Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
has a rich tradition in
aviation
Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot air ...
. At the beginning of the 20th century, pioneers such as
Henri Coandă
Henri Marie Coandă (; 7 June 1886 – 25 November 1972)''Flight'' 1973 was a Romanian inventor, aerodynamics pioneer, and builder of an experimental aircraft, the Coandă-1910 described by Coandă in the mid-1950s as the world's first jet, a co ...
,
Aurel Vlaicu
Aurel Vlaicu (; 19 November 1882 – 13 September 1913) was a Romanian engineer, inventor, airplane constructor and early pilot.Gheorghiu, 1960
Early years and education
Aurel Vlaicu was born in the village of Binținți in Transylvania, Aus ...
,
Traian Vuia
Traian Vuia or Trajan Vuia (; August 17, 1872 – September 3, 1950) was a Romanian inventor and aviation pioneer who designed, built and tested the first tractor monoplane. He was the first to demonstrate that a flying machine could rise into the ...
and
George Valentin Bibescu
George III Valentin, Prince Bibescu (; 22 March 1880, Bucharest – 2 July 1941, Bucharest) was a Romanian early aviation pioneer and automobile enthusiast.
Family
His parents were George Bibescu (son of Gheorghe Bibescu) and Valentine de Riquet ...
made important contributions to early aviation history, building revolutionary aeroplanes and contributing to the international scene.
In the present, the
Romanian Civil Aeronautical Authority oversees all aviation activities.
History
Pioneers
George Valentin Bibescu
George III Valentin, Prince Bibescu (; 22 March 1880, Bucharest – 2 July 1941, Bucharest) was a Romanian early aviation pioneer and automobile enthusiast.
Family
His parents were George Bibescu (son of Gheorghe Bibescu) and Valentine de Riquet ...
was a
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
n aristocrat who became an early aviation pioneer and international figure. He flew a balloon named "Romania" brought from France 1905. Later he tried to teach himself how to fly a
Voisin Voisin (French for "neighbour") may refer to:
Companies
*Avions Voisin, the French automobile company
:*Voisin Laboratoire, a car manufactured by Avions Voisin
*Voisin (aircraft), the French aircraft manufacturer
* Voisin, a Lyon-based chocolat ...
airplane, also brought from France, but without success. After
Louis Blériot's demonstrative flights in Bucharest on October 18, 1909, Bibescu went to Paris and enrolled in Blériot's flying school where, in 1910, he obtained International Pilot License number 20. After returning from France, Bibescu organized the
Cotroceni Piloting School
Cotroceni is a neighbourhood in western Bucharest, Romania located around the Cotroceni hill, in Bucharest's Sector 5 (Bucharest), Sector 5.
The nearest Bucharest Metro, Metro stations are Eroilor metro station, Eroilor, Academia Militară metro s ...
in
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
where and
Nicolae Capșa Nicolae may refer to:
* Nicolae (name), a Romanian name
* ''Nicolae'' (novel), a 1997 novel
See also
*Nicolai (disambiguation)
*Nicolao Nicolao is an Italian given name and a surname. It may refer to the following:
Given name
*Nicolao Civitali ...
were licensed. On May 5, 1912, he founded the Romanian National Aeronautic League. Bibescu would later be instrumental in founding the
Fédération Aéronautique Internationale
The (; FAI; en, World Air Sports Federation) is the world governing body for air sports, and also stewards definitions regarding human spaceflight. It was founded on 14 October 1905, and is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland. It maintai ...
(FAI), the international regulatory body for aeronautics. Between 1927 and 1930 he was its vice-president, and becoming president in 1930 and remaining so until 1941.
Traian Vuia
Traian Vuia or Trajan Vuia (; August 17, 1872 – September 3, 1950) was a Romanian inventor and aviation pioneer who designed, built and tested the first tractor monoplane. He was the first to demonstrate that a flying machine could rise into the ...
was a Romanian inventor and aviation pioneer. He constructed his first powered, fixed wing aircraft with wheeled undercarriage and in 1906 he flew short hops in it at
Montesson
Montesson () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris.
Transport in Montesson is served by buses with T-tickets as well as by several Paris-subur ...
near
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, France. On March 18 he flew about 12 metres at a height of 1 foot, and on 19 August he flew for 24 metres.
Although unsuccessful at true flight, Vuia's aircraft has been credited as "the first man-carrying monoplane of basically modern configuration" and influenced the more successful Brazilian pioneer
Alberto Santos-Dumont
Alberto Santos-Dumont (Santos Dumont, Minas Gerais, Palmira, 20 July 1873 — Guarujá, 23 July 1932) was a Brazilian aeronaut, sportsman, inventor, and one of the few people to have contributed significantly to the early development of both l ...
.
[ Gibbs-Smith, Charles Harvard (3 April 1959]
"Hops and Flights"
''Flight.'' p. 469 Vuia went on to experiment with another monoplane and two helicopters but none was successful.
Aurel Vlaicu
Aurel Vlaicu (; 19 November 1882 – 13 September 1913) was a Romanian engineer, inventor, airplane constructor and early pilot.Gheorghiu, 1960
Early years and education
Aurel Vlaicu was born in the village of Binținți in Transylvania, Aus ...
was born in
Transylvania
Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...
