Romanian city expands its airports to boost municipal airline

Oradea’s Terminal 1 will open in 2023 to handle 800 passengers per hour

Last week, authorities in Bihor Country in Romania announced a new project for the city of Oradea’s airport. The project has gained European funding of around 42 million euros (212 million lei) and will serve to more than quadruple the size of the airport, the home of Oradea’s Municipal Airline.

In August 2021, local authorities in Oradea announced a partnership with Bihor County's regional government to create a local airline. The idea behind the project is that since car and rail infrastructure in the county is poorly developed, it will be up to Oradea’s airline to connect the city with Bucharest and other destinations in Europe.

Air Oradea was launched near the end of September of the same year and started flying locals and tourists to and from EU capitals and Bucharest. The scope of local authorities’ hopes for the airline also increased to cover foreign investments and boost local tourism (the city is a landmark for Art Nouveau architecture).

Expanding the airport

As Oradea gains popularity and air traffic in the city increases, authorities have opted to greatly expand the local airport. Currently, it stands at 2,952 square metres and according to a statement by local authorities it is set to reach 12,500 square metres by the end of 2023.

The terminal will be able to account for an additional 400 passengers, while officials say that the expanded airport will be able to process 800 people per hour. It will also feature Schengen and non-Schengen departures and a dedicated floor for VIP departures.

The project also calls for more retail space, security space and offices for the administration. Additionally, the funds will cover expanding the parking space and other road surfaces around the airport, as well as de-icing equipment.

The project was funded through the European Large Infrastructure Operational Program 2014 – 2020 for Romania. Also, the regional government contributed around 13% of the final cost through its budget.

Authorities have set a timeframe of two months for planning the project and six months for construction.