| Bucharest Henri Coandǎ International Airport Aeroportul Internaţional Henri Coandă Otopeni Airport |
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| IATA: OTP – ICAO: LROP | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Operator | Compania Naţională Aeroporturi Bucureşti S.A. | ||
| Serves | Bucharest, Romania | ||
| Location | Otopeni, Ilfov | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 314 ft / 96 m | ||
| Coordinates | 44°34′20″N 026°06′08″E / 44.57222°N 26.10222°ECoordinates: 44°34′20″N 026°06′08″E / 44.57222°N 26.10222°E | ||
| Website | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 08R/26L | 11,484 | 3,500 | Asphalt |
| 08L/26R | 11,484 | 3,500 | Asphalt |
| Statistics (2008) | |||
| Passengers | 5,064,230 | ||
| Aircraft movements | 71,137 | ||
Henri Coandă International Airport (Romanian: Aeroportul Internaţional Henri Coandă) (IATA: OTP, ICAO: LROP) is Romania's main international airport, serving the capital city of Bucharest along with the smaller Băneasa Aurel Vlaicu. The airport is located in Otopeni, north of Bucharest. It is named after Romanian flight pioneer Henri Coandă, the builder of the world's first jet powered aircraft. Until May 2004, its official name was Bucharest Otopeni International Airport (Romanian: Aeroportul Internaţional Bucureşti Otopeni), and locally it is still occasionally referred to by its former name.
Contents |
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 1200m. 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 existing runway was modernised, extended up to 3500 m, making it even longer than that of Paris' Orly Airport at that time (1965). Also, a new passenger terminal was constructed for domestic and international flights.
In the late 1960s, when President Nixon of the United States visited Romania, a new VIP lounge was created, and in 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, and 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 1997 a new international departures lounge with a capacity of 1000-1200 passengers per hour was opened, as well as five modern airbridges. In 2000, Phase II of the development initiative continued, and the International Arrivals Terminal was improved.
Infrastructure and services
Terminals
The airport's terminal facilities consist of a single terminal, divided into three halls (occasionally considered to be separate terminals). These three sections are the International Departures Hall, the International Arrivals Hall, and the Domestic Flights Hall. A passage with several shops connects the halls. The airport has five jetways, all within the International Departures Hall. Additionally, another 9 gates are present at the airport that currently lack jetways. An extension to the actual terminal, with 8 extra jetways, is presently under construction (completion: 2010)[1]. The last major expansion of the airport occurred in 1997, when the Domestic hall was built, and the International Departures Hall was expanded. The current terminal was built around the original Otopeni airport terminal.
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 [2].
Current and future development
The airport is embarking on Phase III of its development program, which consist of the expansion of Departure Hall, Arrivals Hall and the boarding area. At the end of this phase (2010) the terminal will have a total of 24 boarding gates (13 equipped with jetways) within the International Departure Hall, while the Domestic Flights Hall will gain 5 more gates. The project consists also in re-organizing the passengers transit in two separate Schengen / non-Schengen flows. Thus the airport's capacity is expected to raise to a total of 6 mil. passengers annualy on both domestic and international routes.
The current terminal is approaching its maximum capacity and little expansion is possible on the current location, so a new terminal building (Henri Coandă 2) and a hotel are envisaged; the new terminal would be built at the east end of the current site and consist of four halls, each capable of handling 5 million passengers annually; by 2020 Terminal 2 alone should be able to handle the 20 million passengers per year indicated by estimates. The terminal will be connected to the future A3 Bucharest - Braşov motorway, to the railway system and to the Bucharest Metro system as M7 Line.[2]. The construction of the second terminal is due to start in 2011.
Traffic figures
Henri Coandă International received 5,064,230 passengers in 2008[3].
| Year | Passengers (total) | Passengers (domestic flights) | Aircraft movements | Cargo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 3,031,719 | 53,350 | 16,887 tonnes | |
| 2006 | 3,513,576 | 58,053 | 18,089 tonnes | |
| 2007 | 4,978,587 | 410,916 | 70,588 | 17,423 tonnes |
| 2008 | 5,064,230 | 497,208 | 71,137 | |
| 2009 est. | 6,900,000 [4] |
Airlines and destinations
Bucharest OTP is an important airport in Eastern Europe and the main hub of the Romanian national airline, TAROM. Low fare airlines generally operate from Bucharest's Băneasa Airport, 10 km to the south, rather than OTP, except Clickair and EasyJet.
