Timișoara Traian Vuia International Airport
| Timișoara Traian Vuia International Airport Aeroportul Internațional „Traian Vuia” Timișoara | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Owner | Ministry of Transport | ||||||||||
| Operator | Romanian Civil Aeronautical Authority | ||||||||||
| Serves | Timișoara | ||||||||||
| Location | Ghiroda, Timiș County | ||||||||||
| Opened | February 28, 1964 | ||||||||||
| Focus city for | |||||||||||
| Time zone | EET (+2) | ||||||||||
| • Summer (DST) | EEST (+3) | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 45°48′36″N 21°20′17″E / 45.81000°N 21.33806°ECoordinates: 45°48′36″N 21°20′17″E / 45.81000°N 21.33806°E | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  TSR Airport's location in Romania | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2017) | |||||||||||
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Source: aerotim.ro[1] | |||||||||||
Timișoara Traian Vuia International Airport (IATA: TSR, ICAO: LRTR) is an international airport serving Timișoara, Romania. Located in the historical region of Banat, the airport is named in honour of Traian Vuia, a Romanian flight pioneer and a Timiș County native. It is the third-busiest Romanian airport in terms of air traffic, and the main air transportation hub for the western part of Romania and for the Danube–Criș–Mureș–Tisa Euroregion. The airport serves as an operating base for Wizz Air, and is considered a backup airport for Bucharest (OTP), Budapest (BUD) and Belgrade (BEG). Since 2017, Timișoara International Airport is the only airport in Romania certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency.[2]
History
Timișoara's first airport, Timișoara Communal Airport, was built a few kilometers away from the current airport's position, in the village of Moșnița Veche. The first aircraft landed there on July 17, 1935.[3] The airport was rebuilt in its current location in the 1960s and became known as Giarmata Airport. The domestic terminal was opened on February 28, 1964.[3]
In the 1980s it was designated as an international airport and was upgraded with a CAT IIIa instrument landing system. The runway was extended from 2,500 to 3,500 metres and terminal buildings for international flights, control tower, the official hall and the administrative building were constructed.[3] The airport was named after aeronautics pioneer Traian Vuia on February 6, 2003.[3] The following year work to expand the international terminal commenced; and in 2006 the aircraft parking facilities were enlarged. These measures were taken to cater to increasing air traffic and the construction of a new parking lot and an access road in the airport. The extension works for the international terminal were completed in 2007.[3] In 2010 work to expand the domestic terminal was completed.[3]
Future developments
In 2016, the development of airport infrastructure began, in particular the expansion of the terminal. A terminal of domestic arrivals is scheduled to be completed by March 2019. This will expand the area of the existing terminal by 3,000 m².[4] The new terminal will be able to manage simultaneously three passenger flows, and will be provided with seven checkpoints, three luggage transport systems, the customs control area and shops. In the second phase, the existing facade will be expanded and modified.[4] A terminal for external departures is also scheduled to be completed by the end of 2019. The capacity of the terminal will increase by 150% as 10 new boarding gates, 12 check-ins and eight checkpoints will be built, alongside six security checkpoints, shopping facilities and the public catering area.[5] The new terminals will be built in the eastern part of the airport, in the extension of the current Official Salon. The project is estimated at 17 million euros.[6] The road connecting the city with the airport will also be enlarged to four lanes.[6]
There are plans for an Airport City, a complex and innovative concept for Romania, through which will be built, in addition to air, road and rail transport facilities, hotels, restaurants, shops, conference centers and exhibition halls, with public and private funding sources.[7]
Military use
Giarmata Airport was home to the Romanian Air Force RoAF 93rd Air Base, founded in 1953.[8] The 93rd Air Base was disbanded in September 2004 with the MiG-21 Lancers and IAR 330 moving to Câmpia Turzii for reassignment to the 71st Air Base.[9] Buildings and land belonging to former 93rd Air Base, totalling 240 hectares, were transferred to Timișoara Airport in 2006.[10] The air base also operated the MiG-23 Flogger, which was retired in early 2002. Over 30 MiG-23s are in storage at Timișoara Airport. Nowadays, the military section of the airport is an annex of the 71st Air Base.
