Romanian government to launch EUR 700 mln tender for new terminal at Otopeni airport

The Romanian government will launch within the next month a tender for building a new terminal at Otopeni airport, the main airport of the country, the project being estimated at EUR 700 million.

The investment in the new terminal will be financed from EU funds and from the budget of the state-owned airport company, according to the Transport minister.

Airport passenger numbers have soared in Romania in the last few years due to income rise, cheap flights offered by low-cost companies and poor infrastructure across the country.

In the last couple of years, low-cost companies like Wizz Air, Blueair and Ryanair entered domestic flights market in Romania, controlled for years by the state-owned Tarom, trying to benefit from rising appetite for flights between the large urban areas.

But lack of investments in expanding airports capacity is already affecting passenger’s comfort, especially in Henri Coandă International Airport.

In 2018, Romanian airports have posted a 7.9 percent increase in passenger numbers up to 21.8 million, an all-time high due to international flights, while domestic passenger traffic slightly increased.

Romania’s biggest airport, Henri Coandă International Airport (Otopeni), controlled by the state-owned Aeroporturi București company (CNAB), posted an increase of its total passenger traffic by 7.9 percent last year to an all-time high of 13.82 million.