Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport
Bucharest Henri Coandǎ International Airport Aeroportul Internațional Henri Coandă | |||||||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Public/Military | ||||||||||||||
| Operator | The National Company "Bucharest Airports" S.A. | ||||||||||||||
| Serves | Bucharest, Romania | ||||||||||||||
| Location | Otopeni | ||||||||||||||
| Hub for |
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| Focus city for | Wizz Air | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 314 ft / 96 m | ||||||||||||||
| Website | bucharestairports.ro | ||||||||||||||
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  OTP Location within Romania | |||||||||||||||
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| Runways | |||||||||||||||
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| Helipads | |||||||||||||||
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| Statistics (2013) | |||||||||||||||
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Henri Coandă International Airport (Template:Lang-ro) (IATA: OTP, ICAO: LROP) is Romania's busiest international airport, located 16.5 km (10.3 mi) northwest of the city of Bucharest, within Otopeni city limits.[1] One of two airports serving the capital, the other being Băneasa, it is named after Romanian flight pioneer Henri Coandă, builder of Coandă-1910 aircraft and discoverer of the Coandă effect of fluidics. Until May 2004, the official name was Bucharest Otopeni International Airport (Romanian: Aeroportul Internațional București Otopeni), which remains the name by which it is generally known. The military section of the airport is used by the 90th Airlift Flotilla of the Romanian Air Force.
Henri Coandă International Airport serves as headquarters for TAROM, the country's national airline, and Țiriac Air.[2][3] It also serves as a base of operations for charter or low-cost airlines Air Bucharest, Blue Air and Wizz Air. It is managed by The National Company Bucharest Airports S.A. (Compania Națională Aeroporturi București S.A.).[4]
History
During World War II, the airport in Otopeni was used as an airbase by the German air force. Up to 1965, it was restricted for military use and was one of the major bases of the Romanian Air Force, with a runway of 1,200 metres (3,900 ft). Before 1965, Băneasa Airport was the only airport that Bucharest used for commercial flights. However, with the growth of air traffic, a new commercial airport was constructed in the settlement of Otopeni, where the military air base used to be. The runway was modernised, extended up to 3,500 metres (11,500 ft), making it one of the longest in Europe IN 1965. Also, a new passenger terminal (designed by Cezar Lăzărescu) was constructed in 1970 for domestic and international flights.
In the late 1960s, when President Nixon of the United States visited Romania, a new VIP lounge was created. On 13 April 1970, the passenger terminal was updated to have a capacity of 1,200,000 passengers per year. The airport slowly became more and more used by airlines, with a growing number of passengers. In 1986, it entered a new phase of development. A second 3500-metre runway was constructed, as well as related taxiways. The airport lighting system was improved and the capacity was increased to 35–40 airport movements per hour.
In 1992, Otopeni Airport became a regular member of Airports Council International (ACI). In the same year a long-term, multi-stage upgrade plan was devised, anticipating a sharp increase in traffic as traveling restrictions to and from Romania were lifted.
The first stage of the plan (Phase I), taking place between 1994 and 1998, involved the construction 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.[5]
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 (Oscar and Victor) were constructed. Phase II was completed in 2007.[5]
The third stage of the plan (Phase III), started in 2009, involves the extension of the airside concourse ('the Finger') with 15 new gates (of which nine jetways), as well as the expansion of Departure Hall (eight new gates) and Arrivals Hall. The airside concourse, designed by Studio Capelli Architettura & Associati, was inaugurated on 29 March 2011.[5][6] It was followed, in November 2012, by the extension of the Departure Hall.[7]
The airport has ILS CAT III B status on runways 08R and 08L.
Current and future development
The airport is undertaking Phase III of its development program, a €150 million investment, which consist of the expansion of Departure Hall, Arrivals Hall and the concourse. At the end of this phase, the terminal will have a processing capacity of 4,500 passengers per hour,[8] and capacity is expected to rise to 6 million passengers annually on domestic and international routes.[9]
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. Thus, by 2023, Terminal 2 alone should be able to handle the 20 million passengers per year indicated by estimates. The terminal will be directly connected to A3 motorway, to the railway system, and to the Bucharest Metro system as Bucharest Metro Line M6.[10]
Terminals
The airport's facilities consist of a single terminal with two main buildings (occasionally considered to be separate terminals). These buildings are the Departures Hall (formerly known as International Departures Hall) and the Arrivals Hall (formerly known as International Arrivals/Domestic Hall).[11] A walkway with shops connects the buildings. The airside concourse (the so-called finger terminal) is organized in two (Schengen/non-Schengen) passengers transit flows.[12]
The airport has 32 gates (of which 14 equipped with jetways).[7]
Airlines and destinations
Passenger scheduled flights
Passenger charter flights
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Aegean Airlines | Seasonal: Corfu, Heraklion, Kos, Mykonos, Santorini, Rhodes, Zakynthos |
| Air Bucharest | Seasonal: Antalya, Bodrum, Corfu, Heraklion, Hurghada, Kos, Palma de Mallorca, Rhodes |
| Air Europa | Tenerife-South |
| Air Malta | Malta |
| Fly Romania operated by Ten Airways | Seasonal: Antalya |
| Nouvelair | Seasonal: Tunis |
| TAROM | Seasonal: Antalya, Bodrum, Corfu, Heraklion, Hurghada, Kos, Mykonos, Preveza/Lefkada, Rhodes, Santorini, Sharm el-Sheikh, Skiathos, Tenerife-South |
| Tunisair | Seasonal: Tunis |
Passenger destination maps
Cargo
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| DHL Aviation | Bergamo, Budapest, Chişinău, Treviso |
| TNT Airways | Liège, Munich, Sofia |
| UPS Airlines operated by Farnair Switzerland | Cologne/Bonn, Katowice |
Services
Services for passengers
The International Departure area hosts a variety of shops, cafes, lounges, Internet cafes and many more. There is also a chapel at the first level of the International Departures Hall. The facilities inside the airport are easily accessible for the persons with disabilities. Airlines distribute Romanian- and English-language newspapers at the departure gates.
