Low-cost competition drives up Aurel Vlaicu Airport revenue to €16 mln

This year, Aurel Vlaicu International Airport at Baneasa will post turnover of some €16 million, up 50 percent from 2007, mostly due to a 30-40 percent increase in passenger traffic, according to a declaration by the airport’s General Manager, Stefan Mladin.

Mladin estimates that the number of passengers will rise to 1.2 million, 10 times as many as in 2004, when the low-cost market was established in Romania. “In the first three months of this year, we had a rise of 30 percent, and are expecting a 50 percent increase in summer, when charter flights begin,” added Mladin. He is targeting 1.7 million passengers in 2010.

The airport’s expenditures in 2008 will amount to some €14 million, so the company had no profit. The General Manager indicated that investments planned for the development of the airport are worth €9 mln, including the construction of a VIP lounge for Romania’s political personalities, and a new departure terminal, a metal structure offering 5,000 square meters of space, on two floors.

Mladin said that the Irish Ryanair operator is interested in Romania, but requires many facilities. At present Baneasa is the site for operations of low-cost companies Blue Air, Wizz Air, Sky Europe, MyAir and Germanwings, as well as private companies, such as TiriacAir.