Craiova International Airport (IATA: CRA, ICAO: LRCV) is located in the south-western part of Romania, 7 km (4.3 mi) east[2] 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.[5]
From 1995, the airport was opened to domestic and international traffic, serving only charter flights.[5] A new terminal was opened at Craiova airport in December 2010.[6] 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[7] 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:[8]
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Animawings | Seasonal charter: Antalya[9] |
| Wizz Air[10] | Bergamo, Birmingham, Bologna, Charleroi, London–Luton, Rome–Ciampino |
Statistics
| 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%
|
| 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.[11]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "Situaţii statistice de aeroport pentru perioada 2017 – 2021" (PDF) (in Romanian).
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Star Tours".
- ^ "Wizz Air".[full citation needed]
- ^ "RAT-Craiova bus schedule". Archived from the original on 10 May 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
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