Henri Coandă International Airport, Romania

Located 17km north-west of Bucharest, Romania, in the town of Otopeni, Henri Coandă International Airport is the primary international airport of Romania. Previously known as Bucharest Otopeni International Airport, it is the largest and the busiest airport in Romania and features two runways and a helipad.

The airport handled 5,064,230 passengers and recorded 71,137 aircraft movements in 2008. Passenger numbers decreased the following year, and from January to October 2009, the airport served only 3.8 million passengers.

Henri Coandă airport history

Henri Coandă International Airport was used by the German Air Force as an airbase during the Second World War, and later by the Romanian Air Force until 1965. It underwent development in 1965 when the runway was extended from 1,200m to 3,500m, and a new building for domestic and international passengers was constructed.

The passenger terminal building was renovated in 1970 to capacitate 1.2 million passengers annually. In 1986 it underwent another overhaul with the construction of a second 3,500m runway. Taxiways and the airport lighting system were also improved, which enabled the airport to handle 35 to 40 aircraft per hour.

In 1992, the airport became a member of Airports Council International (ACI). Phase I of the development and modernisation project of Henri Coandă International Airport took place in 1994-98. In 1997, a new international departures hall with a capacity of 1,200 passengers per peak hour along with five air bridges was created by expanding the main terminal building. The phase required an investment of $123m.

In 2000, phase II of the development programme, worth an estimated $100m, began and the international arrivals hall was renovated. This included the unveiling of a parking facility at the arrivals hall, which had three levels and space for 900 car parks. Another domestic hall featuring a capacity of 200 passengers per peak hour was opened.

The official name of the airport was changed from Otopeni International Airport to Henri Coandă International Airport in 2004.

Project contractors

The contractor for phase I and phase II of the development and modernisation project of the airport was Romairport, an Italian-Romanian joint venture. The joint venture was formed by Italstrade SpA Milano, SEA-Aeroporti di Milano and CCCF Bucharest.

Henri Coandă airport expansion

The airport is currently undergoing expansion under phase III of the development and modernisation project, which is planned to increase the capacity of the current terminal to six million passengers a year. The project is estimated to be worth €150m and scheduled for completion in 2010.

Under the expansion, the international departures hall will be extended by 5,500m², adding 42 check-in desks. The international arrival hall is also planned to expand by 2,000m². The boarding area of the airport will be extended by 6,000m², which includes the addition of up to 12 air-bridges.

In addition, the VIP lounge will be modernised by adding a 1,500m² area, and a turnaround bay area measuring 16,000m² for a 26L runway is planned to be built. The new car parking area will include a space of 12,000m².

When completed, the passenger terminal will be able to handle a total of 4,500 (3,600 international and 900 domestic) passengers per hour in peak times. A total of 24 boarding gates, 86 check-in desks and five baggage belts will feature in the international hall, with eight boarding gates, 18 check-in desks and two baggage belts in the domestic hall.

Airport infrastructure development programme

Plans for the airport to undergo another expansion in 2011 under a strategic programme for the development of airport infrastructure will cost an estimated €450m. Included in the project will be a new terminal building with four halls. Each hall will cover an area of 350,000m² and will be able to accommodate five million passengers per year.

A 400,000m² aircraft parking platform featuring 70 stands is also planned, as well as taxiways measuring 5km long and covering an area of 125,000m², and multi-level parking for 20,000 cars along with 10km of road.

A high-tech technological park and a multi-modal cargo platform are also envisaged. An underground train station, 5,000m² business centre and a hotel with a capacity of 200 people are also planned.

The new terminal will be constructed at the east end of the airport site. It would be connected to the A3 Bucharest-Braşov motorway, railway system and the Bucharest Metro system. By 2015, it is planned that the terminal will be able to handle 20 million passengers annually. The control tower at the airport is currently undergoing a major renovation.

Airport terminal features

The airport features a single terminal building with three separate halls for international departures, international arrivals and domestic flights. The international departures hall comprises ten gates, five of which are facilitated with jetways or aerobridges. The whole terminal has ten gates and 36 check-in desks.

The terminal building also has a range of bars and restaurants, ATMs and internet access. A business lounge, available 24-hours a day, has amenities such as internet access, television, public telephones, fax, Xerox, facilities for disabled passengers and a mini-bar.

The passageway offers connectivity between the different halls and features several facilities such as currency exchange, pharmacy, public phones, post office, medical insurance and other retail shops.

Airport runways

Henri Coandă International Airport has two runways, both of which are made of asphalt and measure 3,500m (11,484ft) in length. The runways are designated as 08R/26L and 08L/26R respectively.

Road and rail infrastructure

The Henri Coandă Express train, which runs from the airport to Bucharest north railway station, provides connectivity between Bucharest and the airport. The airport station is located 900m from the terminal building and is connected through buses.