- Henri Coandă International Airport
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Bucharest Henri Coandǎ International Airport
Aeroportul Internaţional Henri Coandă
Otopeni Airport
IATA: OTP – ICAO: LROP Location of airport in Romania
OTPSummary Airport type Public Operator Compania Naţională Aeroporturi Bucureşti S.A. Serves Bucharest, Romania Location Otopeni, Ilfov Hub for Elevation AMSL 314 ft / 96 m Coordinates 44°34′16″N 026°05′06″E / 44.57111°N 26.085°ECoordinates: 44°34′16″N 026°05′06″E / 44.57111°N 26.085°E Website Runways Direction Length Surface m ft 08R/26L 3,500 11,484 Asphalt 08L/26R 3,500 11,484 Asphalt Helipads Number Length Surface m ft H1 3.5 11 Concrete Statistics (2010) Passengers 4,917,952 Aircraft movements 76,966 Source: Romanian AIP at EUROCONTROL[1] Henri Coandă International Airport (Romanian: Aeroportul Internaţional Henri Coandă) (IATA: OTP, ICAO: LROP) is Romania's busiest international airport, located 16.5 km (10.3 mi) northwest[1] 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 Coandă-1910 aircraft and discoverer of the Coanda effect of fluidics. Until May 2004, the official name was Bucharest Otopeni International Airport (Romanian: Aeroportul Internaţional Bucureşti Otopeni), which remains the name by which it is generally known. The military section of the airport is currently used by the 90th Airlift Flotilla of the Romanian Air Force. The airport is managed by Aeroporturi Bucureşti Company.
Contents
History
Bucharest OTP is TAROM's main base
OTP finger (International Departures)
Arrivals HallDuring 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 one of the longest in Europe 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 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, 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 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 1999, involved the construction a new departures terminal and of a new airside concourse with 5 jetways and 9 gates (referred to as 'the Finger') as well as the extension of various airport ramps and of their associated taxiways. [2]
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 new high-speed taxiways (Oscar and Victor) were constructed. Phase II was completed in 2007.[3]
The third stage of the plan (Phase III), started in 2009, involves the extension of the airside concourse ('the Finger') to 24 gates and 14 jetways, as well as the expansion of Departure Hall and Arrivals Hall in order to raise the capacity of the airport to 6 million passengers yearly. The airside concourse was inaugurated on 29 March 2011.[4]
The airport has ILS CAT IIIb status on runways 08R and 08L.
Current and future development
The airport is currently 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 (2012), the terminal will have a processing capacity of 4,500 passengers per hour.[5] Thus the airport's capacity is expected to raise to a total of 6 mil. passengers annually on both domestic and international routes.[6]
Beyond Phase III, a new terminal building (Henri Coandă 2), located at the Eastern end of the current location is envisaged. Henri Coanda 2 will be of a modular design, consisting of 4 separate buildings, each capable of individually handling 5 million passengers annually. Each module will be built as traffic demands will 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 connected to the future A3 Bucharest - Braşov motorway, to the railway system and to the Bucharest Metro system as M7 Line.[7]
Terminals, airlines and destinations
The airport's facilities consist of a single terminal with two main buildings (occasionally considered to be separate terminals). These two buildings are the Departures Hall (formerly known as International Departures Hall) and the Arrivals Hall (formerly known as International Arrivals/Domestic Hall).[8] The airline TAROM has its head office on the second floor of the Departures Hall.[9] A walkway with several shops connects the buildings.
The airport has one concourse (the so-called finger terminal) with 24 gates (of which 14 equipped with jetways) and passengers transit organized in two separate, Schengen/non-Schengen, flows.[10]
Airlines and destinations
Airlines Destinations Aegean Airlines Seasonal: Corfu, Heraklion, Rhodos, Santorini Aer Lingus Dublin Aeroflot Moscow-Sheremetyevo Aerosvit Airlines Kiev-Boryspil Aerosvit Airlines
operated by DniproaviaKiev-Boryspil Air Bucharest Athens, Bologna, Brussels, Cairo, Dubai
Seasonal: Abu Dhabi, Antalya, Bodrum, Corfu, Heraklion, Hurghada, Ibiza, Kos, Luqa, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, Rhodes, Santorini, Sharm el-Sheikh, Tenerife-South, Varna, ZakinthosAir Europa Charter: Tenerife-South Air France Paris-Charles de Gaulle Air Malta Seasonal: Malta Air Moldova Chişinău Alitalia Milan-Linate, Rome-Fiumicino Alitalia
operated by Air One Smart CarrierRome-Fiumicino Austrian Airlines Vienna Austrian
operated by Tyrolean AirwaysSeasonal: Vienna British Airways London-Heathrow Carpatair Timisoara Czech Airlines Prague EasyJet Madrid El Al Tel Aviv-Ben Gurion KLM Amsterdam LOT Polish Airlines Warsaw Lufthansa Berlin-Brandenburg [begins 3 June], Frankfurt, Munich Lufthansa Regional
operated by EurowingsDüsseldorf Lufthansa Regional
operated by Lufthansa CityLineMunich Malév Hungarian Airlines Budapest Niki Vienna Olympic Air Athens Pegasus Airlines Istanbul-Sabiha Gökçen Pegasus Airlines
operated by IZairIstanbul-Sabiha Gökçen Qatar Airways Doha, Sofia Scandinavian Airlines Copenhagen Scandinavian Airlines
operated by Cimber SterlingCopenhagen Sky Airlines Seasonal: Antalya Swiss International Air Lines Zurich Swiss International Air Lines
operated by Swiss European Air LinesZurich Syrian Air Damascus TAROM Amman, Amsterdam, Athens, Baia Mare, Barcelona, Beirut, Belgrade, Brussels, Budapest, Cairo, Chişinău, Cluj-Napoca, Dubai, Frankfurt, Iaşi, Istanbul-Atatürk, Larnaca, London-Heathrow, Lyon, Madrid, Munich, Oradea, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Rome-Fiumicino, Satu Mare, Sibiu, Sofia, Suceava, Târgu Mureş, Tel Aviv-Ben Gurion, Thessaloniki, Timişoara, Vienna
Seasonal: Salzburg [begins 10 December]Turkish Airlines Istanbul-Atatürk Wind Jet Rimini Cargo airlines
Airlines Destinations DHL Aviation Milano-Orio al Serio, Venice-Treviso TAROM Cargo All destinations operated by TAROM TNT Airways Liege UPS Airlines operated by Farnair Switzerland Cologne/Bonn, Katowice Services
Shopping area located inside the International Departures HallServices 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
A business lounge.The main handling agent in the airport is Globeground, the second being Menzies. The catering services are provided by Alpha Rocas [6].
