Baneasa Airport

Bucharest Băneasa Aurel Vlaicu International Airport Aeroportul Internaţional Bucureşti Băneasa Aurel Vlaicu
IATA: BBU ICAO: LRBS
Summary
Airport type	Public
Operator	Compania Naţională Aeroporturi Bucureşti S.A.
Serves	Bucharest, Romania
Elevation AMSL	299 ft / 91 m
Coordinates	44°30′13″N 026°06′13″E / 44.50361°N 26.10361°E / 44.50361; 26.10361Coordinates: 44°30′13″N 026°06′13″E / 44.50361°N 26.10361°E / 44.50361; 26.10361
Website	bucharestairports.ro
Map
BBU Location within Romania
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 07/25 3,100 10,465 Concrete
Statistics (2015)
Passengers 12,925 Aircraft movements 11,348
Sources: Romanian AIP at EUROCONTROL Airport-Data.com, Statistics: bucharestairports.ro

Bucharest Aurel Vlaicu Airport (IATA: BBU, ICAO: LRBS) (largely known as Băneasa Airport or Bucharest City Airport) is located in Băneasa district, Bucharest, Romania, 8.5 km (5.3 mi) north of the city center. Named after Aurel Vlaicu, a Romanian engineer, inventor, aeroplane constructor and early pilot, it was Bucharest's only airport until 1965, when the Otopeni Airport (today Henri Coandă International Airport) was opened to civilian use.

Until March 2012, when it was converted into a business airport, Aurel Vlaicu International was the second airport in Romania in terms of air traffic, and Bucharest's low-cost hub.

The first flights in the Băneasa area took place in 1909 and they were carried out by the French pilot and aviation pioneer Louis Blériot. In 1912 the first flight school in Romania was opened on Băneasa airfield. This makes Băneasa airport the oldest continuously operating airport in Eastern Europe, and among the oldest five airports in the world.

In 1920, the airport headquartered the first aviation company in Romania, and one of the earliest in the world, the CFRNA (The French – Romanian Company for Air Navigation), the precursor of the Romanian national airline, TAROM. In 1923 the CFRNA built the industrial facilities for aircraft maintenance in Băneasa; on that base the aerospace company Romaero was created in the 1960s.

The current terminal building was designed in the late 1940s and opened in 1952. At that time it was considered one of the finest architectural features of Bucharest. The building consists of a central dome with three distinct wings which represents an airplane propeller with three blades.

During the communist period (1947–1989), Băneasa Airport was TAROM's domestic hub, while Otopeni Airport was used as an international hub. In the early 2000s (decade), TAROM moved all of its activities to Otopeni (renamed Henri Coandă International Airport).