Ancillary services
The main handling agent in the airport is Globeground, the second being Menzies. The catering services are provided by Alpha Rocas [3].
Traffic and statistics
In 2013, Henri Coandă International received 7,643,467 passengers, an increase of 7.6% compared to 2012.
| Year | Passengers (total)[15] | Passengers (domestic flights) | Aircraft movements[15] | Cargo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 2,972,799 | 49,593 | 16,887 tonnes | |
| 2006 | 3,497,938 | 55,056 | 18,089 tonnes | |
| 2007 | 4,937,683 | 410,916 | 67,372 | 17,423 tonnes |
| 2008 | 5,063,555 | 497,208 | 69,916 | |
| 2009 | 4,480,765 | 496,391 | 69,692 | |
| 2010 | 4,802,510 | 71,481 | ||
| 2011 | 5,049,443 | |||
| 2012 | 7,101,712 | 98,600 | ||
| 2013 | 7,643,467 | 106,159 |
| City | Airport(s) | Weekly Departures (January 2014) |
Airlines |
|---|---|---|---|
.svg){kind=small} London
|
Heathrow Airport, Gatwick Airport, Luton Airport, Stansted Airport | ||
 Vienna
|
Vienna Airport | ||
 Paris
|
Beauvais–Tillé Airport, Charles de Gaulle Airport | ||
 Istanbul
|
Atatürk Airport, Sabiha Gökçen Airport | ||
 Rome
|
Fiumicino Airport, Ciampino Airport | ||
 Munich
|
Munich Airport | ||
| Frankfurt
|
Frankfurt Airport | ||
 Cluj-Napoca
|
Cluj-Napoca Airport | ||
| Iași
|
Iași Airport | ||
| Timișoara
|
Traian Vuia Airport | ||
 Chisinau
|
Chisinau Airport |
Ground transportation
 |
Train
A direct train service to the main railway station, Gara de Nord, runs from the Airport railway station, about 900 m 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.
The next phase of the expansion aims to locate the train station in the airport itself.
Bus
Henri Coandă Airport is connected to the public transport company RATB system. The 780 route provides express bus service to Gara de Nord railway station in Bucharest and the 783 route provides express bus service to the city center 24 hours a day.
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.[16]
Car Rental
Companies such as Avis, Hertz, Europcar and Sixt are located between international departures hall(upper floor) and arrivals hall.
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 airport and the city, when finished.
Underground
Construction of the M6 line will start in 2014, connecting Henri Coanda Intl. to Gara de Nord train station.
In popular culture
Season 14 of The Amazing Race was filmed here during the first portion of the third leg. The nine teams present arrived at the airport on three flights before they completed the rest of the leg.
See also
- Aviation in Romania
- Transportation in Romania
- List of the busiest airports in Europe by passenger traffic
References
- ^ a b EAD Basic
- ^ "TAROM S.A. – Identification Data
- ^ About Țiriac Air
- ^ "Contact." 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: "Compania Nationala "Aeroporturi Bucuresti" S.A. Calea Bucurestilor nr. 224 E Otopeni, județul Ilfov Cod postal 075150 Romania"
- ^ a b c [1] Template:Ro icon Romanian Ministry of Transportation – Descriptive Note – Otopeni Airport Development Strategy
- ^ "The Bucharest Airport at a10.eu
- ^ a b New Departing Hall extension opened Template:Ro icon
- ^ Bucharest Henri Coandă Airport – Development&Modernization – Phase III
- ^ Extensions to the Coandă Airport Template:Ro icon
- ^ [2] Template:Ro icon The Romanian Ministry of Transportation
- ^ Bucharest Otopeni Airport, the last frontier Template:Ro icon
- ^ A new terminal Template:Ro icon
- ^ "airBaltic to Launch Riga – Bucharest, Romania". airBaltic. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
- ^ New route to DUB
- ^ a b ORDIN 169/1.801. Planul national de actiune privind reducerea emisiilor de gaze cu efect de seră în domeniul aviatiei civile Template:Ro icon
- ^ "Touch screen installed for cab ordering at Otopeni airport in Bucharest". Romania Insider. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
External links
Media related to Henri Coandă International Airport at Wikimedia Commons