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Air Bucharest | Seasonal charter: Antalya |
| AtlasGlobal | Seasonal charter: Antalya |
| Blue Air | Seasonal: Bucharest, Constanța[11] Seasonal charter: Antalya, Heraklion,[12] Hurghada, Rhodes, Zakynthos |
| Corendon Airlines | Seasonal charter: Antalya[13] |
| Freebird Airlines | Seasonal charter: Antalya[12] |
| Lufthansa | Frankfurt, Munich |
| Ryanair | Bergamo, Bucharest |
| TAROM | Bucharest, Chișinău, Iași, Stuttgart[14] Seasonal charter: Santorini |
| Wizz Air | Barcelona, Bari, Bergamo, Beauvais, Bologna, Charleroi, Dortmund, Hahn, London–Luton, Madrid, Memmingen, Rome–Ciampino, Tel Aviv–Ben Gurion, Treviso, Valencia |
Cargo
Statistics
The airport's traffic rose significantly in the past ten years. Although, it experienced e dramatic decrease after the departure of Carpatair, authorities of the airport announced that the negative trend should come to an end by 2015. In 2016 the airport handled 1,160,482 passengers and it is expected that the traffic numbers will reach 1.7 million passengers in 2017.[20]
| Year[20] | Passengers (% change from prior year) | Aircraft movements (% change from prior year) |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 753,934 | 24,817 |
| 2007 | 836,574(+11%) | 25,379(+2.3%) |
| 2008 | 890,704(+6.5%) | 24,768(−2.4%) |
| 2009 | 973,873(+9.3%) | 24,815(+0.2%) |
| 2010 | 1,138,431(+16.9%) | 25,807(+4.0%) |
| 2011 | 1,200,762(+5.5%) | 23,214(−10.0%) |
| 2012 | 1,035,929(−13.7%) | 18,522(−20.2%) |
| 2013 | 757,069(−26.9%) | 11,929(−35.6%) |
| 2014 | 736,191(−2.8%) | 10,293(−13.7%) |
| 2015 | 924,459(+25.6%) | 11,661(+13.3%) |
| 2016 | 1,160,482(+25.5%) | 14,222(+22.0%) |
| 2017 | 1,621,529(+39.7%) | 17,808(+25.3%) |
| Month | Passengers | Change (2017–18) | Aircraft movements | Change (2017–18) | Cargo (tonnes) | Change (2017–18) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 119,275 |  | 1,490 | | 458.9 | |
| February | 117,991 | | 1,342 | | 448.5 | |
| March | 127,716 |  | 1,452 | | 556.6 | |
| April | 115,264 | | 501.1 | | ||
| May | 119,831 | | ||||
| June | 130,896 | | ||||
| July | 142,139 | | ||||
| August | 143,508 | | ||||
| Total | 1,016,620 | | 4,284 | | 1,965.1 | |
| Destination | Airport | Weekly departures (winter 2015/2016) | Weekly departures (winter 2018/2019)[22] | Airlines |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Henri Coandă International Airport | Ryanair, TAROM | ||
 | Franz Josef Strauß Airport | Lufthansa | ||
 | Orio al Serio International Airport | Ryanair, Wizz Air | ||
 | Luton Airport | Wizz Air | ||
| Frankfurt Airport | N/A | Lufthansa | |
| Iași International Airport | N/A | TAROM | |
 | Chișinău International Airport | N/A | TAROM | |
| Memmingen Airport | N/A | Wizz Air | |
| Rome-Ciampino Airport | Wizz Air | ||
| Stuttgart Airport | N/A | TAROM | |
 | Tel Aviv - Ben Gurion Airport | N/A | Wizz Air |
| Airport | Passengers (2014) | Passengers (2015) | Change | Passengers (2016) | Change | Passengers (2017) | Change | Airlines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 154,508 | 160,867 | | 219,694 | | 357,614 | | Ryanair, TAROM |
| 56,407 | 73,856 | | 144,132 | | 233,144 | | Ryanair, Wizz Air |
| 161,548 | 173,751 | | 207,568 | | 212,879 | | Lufthansa |
| 55,096 | 82,189 | | 101,791 | | 165,244 | | Ryanair, Wizz Air |
.svg.png){kind=small} | 3,960 | 29,236 | | 44,326 | | 76,712 | | Ryanair, Wizz Air |
Ground transportation
Car
The airport is located 12 km northeast of the center of Timișoara.[23] Access to the airport is on the European route E70, through a roundabout near the village of Ghiroda. To avoid the city crowd, those who come from the northern part of the city have access to the ring road which, also through a roundabout, is connected with the road to the airport.
