Henri Coandă International Airport

Bucharest Henri Coandǎ International Airport Aeroportul Internațional Henri Coandă
IATA: OTP – ICAO: LROP
Summary
Airport type	Public/Military
Operator	The National Company "Bucharest Airports" S.A.
Serves	Bucharest, Romania
Location	Otopeni
Hub for	TAROM
Focus city for	Blue Air Wizz Air
Elevation AMSL	314 ft / 96 m
Coordinates	44°34′16″N 026°05′06″E / 44.57111°N 26.08500°E / 44.57111; 26.08500Coordinates: 44°34′16″N 026°05′06″E / 44.57111°N 26.08500°E / 44.57111; 26.08500
Website	bucharestairports.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 (2014)
Passengers 8,317,168 Passengers change 13-14 8.8% Aircraft movements 91,788
Source: Romanian AIP at EUROCONTROL[1]

Henri Coandă International Airport (Romanian: Aeroportul Internațional Henri Coandă) (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.

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] The military section of the airport is used by the 90th Airlift Flotilla of the Romanian Air Force.

History

Early years

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). Băneasa Airport was the only airport that Bucharest used for commercial flights. In 1965, 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 and extended up to 3,500 metres (11,500 ft), making it one of the longest in Europe at that time.^[5]

In August 1969, when President Nixon of the United States 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] 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 airport movements per hour.^[5]

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.

Expansion since the 1990s

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.^[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 (Oscar and Victor) were constructed. Phase II was completed in 2007.^[6]

The third stage of the plan (Phase III), started in 2009, involves the extension of the airside concourse ('the Finger') with 15 new gates (nine of which have 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.^[6][7] It was followed, in November 2012, by the extension of the Departure Hall.^[8]

The airport has ILS CAT III status on all runways.^[9]

Current and future development

The airport is undertaking Phase III of its development program, a €150 million investment, which consists 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,^[10] and capacity is expected to rise to 6 million passengers annually on domestic and international routes.^[11]

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.^[12]

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).^[13] 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.^[14] The main handling agent in the airport is Globeground, the second being Menzies. The catering services are provided by Alpha Rocas.

The airport has 32 gates (of which 14 equipped with jetways).^[8] The International Departure area hosts a variety of shops, cafes, lounges, Internet cafes and many more. There is also a chapel and a small play area for children on the first level of the International Departures Hall. The facilities inside the airport are easily accessible for the persons with disabilities.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Airlines	Destinations
Aegean Airlines	Athens Seasonal charter: Chania, Corfu, Heraklion, Kos, Mykonos, Rhodes, Santorini, Zakynthos
Aeroflot	Moscow-Sheremetyevo
airBaltic	Riga
Air Berlin	Berlin-Tegel
Air Bucharest	Seasonal charter: Antalya, Bodrum, Corfu, Heraklion, Hurghada, Kos, Palma de Mallorca, Rhodes
Air Europa	Seasonal charter: Tenerife-South
Air France	Paris-Charles de Gaulle
Air Malta	Seasonal: Malta
Air Serbia	Belgrade
Alitalia	Milan-Linate, Rome-Fiumicino
Austrian Airlines	Vienna
Blue Air	Barcelona, Beauvais, Bergamo, Bologna, Brussels, Catania, Cologne/Bonn, Dublin, Florence, Larnaca, Liverpool, London-Luton, Madrid, Málaga, Milan-Linate, Naples, Nice, Rome-Fiumicino, Stuttgart, Turin (begins 25 May 2015),[15] Valencia Seasonal: Antalya, Bodrum, Corfu, Preveza, Tel Aviv-Ben Gurion, Zakynthos
British Airways	London-Heathrow
Czech Airlines	Prague
El Al	Tel Aviv-Ben Gurion
flydubai	Dubai-International
Germanwings operated by Eurowings	Düsseldorf
KLM	Amsterdam
LOT Polish Airlines	Warsaw-Chopin
Lufthansa	Frankfurt, Munich
Lufthansa Regional operated by Lufthansa CityLine	Frankfurt, Munich
Nouvelair	Seasonal charter: Tunis
Pegasus Airlines	Istanbul-Sabiha Gökçen
Qatar Airways	Doha
Ryanair	Bergamo (begins 25 October 2015), Bologna (begins 25 October 2015), Charleroi, Dublin, London-Stansted, Madrid, Rome-Ciampino (begins 25 October 2015)
Scandinavian Airlines	Copenhagen
Swiss International Air Lines	Zürich
TAP Portugal	Lisbon
TAROM	Amman-Queen Alia, Amsterdam, Athens, Baia Mare, Barcelona, Beirut, Belgrade, Brussels, Budapest, Chișinău, Cluj-Napoca, Dubai-International, Frankfurt, Geneva, Iași, Istanbul-Atatürk, Larnaca, London-Heathrow, Madrid, Moscow-Sheremetyevo, Munich, Nice, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Prague, Rome-Fiumicino, Satu Mare, Sofia, Stockholm-Arlanda, Tel Aviv-Ben Gurion, Thessaloniki, Timișoara, Vienna Seasonal: Valencia (resumes 19 June 2015) Seasonal charter: Antalya, Bodrum, Corfu, Heraklion, Hurghada, Kos, Mykonos, Palma de Mallorca, Preveza, Rhodes, Santorini, Sharm el-Sheikh, Skiathos, Tenerife-South
Tunisair	Seasonal: Tunis
Turkish Airlines	Istanbul-Atatürk
Vueling	Rome-Fiumicino (begins 21 June 2015) Seasonal: Barcelona, Bilbao, Madrid
Wizz Air	Alicante, Alghero, Barcelona, Bari, Basel/Mulhouse, Beauvais, Bergamo, Bologna, Catania, Charleroi, Doncaster/Sheffield, Dortmund, Dubai-Al Maktoum, Eindhoven, Geneva, Larnaca, London-Luton, Madrid, Málaga, Malmö, Malta, Milan-Malpensa, Naples, Nuremberg, Perugia, Pescara (begins 25 October 2015),[16] Pisa, Rome-Ciampino, Sandefjord, Stockholm-Skavsta (begins 26 October 2015),[16] Tel Aviv-Ben Gurion, Treviso, Turin, Valencia, Verona, Zaragoza

