania, a port on the Danube and the capital of Brăila County, in the close vicinity of Galaţi.According to the 2002 Romanian census there were 216,292 people living within the city of Brăila, making it the 10th most populous city in Romania.-History:A...
(a 600,000 inhabitants urban area without airport access) and Deva
Deva, Romania
Deva is a city in Romania, in the historical region of Transylvania, on the left bank of the Mureș River. It is the capital of Hunedoara County.-Name:...
- Alba Iulia
Alba Iulia
Alba Iulia is a city in Alba County, Transylvania, Romania with a population of 66,747, located on the Mureş River. Since the High Middle Ages, the city has been the seat of Transylvania's Roman Catholic diocese. Between 1541 and 1690 it was the capital of the Principality of Transylvania...
(Southern Transylvania).
Currently (dec. 2006) the most advanced project is the construction of the new Braşov Airport
Brasov Airport
Braşov-Ghimbav International Airport is an airport currently under construction in Ghimbav, near Braşov, Romania right by the future A3 motorway. Planned costs of the project are around one hundred million euros...
http://www.aeroportbrasov.ro, the construction site opening is planned for March 2007. The project consists of a 1 mil. passengers/year terminal and a runway of 2,800 m long.