Taxi cabs are parked in front of the two terminals and accessible to passengers for a 20 lei fee, while several rent-a-car services (Avis, Europcar, Budget, Hertz, etc.) operate within the airport.[24]
Bus
The RATT Expres 4 line (E4) connects the terminal to the city center. The bus runs daily from 50 to 50 minutes, with some exceptions during weekend days.[25] Moreover, since September 13, 2012, Expres 4 barat line connects the airport directly with Timișoara Nord railway station, the main station in the city.[26]
| Operator | Line | Destination | Route | Schedule |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RATT | E4 | Bastion | Cartier Aeroport–Ghiroda (DN6)–Piața Badea Cârțan | Every 50 minutes |
| E4 barat | Gara de Nord | Ghiroda (DN6)–Piața Badea Cârțan–Bastion–Piața 700 | Depends on flight schedule[27] |
Private operators organize daily minibus rides connecting the city of Arad and Timișoara airport. There is also, on request, the possibility of transferring, also by minibus, to Serbia.
Rail
There are plans in the future to build a new railway from the airport terminal itself to the Central Station in the city centre. Currently there is a branch line which runs to the airport but it is only used for cargo trains.
See also
References
- ↑ Nicoleta Trifan (January 17, 2017). "Traficul pe 2016, peste așteptări la Aeroportul Internațional Timișoara". Aerotim (in Romanian).
- ↑ Nicoleta Trifan (December 21, 2017). "Aeroportul Internațional Timișoara, la final de an". Aerotim (in Romanian).
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Istoric". Aerotim.
- 1 2 Roxana Tîrpe-Manasia (December 22, 2016). "Aeroportul Internațional Timișoara în 2016". Aerotim (in Romanian).
- ↑ Bogdan Marta (December 25, 2017). "Două noi terminale vor fi construite la Aeroportul Internațional Timișoara". TION (in Romanian).
- 1 2 Ștefan Both (December 22, 2017). "Cum va arăta din 2019 Aeroportul Internațional Timișoara. 17 milioane de euro investiți pentru două terminale noi". Adevărul (in Romanian).
- ↑ "Noi oportunități pentru Aeroportul Timișoara: Airport City" (PDF). Aerotim (in Romanian). p. 9.
- ↑ Otilia Halunga (July 20, 2013). "Timiș: Acrobații cu aeronavele IAR Puma, pe Aerodromul Giarmata, de Ziua Forțelor Aeriene Române". AGERPRES (in Romanian).
- ↑ "Baza aeriană de la Timișoara va fi desființată". Adevărul (in Romanian). April 20, 2004.
- ↑ Alina Sabou (April 13, 2006). "Terenurile de la Baza Aeriană Giarmata au revenit Aeroportului Timișoara". HotNews (in Romanian).
- ↑ Jim Liu (September 6, 2016). "Blue Air opens Constanța base in S17". Routesonline.
- 1 2 "Orare de zbor". Tez Tour (in Romanian).
- ↑ "Charter Antalya cu plecare din Timișoara". Paralela 45 (in Romanian).
- ↑ "Noi rute TAROM: din Timisoara spre Paris, Stuttgart si Chisinau, Cluj-Paris, Sibiu-Sttutgart, Constanta-Chisinau". aeronews.ro (in Romanian).
- ↑ Flightradar24. "ES-LSE - SF34 - Flightradar24". Retrieved 4 March 2018.
- ↑ Flightradar24. "YL-RAI - AT72 - RAF-Avia - Flightradar24". Retrieved 4 March 2018.
- 1 2 Flightradar24. "EI-STN - B734 - Flightradar24". Retrieved 4 March 2018.
- ↑ Flightradar24. "OK-SLD - Let L-410 Turbolet - Flightradar24". Retrieved 4 March 2018.
- 1 2 Flightradar24. "EC-KJA - AT72 - Flightradar24". Retrieved 4 March 2018.
- 1 2 "Evoluție trafic". Aerotim (in Romanian).
- ↑
- ↑ "Frecvență destinații". aerotim.ro. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
- ↑ "Localizare". Aerotim (in Romanian).
- ↑ "Transport aerogară". Aerotim (in Romanian).
- ↑ "Aeroport - Bastion" (PDF). RAT Timișoara (in Romanian).
- ↑ "Expres 4B" (PDF). RAT Timișoara (in Romanian).
- ↑ Liliana Iedu (September 11, 2012). "RATT înființează o nouă linie de transport în Timișoara: Expres 4 barat, care leagă Aeroportul de Gara de Nord. Vezi întreg traseul!". Opinia Timișoarei (in Romanian).
External links