, then part of
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
. Having constructed a glider with his brother, he moved to the
Kingdom of Romania
The Kingdom of Romania ( ro, Regatul României) was a constitutional monarchy that existed in Romania from 13 March ( O.S.) / 25 March 1881 with the crowning of prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen as King Carol I (thus beginning the Romanian ...
in 1909. His first aircraft, the ''
A Vlaicu I
The A Vlaicu I was the first powered airplane built by Aurel Vlaicu.
Design and development
After flying his glider in Binţinţi, Aurel Vlaicu moved to the Kingdom of Romania.
On November 1, 1909, he began the construction of his first powere ...
'', was constructed at the Army Arsenal at Bucharest and first flown on 17 June 1910, a day still celebrated in Romania as National Aviation Day. Vlaicu later constructed two more aircraft, fatally crashing the second in 1913 while trying to cross the
Carpathians
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Ural Mountains, Urals at and the Scandinavian Mountains at . The ...
before the third had flown.
His dream of crossing the Carpathians in flight was fulfilled by
Lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations.
The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...
Ioan Peneș on 1 September 1916.
Henri Coandă
Henri Marie Coandă (; 7 June 1886 – 25 November 1972)''Flight'' 1973 was a Romanian inventor, aerodynamics pioneer, and builder of an experimental aircraft, the Coandă-1910 described by Coandă in the mid-1950s as the world's first jet, a co ...
exhibited the
Coanda-1910 at the Second
International Aeronautical Exhibition in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
around October 1910, and built his first flying aircraft in 1911. Later he worked in the UK to design aircraft, a number of
Bristol T.B.8 and
Bristol Coanda Monoplanes
The Bristol Coanda Monoplanes were a series of monoplane trainers designed by the Romanian designer Henri Coandă for the British company British and Colonial Aeroplane Company.
Several versions of the plane were built from 1912 onwards with ...
being purchased by the Romanian Army and Government.
Coandă continued to research in a variety of fields. He is most famous for discovering the
Coanda effect in aerodynamics and fluidics.
Early military aviation
The
Romanian Army
The Romanian Land Forces ( ro, Forțele Terestre Române) is the army of Romania, and the main component of the Romanian Armed Forces. In recent years, full professionalisation and a major equipment overhaul have transformed the nature of the Lan ...
took an interest in aviation from the earliest days, facilitating the construction of the ''Vlaicu I'' in 1910. The next year the Army formed the Aviation Group, which over the next few years constructed Farman biplanes under license and also acquired two Blériot monoplanes, several Bristol-Coandă monoplanes and Two Morane Type F monoplanes. On 1 April 1913 it became the Military Aeronautics Service (), the Corps of Permanent Airmen () was also established on this date.
Three months later they engaged in reconnaissance sorties over the
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
n border at the start of the
Second Balkan War
The Second Balkan War was a conflict which broke out when Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Serbia and Greece, on 16 ( O.S.) / 29 (N.S.) June 1913. Serbian and Greek armies r ...
.
[Green and Swanborough (1971).]
The
Romanian Air Corps
The Romanian Air Corps or Aviation Corps (RAC) ( ro, Corpul de Aviație) was the air arm of the Romanian army until the formation of the Romanian Air Force. It was established on 1 April 1913 as the Military Aeronautics Service () and subordina ...
was established on 15 September 1915, at a time during the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
when Romania was still neutral. That same year, even before Romania joined the Western Powers in 1916, it was supplied with 44 aircraft by France. During the ensuing defeat of Romanian forces, the Air Corps was chronically short of serviceable aircraft and supplies and was reorganised several times.
After the World War, the Air Corps again saw action in the 1919 campaign to secure Transylvania from Hungary. By then the Air Corps was in a sorry state, but following the collapse of the Hungarian communist regime the Air Corps gained 150 captured aircraft. From then on the air arm grew steadily, being reorganized in 1924 into the ''Aeronautica Regală Română'' (Romanian Royal Aeronautics). Further aircraft were acquired from France and licensed production was set up at various centres. By the early 1930s Romanian aviation began producing more native designs and types such as the
SET 10
__NOTOC__
The SET 10 (unrelated to the SET X design of the same year) was a trainer aircraft produced in Romania in prototype form in the early 1930s. It was a conventional, single-bay biplane with staggered wings braced with N-struts. It was eq ...
,
SET XV,
IAR 14
The IAR 14 is a Romanian low-wing monoplane fighter-trainer aircraft designed before World War II.
Design and development
After rejection of IAR 12, Romanian officials did not want to discourage eventual national aircraft production. Therefore, ...
and
IAR 15
The IAR 15 was a low-wing monoplane fighter designed in Romania in 1933.
The IAR 15 was designed by Elie Carafoli for the Romanian Air Force. It was a lightly armed low-wing cantilever monoplane with a radial engine, fixed undercarriage and op ...
fighters. However these were not yet judged adequate and for a period front line fighter squadrons were equipped with Polish PZL fighters, examples of which were both purchased and manufactured. In the late 1930s the ARR also significantly developed its bombing capabilities and the
IAR 37
The IAR 37 was a 1930s Romanian reconnaissance or light bomber aircraft built by Industria Aeronautică Română.
