Craiova International Airport
Craiova International Airport Aeroportul Internaţional Craiova | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Operator | Consiliul Judeţean Dolj | ||||||||||
| Serves | Craiova, Romania | ||||||||||
| Opened | 1938 | ||||||||||
| Focus city for | Wizz Air | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 626 ft / 191 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 44°19′05″N 023°53′19″E / 44.31806°N 23.88861°E | ||||||||||
| Website | www.aeroportcraiova.ro | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
CRA Location of airport in Romania | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2024) | |||||||||||
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Craiova International Airport (IATA: CRA, ICAO: LRCV) is located in the south-western part of Romania, 7 km (4.3 mi) east[4] of Craiova municipality, one of Romania's largest cities. The airport area is the headquarters of Avioane Craiova (formerly known as IRAv Craiova), the company which built the Romanian IAR-93 and IAR-99 aircraft.
History
The airport was established in 1938 following a decree issued by King Carol II. Through the decree, the airport was meant to be used both as a public airport and a military one in case of war. The airport had a dirt runway with dimensions of 1000×200 m. Between 1950 and 1952, a 2,000 m (6,600 ft) concrete runway, as well as the first airport facilities were constructed. On 6 May 1957, Li-2 aircraft began flying on the Craiova - Bucharest route. The control tower was built in 1959, and between 1959 and 1972 the runway was extended to 2,500 m (8,200 ft). Between 1972 and 1989, other airport facilities were built.[7]
From 1995, the airport was opened to domestic and international traffic, serving only charter flights.[7] A new terminal was opened at Craiova airport in December 2010.[8] Runway renovation works took place in summer 2015. Since July 2014, Craiova Airport is the base for Wizz Air which serves 7 destinations in 4 countries. In March 2018, Ryanair announced it would terminate all services at Craiova by October 2018[9] which had operated since November 2016 and consisted of a single route to Valencia.
Airlines and destinations
The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights at Craiova Airport:[10]
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| AlbaStar | Seasonal charter: Palma de Mallorca |
| AlMasria Universal Airlines | Seasonal charter: Hurghada |
| Animawings | Istanbul (begins 3 October 2025)[11] Seasonal charter: Antalya, Heraklion [12] |
| Cyprus Airways | Seasonal charter: Larnaca |
| HiSky | Seasonal charter: Heraklion |
| Nouvelair | Seasonal charter: Monastir |
| Sky Express | Seasonal charter: Heraklion |
| TAROM | Seasonal charter: Antalya, Rhodes |
| Wizz Air | Bari,[13] Bergamo, Birmingham, Bologna, Charleroi, Dortmund,[13] London–Luton, Madrid,[14] Memmingen,[13] Rome–Fiumicino |
Statistics
Passengers
| Year | Passengers | Change | Aircraft movements | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 5,133 | |||
| 2008 | 12,988 | 153% | ||
| 2009 | 15,130 | 16.4% | ||
| 2010 | 23,629 | 56.1% | ||
| 2011 | 32,006 | 35.4% | ||
| 2012 | 29,626 | 7.4% | 3,394 | |
| 2013 | 40,291 | 35.9% | 2,246 | 33.9% |
| 2014 | 138,886 | 244.7% | 3,506 | 56.1% |
| 2015 | 116,947 | 15.8% | 2,999 | 14.5% |
| 2016 | 222,320 | 90.1% | 4,018 | 33.9% |
| 2017 | 447,227 | 101.1% | 5,960 | 48.3% |
| 2018 | 493,056 | 10.2% | 6,793 | 14% |
| 2019 | 514,544 | 4.3% | 6,779 | 0.2% |
| 2020[1] | 159,552 | 68.9% | 3,758 | 44.5% |
| 2021[1] | 191,510 | 20.0% | 5,260 | 39.6% |
Routes
| Rank | Airport | Passengers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | London - Luton | 142,678
|
| 2 | Bergamo | 84,970
|
| 3 | Rome - Ciampino Airport | 43,856
|
| 4 | Madrid | 40,183
|
| 5 | Bologna | 35,368
|
Military use
Between 1940 and 2004 the airport was used as a military air base. During the Cold War, the 67th Fighter Aviation Regiment was headquartered at Craiova. It was equipped with MiG-15 and MiG-17 fighters, as well as IAR 93 ground attack aircraft. From 1991, the MiG-15s and 17s were replaced with MiG-21s. The 322nd Aviation Maintenance Centre also functioned at the base between 1970 and 2004.
Ground transportation
The airport is connected to the city via bus route 9 (Metro-Central Market-Craiovița Nouă) of the public transport company RAT Craiova. There is a station in front of the airport with all-day service time.[15]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "Situaţii statistice de aeroport pentru perioada 2017 – 2021" (PDF) (in Romanian).
- ^ https://airportaar.ro/comunicat-de-presa-traficul-de-pasageri-inregistrat-de-aeroporturile-din-romania-in-2024
- ^ https://www.cjdolj.ro/dm_dolj/site.nsf/atasament/BD20021B4B6C315F42258C9F0028C435/$FILE/HOT%20148.pdf
- ^ a b EAD Basic
- ^ Craiova Airport in 2013 Archived 8 January 2014 at the Wayback Machine at newsair.ro (in Romanian)
- ^ ORDIN 169/1.801. Planul national de actiune privind reducerea emisiilor de gaze cu efect de seră în domeniul aviatiei civile Archived 17 June 2021 at the Wayback Machine (in Romanian)
- ^ a b "Istoric". aeroportcraiova.ro (in Romanian).
- ^ "Craiova: Noul terminal de plecări al aeroportului va fi inaugurat peste două săptămâni" [The New Terminal of the Airport Will be Inaugurated in Two Weeks]. Adevarul. 25 November 2010.
- ^ "Ryanair to stop flights from Oradea and Craiova, after closing Timisoara base". 16 March 2018.
- ^ "Craiova Airport flight schedule".. Retrieved on 6 August 2022.
- ^ https://www.libertatea.ro/stiri/zbor-aeroport-craiova-istanbul-animawings-5314374
- ^ https://aeroportcraiova.ro/zboruri-charter/
- ^ a b c "Southern Romania: Wizz Air announces additional routes from Craiova".
- ^ Liu, Jim (17 January 2025). "Wizz Air NS25 Network Additions – 16JAN25". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
- ^ "RAT-Craiova bus schedule". Archived from the original on 10 May 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2015.