Bucharest Baneasa: Romania’s Wonderful Retro Airport

Bucharest Baneasa, the second-oldest airport in the world that still sees commercial operations, offers a wonderful glimpse into the early days of aviation.

In this article, I will show you what it is like to fly from this beautifully renovated airport.

Airports of Bucharest

Bucharest, the capital of Romania, has two commercial airports: Bucharest Otopeni (IATA code: OTP), the city’s primary airport, and Bucharest Baneasa (IATA code: BBU), which serves as a secondary airport.

Both airports are located north of Bucharest, with Baneasa Airport situated about 8 kilometres from the city centre in the suburb of Băneasa, and Otopeni Airport located 17 kilometres north of the centre in the town of Otopeni, just outside the city limits.

If you’re flying to or from Bucharest, chances are your flight will be from Otopeni Airport, officially known as Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport, as the vast majority of airlines operate here.

However, if your flight happens to operate from Baneasa Airport, you’re in for a little treat if you love history and architecture, as it offers the chance to experience one of Europe’s most historic airports.

History of Bucharest Baneasa Airport

The history of Bucharest Baneasa Airport (in Romanian: Aeroportul București Băneasa) dates back to 1909.

After famous French aviator Louis Blériot became the first person to fly across the English Channel in 1909, he made a couple of exhibition flights across Europe, including one that same year from a meadow in the Băneasa neighbourhood of Bucharest, marking the first-ever airplane flight from Romanian soil.

By 1912, this spot in Bucharest had developed into a fully-fledged aerodrome, with Romanian aviator and aristocrat George Valentin Bibescu even founding a flight school at Baneasa.

This makes Bucharest Baneasa the second-oldest airport in the world that still has commercial flight operations, after Hamburg Airport, which opened in 1911.

In the 1920s, Bucharest Baneasa had already developed into a fully operational airport, complete with hangars, maintenance facilities, and serving as the base of CFRNA (Compagnie Franco-Roumaine de Navigation Aérienne), the forerunner of both Air France and TAROM.

After World War II, Baneasa Airport saw further development, and in 1952 a new terminal building opened — one that remains in use to this day.

As other old airports like Hamburg have long since opened brand new terminal buildings, it’s actually Bucharest Baneasa that offers the clearest glimpse into aviation history, with its 1952 terminal still in active use.

Getting to Bucharest Baneasa Airport

To get from the city centre of Bucharest to Baneasa Airport, bus line 100 offers the most convenient option, connecting Piața Unirii, Piața Universității, Piața Romană, and Piața Victoriei to the airport at regular intervals (every 15 minutes during most of the day).

Bus line 100 actually connects both of Bucharest’s airports, as after stopping at Baneasa, it continues further north to Otopeni Airport.

Of course, you can also take a taxi or ride-share (Uber or Bolt — both recommendable above regular taxis if you’re a foreign visitor to Bucharest) to get from the city centre to the airport.

Arriving at the airport

As you approach the terminal entrance, you already catch a glimpse of the unique architectural design of Bucharest Baneasa Airport.

The terminal of Baneasa Airport was built in the shape of a plane propeller, with three blades radiating from a central hub, although this is actually best seen from above rather than when standing in front of the building.

Yet with its circular design and eye-catching dome on top, the historic terminal building is certainly unusual compared to modern-day airports, and if you imagine the driveway without the modern cars, it’s easy to picture what the scene must have looked like when the building was completed in the 1950s.

Inside the terminal hall

As you enter the main terminal building, you will be in for a surprise.

With its circular design and absolutely stunning dome, the main hall of Bucharest Baneasa is one of the most magnificent airport spaces I’ve ever seen.

If you look up into the cupola, you’ll see light streaming through the glass dome, with its crown almost resembling a sun.

On the floor directly beneath the dome is a large painted compass star.

It was the first time I set foot at Baneasa Airport since it reopened for commercial traffic in 2022 following a large-scale renovation project.

The only time I had visited the airport before was in 2008, during the height of the low-cost airline revolution in Romania, when nearly all budget carriers operated out of Baneasa rather than Otopeni Airport.

Back then, the airport terminal was in quite a sorry state and uncomfortably overcrowded, with its interior far too small and cramped for the number of passengers it served.

This time around, it was perfectly quiet, with only a handful of other passengers, airport staff, and security guards either walking through the terminal or sitting on benches overlooking the apron.

I must say, the renovation work has certainly been done well, highlighting the impressive and monumental design of the late 1940s and early 50s while removing the haphazard additions of more recent times and bringing the terminal back to its historic core.

Aurel Vlaicu

Inside the main terminal hall you can see a memorial plaque commemorating Aurel Vlaicu, a famous Romanian engineer and aviator.

On 17th June 1910, Aurel Vlaicu became the first to pilot a plane that was entirely designed and built in Romania, a date still observed each year as National Aviation Day of Romania.