Traffic and statistics
In 2010, Henri Coandă International received 4,917,952 passengers, an increase of 9.7% compared to 2009.[11][12] Together, both Bucharest's airports handled over 7 mil passengers in 2010.
OTP traffic 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 4,483,661 496,391 72,697 2010 4,917,952 76,966 Busiest routes at Henri Coanda Airport City Airport(s) Weekly Departures
(April 2011)Airlines 
ViennaVienna Airport 44 Austrian Airlines, Niki, TAROM 
MunichMunich Airport 41 Lufthansa, Lufthansa Regional, TAROM 
ParisParis Charles de Gaulle Airport 34 Air France, TAROM 
IstanbulAtaturk Airport 34 TAROM, Turkish Airlines FrankfurtFrankfurt Airport 32 Lufthansa, TAROM 
Cluj-NapocaCluj-Napoca International Airport 30 TAROM 
BudapestBudapest Airport 30 Malev, TAROM IașiIași International Airport 30 TAROM TimisoaraTraian Vuia International Airport 30 TAROM 
LondonLondon Heathrow Airport 28 British Airways, TAROM 
AmsterdamAmsterdam Airport 28 KLM, TAROM 
MadridMadrid-Barajas Airport 22 Easyjet, TAROM, Vueling Airlines 
Tel AvivBen Gurion International Airport 21 El Al, TAROM Ground transportation
RATB Route 783 diagram (connections to Bucharest Metro lines shown)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.
Taxi
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.
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
Plans for a new subway line connecting Henri Coanda airport to the city center have been made. Construction of the new line is due to start in 2011.
In popular culture
- 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
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Runway 08R ILS
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Finger terminal under construction (May 2010)
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OTP Tower
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Rainbow at the Airport
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Airport exterior
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A TAROM aircraft at the airport
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Terminal & apron in the evening
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The main terminal seen from a distance
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The arrival hall
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Swiss and TAROM aircraft at OTP
References
- ^ a b EAD Basic
- ^ [1] (Romanian) Romanian Ministry of Transportation - Descriptive Note - Otopeni Airport Development Strategy
- ^ [2] (Romanian) Romanian Ministry of Transportation - Descriptive Note - Otopeni Airport Development Strategy
- ^ [3] (Romanian) Romanian Ministry of Transportation - Descriptive Note - Otopeni Airport Development Strategy
- ^ Bucharest Henri Coandă Airport - Development&Modernization - Phase III
- ^ Extensions to the Coandă Airport (Romanian)
- ^ [4] (Romanian) The Romanian Ministry of Transportation
- ^ Bucharest Otopeni Airport, the last frontier (Romanian)
- ^ "Participation Announcement To The Tender Procedure For Public Procurement - Information Technology Services." TAROM. 12 June 2008. Retrieved on 28 February 2010. "The headquarters of S.C. Compania Nationala de Transporturi Aeriene Romane TAROM S.A., placed in Otopeni, Calea Bucurestilor 224F, Ilfov County, Romania ( Henri Coanda International Airport-Bucharest, International Departures Terminal, 2nd Floor)."
- ^ [5] (Romanian)
- ^ .Passenger traffic on Bucharest airports in 2010
- ^ Passenger traffic up on Bucharest international airports in 2010
See also
- Aviation in Romania
- Transportation in Romania
- List of the busiest airports in Europe by passenger traffic
External links
- Bucharest Henri Coanda International Airport website.
- Bucharest airport guide.
- Arrivals and departures in real time.
Airports in Romania 
Operational Arad (ARW) · Bacău (BCM) · Baia Mare (BAY) · Bucharest Aurel Vlaicu / Băneasa (BBU) · Bucharest Henri Coandă / Otopeni (OTP) · Cluj-Napoca (CLJ) · Constanţa (CND) · Craiova (CRA) · Iaşi (IAS) · Oradea (OMR) · Satu Mare (SUJ) · Sibiu (SBZ) · Suceava (SCV) · Târgu Mureş (TGM) · Timişoara (TSR) · Tulcea (TCE)
Under construction Planned Brăila · Bucharest Alexeni
Closed Categories:- Transport in Bucharest
- Airports in Romania
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