Henri Coanda International Airport - Bucharest, Romania
N 44° 34.120 E 026° 04.595
35T E 426676 N 4935451
Henri Coanda International Airport (Romanian: Aeroportul International Henri Coanda) (IATA: OTP, ICAO: LROP) is Romania's busiest international airport, located 16.5 km (10.3 mi) northwest of the city of Bucharest.
Waymark Code: WM8FWJ
Location: Romania
Date Posted: 03/27/2010
Views: 24
(I believe this is the first waymark in Romania)
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It is one of the two airports serving the Romanian capital city, along with Baneasa airport. The airport is located in Otopeni, north of Bucharest. It is named after Romanian flight pioneer Henri Coanda, the builder of the world's first jet powered aircraft. Until May 2004, its official name was Bucharest Otopeni International Airport (Romanian: Aeroportul International Bucuresti Otopeni), and locally it is still quite frequently referred to by its former name.
During World War II, the airport in Otopeni was used as an airbase by the German air force. Up to 1965, it was restricted for military use, and was one of the major bases of the Romanian Air Force, with a runway of 1200m. Before 1965, Baneasa Airport was the only airport that Bucharest used for commercial flights. However, with the growth of air traffic, a new commercial airport was constructed in the settlement of Otopeni, where the military air base used to be. The existing runway was modernised, extended up to 3500 m, making it even longer than that of Paris' Orly Airport at that time (1965). Also, a new passenger terminal was constructed for domestic and international flights.
In the late 1960s, when President Nixon of the United States visited Romania, a new VIP lounge was created, and on 13 April 1970, the passenger terminal was updated to have a capacity of 1,200,000 passengers per year. The airport slowly became more and more used by airlines, with a growing number of passengers, and in 1986, it entered a new phase of development. A second 3500-metre runway was constructed, as well as related taxiways. The airport lighting system was improved and the capacity was increased to 35-40 airport movements per hour.
In 1992, Otopeni Airport became a regular member of Airports Council International (ACI). In 1997 a new international departures lounge with a capacity of 1000-1200 passengers per hour was opened, as well as five modern airbridges. In 2000, Phase II of the development initiative continued, and the International Arrivals Terminal was improved.
The airport's terminal facilities consist of a single terminal, divided into three halls (occasionally considered to be separate terminals). These three sections are the International Departures Hall, the International Arrivals Hall, and the Domestic Flights Hall. A passage with several shops connects the halls. The airport has five jetways, all within the International Departures Hall. Additionally, another 9 gates are present at the airport that currently lack jetways. An extension to the actual terminal, with 8 extra jetways, is presently under construction (completion: 2010). The last major expansion of the airport occurred in 1997, when the Domestic hall was built, and the International Departures Hall was expanded. The current terminal was built around the original Otopeni airport terminal.
Type: International
ICAO Airport Code: LROP
IATA Airport Code: OTP
FAA Identifier: OTP
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Visit Instructions:
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