Therefore, Wizz Air is operating flights from Baneasa to Napoli and Craiova as of January 15 and is set to add flights to Warsaw and Abu Dhabi.
The airport is being used again for regular flights as it was more than a decade ago.
Airlines are becoming more and more interested in launching flights from a Bucharest airport that is still underused, which can only be good for passengers.
The first regular flights from Baneasa launched last summer but were only seasonal. Among the airlines offering such flights was Wizz Air, which moved three flights from Otopeni to Baneasa until September.
“The companies, which are the most dynamic in Romania, found a niche, they realized it could be very profitable, it can be more efficient for passengers and they thought to occupy a free airport before others,” says Theodor Postelnicu. spokesman for Aeroporturi Bucuresti (Bucharest Airports).
The airport is in talks with other companies, as well, to introduce new flights from Baneasa and the chances of this happening are rather high, he added.
The airport underwent an upgrade process in an about EUR12 million investment completed in 2022. Since then, there have not been too many movements, beyond some charter and private flights.
Otopeni Airport is overcrowded and barely coping with the already existing flights. However, airlines are planning to introduce new flights and connect Bucharest to other cities in Europe and the world, so Baneasa is becoming an increasingly attractive option.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)