Cargo

Airlines	Destinations
DHL Aviation	Bergamo, Budapest, Chişinău, Treviso
TNT Airways	Liège, Munich, Sofia
UPS Airlines operated by Farnair Switzerland	Cologne/Bonn, Katowice

Statistics

Passengers

In 2014, Henri Coandă International received 8,316,705 passengers, an increase of 8.8% compared to 2013.^[17]

Annual traffic

Year	Passengers (total)[17]	Passengers (domestic flights)	Aircraft movements[18]	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	7,120,024	-	98,600	-
2013	7,643,467	-	106,159	-
2014	8,316,705	-	91,588	-

2015

Month	Passengers[17]	Change (2014-2015)	Passengers Cumulatively
January	596,554	14.1%	596,554

Routes

Busiest routes at Henri Coandă Airport

City	Airport(s)	Weekly Departures (July 2014)	Airlines
London	Heathrow Airport, Gatwick Airport, Luton Airport, Stansted Airport	61	Blue Air, British Airways, Ryanair, TAROM, Wizz Air
Vienna	Vienna Airport	45	Austrian Airlines, TAROM
Paris	Beauvais–Tillé Airport, Charles de Gaulle Airport	43	Air France, Blue Air, TAROM, Wizz Air
Istanbul	Atatürk Airport, Sabiha Gökçen Airport	39	Pegasus Airlines, TAROM, Turkish Airlines
Rome	Fiumicino Airport, Ciampino Airport	38	Alitalia, Blue Air, TAROM, Vueling, Wizz Air
Cluj-Napoca	Cluj-Napoca Airport	36	TAROM
Munich	Munich Airport	35	Lufthansa, Lufthansa Cityline, TAROM
Frankfurt	Frankfurt Airport	31	Lufthansa, TAROM
Iași	Iași Airport	27	TAROM
Timișoara	Traian Vuia Airport	26	TAROM
Tel Aviv	Tel Aviv Airport	25	El Al, Israir, TAROM, Wizzair
Madrid	Madrid Airport	25	Blue Air, Ryanair, TAROM, Vueling, Wizz Air
Barcelona	Barcelona Airport	20	Blue Air, TAROM, Vueling, Wizz Air
Chișinău	Chișinău Airport	18	TAROM

Ground transportation

Train and metro

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.^[19]

The next phase of the expansion aims to locate the train station in the airport itself. Construction of the M6 line will start in 2014, connecting Henri Coanda Intl. to Gara de Nord train station.

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.^[20]

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.^[21]

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. Companies such as Avis, Hertz, Europcar and Sixt are located between international departures hall (upper floor) and arrivals hall.^[22]

Trivia

• 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

External links

Media related to Henri Coandă International Airport at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website
• Accident history for OTP at Aviation Safety Network

Airports in Romania Major international Bucharest-Henri Coandă Minor international Bacău Cluj-Napoca Constanța Craiova Iași Sibiu Târgu Mureș Timișoara Domestic Baia Mare Satu Mare Unscheduled Arad Bucharest-Aurel Vlaicu Caransebeș Oradea Suceava Tulcea Under construction Brașov

Transport in Bucharest Organisations Metrorex RATB Public transport Metro  M1   M2   M3   M4   M5  (under construction)  M6  (planned)  M7  (planned) Metrorex List of Bucharest metro stations Bus RATB List of bus routes in Bucharest Tram RATB List of tram routes in Bucharest Bucharest Light rail Trolleybus RATB List of trolleybus routes in Bucharest Rail Căile Ferate Române Regiotrans Transferoviar Călători Softrans Major stations Bucharest North Gara de Nord Piața Unirii Piața Victoriei Eroilor Dristor Air Scheduled Henri Coandă International Airport Unscheduled Aurel Vlaicu International Airport Clinceni Airfield Roads Motorways A1 A2 A3 National roads DN1 DN1A DN2 DN3 DN4 DN5 DN6 DN7 Ring roads Centura București Bucharest Motorway Ring Road (planned) County roads DJ200 DJ200B DJ401 DJ601A DJ602 Naval Herăstrău Park Danube–Bucharest Canal (construction halted in 1990)