Officially, the airport is named Aurel Vlaicu International Airport, although most Romanians and the airlines themselves simply refer to it as Baneasa Airport.

Airlines

Bucharest Baneasa Airport isn’t just used for commercial aviation, as it also handles private flights and is actually the preferred airport in the city for business jets and charter flights for sports teams, given its much closer proximity to the city centre compared to Otopeni Airport.

Since the airport’s reopening in 2022 after its renovation, Baneasa hasn’t really caught on with commercial airlines.

A handful of airlines have since started operating flights from Baneasa, but almost all of them soon cancelled those routes indefinitely.

I was flying out of Baneasa with AeroItalia to Rome Fiumicino, one of those routes that has since been cancelled.

At the moment, only Wizz Air operates a handful of scheduled flights out of Baneasa, although this is more out of necessity, as the primary reason for doing so was the lack of suitable slots at their main Bucharest hub, Otopeni Airport, which is operating well over its original capacity, prompting the airline to shift a few routes to Baneasa.

The flights currently operated by Wizz Air from Bucharest Baneasa Airport include routes to Abu Dhabi, Budapest, Krakow, London Luton, and Naples, with services to Warsaw Chopin and Wroclaw scheduled to commence on 9th June and 9th December, respectively.

Interestingly, Wizz Air now operates Bucharest to London Luton flights from both Baneasa and Otopeni airports!

The reason why Baneasa has never really caught on with commercial airlines is the lack of facilities for both carriers and passengers, as well as the relatively high airport taxes, which make it difficult to operate certain routes profitably.

Check-in

The check-in desks at Baneasa Airport are all located underneath the giant dome in the circular main hall.

My AeroItalia flight to Rome was the only scheduled commercial departure from Bucharest Baneasa Airport that day, and judging by the lack of crowds, it was immediately clear that the flight wouldn’t even be half-full.

As I was travelling with hand luggage only, I headed straight to security control, which opened a few minutes after the check-in desks in the terminal.

Public facilities at Baneasa Airport

The lack of public facilities at Baneasa Airport became clear soon after I had passed through security.

Baneasa Airport has five boarding gates, with only three in use for scheduled commercial flights, as the fourth gate serves as a private VIP lounge and the fifth is designated for transit passengers.

There are no duty-free shops at Baneasa Airport, and in fact, there’s really nothing to do once you’ve passed security.

Don’t expect any food or drink outlets either, as the only options are one or two vending and coffee machines, both before and after security.

Although there is only a minimal amount of seating at each gate, additional seating areas are available if your flight is the only one departing at that time and the passenger load isn’t too large, so there’s a reasonable chance of finding a place to sit.

Then again, don’t expect to find a power socket near your seat, as such basic facilities are a luxury at this airport!

Sadly, the gate areas also have a rather sterile appearance, offering a more non-descript modern feel rather than the lovely retro vibes of the wonderful main hall of the terminal.

Unless you want to admire the old architecture, Baneasa isn’t an airport where you’d want to arrive too early for your flight, as you’ll bore yourself to death.

Boarding

After a short wait, a gate agent arrived and began the boarding process for our AeroItalia flight to Rome Fiumicino Airport.

At Bucharest Baneasa Airport, all gates are bus gates, meaning you’ll be driven to your plane at one of the remote stands on the apron, typically just a few dozen metres from the terminal building.

During the short bus ride to your plane, you’re likely to see business jets of all sorts and sizes parked on the apron, rather than other commercial airliners, which reflects the airport’s greater popularity with private aviation.

I wouldn’t be surprised if on this day more passengers departed Baneasa by private jet than on this lightly booked AeroItalia flight!

Conclusion

Bucharest Baneasa Airport, the secondary airport of the Romanian capital, is an architectural gem from the early days of aviation.

After Hamburg, Bucharest Baneasa is actually the second-oldest airport in the world still in use for scheduled commercial flights, with its origins dating back to 1909.

The circular terminal building with its magnificent dome, completed in 1952, is absolutely stunning, with the entire structure resembling a propeller and its blades when viewed from above.

Another advantage of Baneasa Airport is its relatively central location in Bucharest, as it lies closer to the city centre than the main Otopeni Airport.

Yet flying from Baneasa Airport also comes with some disadvantages, as the entire airport lacks passenger facilities, with nothing more than a few vending machines and a couple of seats.

If you do happen to fly out of Baneasa Airport, make sure to eat and drink beforehand, and don’t arrive too early unless you want to savour the unique architecture and history.

Explore some other destinations with us!

In our trip report section, you can find multiple reports of holidays across the world which could give you some inspiration for your next trip.

These trip reports include destination guides as well as reviews of hotels, airlines, trains, and other modes of transport.

Our last two featured articles highlighted the city of Kuching in the Malaysian part of Borneo, along with the national parks surrounding it, and the Christmas Market of Bamberg.

Make sure you subscribe to our Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram pages in order to receive instant Paliparan updates when a new travel article or flight deal is posted!