Craiova International Airport
Craiova International Airport Aeroportul Internaţional Craiova | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 (2025) | |||||||||||
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| Source: AIP at the Romanian Airports Association (RAA)[1] | |||||||||||
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.[3]
From 1995, the airport was opened to domestic and international traffic, serving only charter flights.[3] A new terminal was opened at Craiova airport in December 2010.[4] Runway renovation works took place in summer 2015. Since July 2014, Craiova Airport is the base for Wizz Air which serves 14 destinations in 7 countries. In March 2018, Ryanair announced it would terminate all services at Craiova by October 2018[5] 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:[6]
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| AlbaStar | Seasonal charter: Palma de Mallorca[7] |
| Nesma Airlines | Seasonal charter: Hurghada[7] |
| Animawings | Istanbul[8] Seasonal: Heraklion[9] |
| Cyprus Airways | Seasonal charter: Larnaca[7] |
| HiSky | Seasonal charter: Heraklion; Antalya[7] |
| Nouvelair | Seasonal charter: Monastir[7] |
| Sky Express | Seasonal charter: Heraklion[7] |
| SkyUp MT | Seasonal charter: Heraklion[7] |
| Wizz Air | Athens,[11] Barcelona (resumes 29 March 2026),[11] Bari,[12] Beauvais,[11] Bergamo,[13] Birmingham,[13] Bologna,[13] Charleroi,[13] Dortmund,[12] London–Luton,[13] Madrid,[14] Memmingen,[12] Naples,[11] Rome–Fiumicino,[13] Venice (begins 23 May 2026),[15] |
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[16] | 159,552 | 68.9% | 3,758 | 44.5% |
| 2021[16] | 191,510 | 20.0% | 5,260 | 39.6% |
| 2022 | 476,613 | 148.9% | 6,459 | 22.8% |
| 2023 | 597,990 | 25.5% | 7,604 | 17.7% |
| 2024 | 424,976 | 28.9% | 6,722 | 11.6% |
| 2025 | 578,701 | 36.2% | 7,320 | 8.9% |
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.[17]
See also
References
- ^ "Air traffic statistics". www.airportaar.ro (in Romanian). Retrieved 5 March 2026.
- ^ EAD Basic
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Zboruri din Craiova 2026 – chartere". Tropical Tour (in Romanian). Tropical Tour SRL. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
- ^ Ion, Ioana (20 May 2025). "Animawings lansează zboruri Craiova-Istanbul, din toamnă. Cât costă un bilet" [Animawings launches Craiova-Istanbul flights this fall. How much does a ticket cost?]. Libertatea (in Romanian). Ringier Romania. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
- ^ https://www.economica.net/animawings-zboruri-kefalonia_889605.html
- ^ "Zboruri din Craiova 2026 – chartere". Tropical Tour (in Romanian). Tropical Tour SRL. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
- ^ a b c d Tudor, Valentin (7 August 2025). "Aeroportul din Craiova prinde aripi: 2 curse noi şi 2 reluate, cu Wizz Air - Napoli, Atena, Barcelona, Paris" [Craiova Airport takes flight: two new routes and two resumed routes with Wizz Air – Naples, Athens, Barcelona, Paris]. GAZETA de SUD (in Romanian). Retrieved 20 October 2025.
- ^ a b c "Southern Romania: Wizz Air announces additional routes from Craiova". 11 December 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f "Craiova, Romania CRA". OAG Flight Guide Worldwide. 26 (11). Luton, United Kingdom: OAG Aviation Worldwide Limited: 285–285. May 2025. ISSN 1466-8718. OCLC 41608313.
- ^ Liu, Jim (17 January 2025). "Wizz Air NS25 Network Additions – 16JAN25". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
- ^ https://www.profit.ro/povesti-cu-profit/auto-transporturi/wizz-air-anunta-in-romania-lansarea-unor-rute-noi-22319004
- ^ a b "Situaţii statistice de aeroport pentru perioada 2017 – 2021" (PDF) (in Romanian).
- ^ "RAT-Craiova bus schedule". Archived from the original on 10 May 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2015.