Scheduled airlines
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Adria Airways | Ljubljana |
| Aegean Airlines | Athens |
| Aer Lingus | Dublin, London-Gatwick [begins 25 October] |
| Aeroflot | Moscow-Sheremetyevo |
| Air France | Paris-Charles de Gaulle |
| Air Moldova | Chişinău |
| Alitalia | Milan-Linate |
| Alitalia operated by Air One | Rome-Fiumicino |
| Austrian Airlines | Vienna |
| Austrian operated by Tyrolean Airways | Vienna |
| British Airways | London-Heathrow |
| Bulgaria Air | Sofia |
| Czech Airlines | Prague |
| Delta Air Lines | New York-JFK [seasonal] |
| EasyJet | Madrid, Milan-Malpensa |
| El Al | Tel Aviv |
| Finnair | Helsinki |
| Flybaboo | Geneva |
| Iberia Airlines | Madrid |
| KLM | Amsterdam |
| LOT Polish Airlines | Warsaw |
| Lufthansa | Frankfurt, Milan-Malpensa, Munich |
| Lufthansa Regional operated by Eurowings | Düsseldorf |
| Lufthansa Regional operated by Lufthansa CityLine | Munich |
| Malév Hungarian Airlines | Budapest |
| Olympic Airlines | Athens |
| Romavia | Tel Aviv |
| Scandinavian Airlines System | Copenhagen |
| Scandinavian Airlines System operated by Cimber Sterling | Copenhagen |
| Sky Express | Heraklion |
| Swiss International Air Lines | Geneva, Zürich |
| Syrian Arab Airlines | Damascus |
| TAROM | Amman, Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Beirut, Brussels, Chişinău, Dubai, Dubrovnik, Frankfurt, Hurghada [seasonal], Istanbul-Atatürk, Larnaca, London-Heathrow, Lyon [begins 2 September], Madrid, Monastir [seasonal], Munich, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Rome-Fiumicino, Sofia, Taba [seasonal], Tel Aviv, Thessaloniki, Valencia, Venice-Marco Polo, Vienna, Zagreb [begins 1 September], Zürich [begins 3 August] |
| Turkish Airlines | Istanbul-Atatürk |
| Vueling | Barcelona, Valencia |
| Windjet | Forlì |
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Carpatair | Timişoara |
| TAROM | Bacău, Baia Mare, Cluj - Napoca, Constanţa [seasonal], Iaşi, Oradea, Satu - Mare, Sibiu, Suceava, Târgu-Mureş, Timişoara |
Charter airlines
- Air Cairo (Hurghada)
- Air Europa (Palma de Mallorca)
- Air Malta (Malta)
- AtlasJet (summer flights to Turkey)
- BMI (Manchester [begins 19 December; seasonal charter])
- Corendon Airlines (charter flights to Turkey)
- Cyprus Turkish Airlines (charter flights to Turkey)
- Ion Ţiriac Air (business aviation)
- Jetran Air (holiday destinations)
- Karthago Airlines (Djerba)
- Koral Blue Airlines (Sharm el-Sheikh)
- Nouvelair (Monastir)
- Romavia (charter, ministerial & state flights)
- Sky Airlines (Turkey)
- SunExpress (Antalya)
- TAROM (flights to holiday destinations)
Cargo airlines
Access
Car
The airport is 16.5 km (10 miles) north of central Bucharest, to which it is connected by route DN1.
The A3 motorway will connect the airport and the city, when finished.
Train
A direct train service to the main railway station, Gara de Nord, runs from the Airport train station, about 900 m from the airport. Shuttle buses connect this train station with the departures and arrivals halls and the tickets are valid both for the train and for the transfer bus.
The next phase of the airport's 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.
Taxis
Henri Coandă Airport has pick-up locations for taxis. Taxis are licensed by the Department of Transportation but taxis licensed in Bucharest can also deliver to Henri Coandă Airport.
OTP in media
- Season 14 of The Amazing Race was filmed here during the first portion of the third leg. All of the nine teams present arrived at the airport on three separate flights before they completed the rest of the leg.
Picture Gallery
 Runway 08R ILS |
 Rainbow at the Airport |
 Airport exterior |
 A TAROM aircraft at the airport |
 Terminal & apron in the evening |
 The main terminal seen from a distance |
 The arrival hall |
External links
- Airport information for LROP at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.
References
- ^ http://www.theonetdi.ro/v4//temp/upload/images/Valentin%20Iordache_AIHCB.pdf
- ^ [1] (Romanian) The Romanian Ministry of Transportation
- ^ Aeroportul Otopeni a inregistrat peste 5 milioane de pasageri (Romanian)
- ^ http://www.bursa.ro/on-line/s=companii_afaceri&articol=49272.html
See also
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