Development
The IAR 37 prototype was flown for the first time in 1937 to meet a requirement for a tactical bombing and reconnaissan ...
light reconnaissance bomber went into production.
As
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
loomed in 1939, Romania found itself in a precarious position and made many treaties with its neighbours. One result of this was a change of supplier; a number of German aircraft were procured and
IAR licensed production of the
Junkers Jumo 211Da aero engine. In response Britain began supplying frontline aircraft, although only a few
Hawker Hurricanes
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s which was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was overshadowed in the public consciousness by ...
arrived in the few days left before hostilities would begin.
World War II
Following the outbreak of war and the German invasion of Poland, over 100 surviving aircraft of the Polish Air Force joined the FARR. However the increasing aggressiveness of the Axis powers Germany and Russia forced Romania to join them. Through 1940 and '41 the German presence and influence grew strongly.
In June 1941, with the FARR operational strength at 504 aircraft, Romania joined Germany in the attack on the Soviet Union and the FARR was committed heavily in support. In March 1942 deliveries of the
IAR 80
The IAR 80 was a Romanian World War II low-wing monoplane, all-metal monocoque fighter and ground-attack aircraft. When it first flew, in 1939, it was comparable to contemporary designs being deployed by the airforces of the most advanced milita ...
fighter began, and both this type and its derivative the
IAR 81
The IAR 80 was a Romanian World War II low-wing monoplane, all-metal monocoque fighter and ground-attack aircraft. When it first flew, in 1939, it was comparable to contemporary designs being deployed by the airforces of the most advanced milit ...
joined front line operations. Following a long and bloody campaign, by the summer of 1943 emphasis was beginning to switch to the air defence of Romania and especially the oil wells and refineries which supplied Germany, the FARR giving a good account of itself during the American
Operation Tidal Wave
Operation Tidal Wave was an air attack by bombers of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) based in Libya on nine oil refineries around Ploiești, Romania on 1 August 1943, during World War II. It was a strategic bombing mission and part of ...
bombing raids. By now the FARR was operating a great mix of aircraft types, including more than 80 types of trainer.
On 20 August 1944 the Soviets invaded Romania. Following a brief period of confusion, Romania changed sides and, once more allied with the Soviet Union, turned against its German occupiers. Although by now possessing less than 200 operational aircraft, the FARR joined in the attack on German forces. Despite chaotic conditions, exacerbated by the Soviet demand for Romanian mechanics to maintain their aircraft, IAR continued a low level of manufacture and the FARR began to rebuild its strength. But then in 1945 operations over Slovakia and against German and Hungarian forces reduced its strength once again, having just 10 operational combat squadrons remaining by the end of the war.
Postwar
In 1947 Romania became a republic and its air arm changed its name to the ''Forțele Aeriene ale Republicii Populare România'', the Air Forces of the Romanian People's Republic or FR-RPR. From 1948 greater cooperation with Soviet forces began with the introduction of the
Yakovlev Yak-11 trainer, and the ageing combat fleet progressively supplemented and replaced by more modern Soviet types.
The first jet fighter arrived in the 1950s, in the form of the
Yakovlev Yak-23
The Yakovlev Yak-23 (russian: Яковлев Як-23; USAF/DoD reporting name Type 28, NATO reporting name Flora) was an early Soviet jet fighter with a straight wing. It was developed from the Yak-17 in the late 1940s and used a reverse-engine ...
. A process of expansion and modernization continued, and accelerated after Romania joined the
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact (WP) or Treaty of Warsaw, formally the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, was a collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Poland, between the Soviet Union and seven other Eastern Bloc socialist republic ...
in 1955. The supersonic age arrived during this period, with the introduction of the
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19 (russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-19; NATO reporting name: Farmer) is a Soviet second generation, single-seat, twinjet fighter aircraft, the world's first mass-produced supersonic aircraft. It was the ...
. The expansion stopped after the withdrawal of the last Soviet forces in 1964, and the FR-RPR ended its participation in Warsaw Pact exercises. 1965 saw the introduction not only of the Soviet
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-21; NATO reporting name: Fishbed) is a supersonic jet aircraft, jet fighter aircraft, fighter and interceptor aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan, Mikoyan-Gurevich OKB, De ...
fighter but also the Czech
Aero L-29 Delfin
Aero is a Greek prefix relating to flight and air. In British English, it is used as an adjective related to flight (e.g., as a shortened substitute for aeroplane).
Aero, Ærø, or Aeros may refer to:
Aeronautics Airlines and companies
* Aero (Po ...
jet trainer.
1966 saw yet another name change accompanying Romania's establishment of a Socialist Republic, to the ''Forțele Aeriene ale Republicii Socialiste România'' – the Air Forces of the Romanian Socialist Republic or FR-RSR. The new FR-RSR went on to maintain and modernize its fleet, including the introduction of a variety of Mil helicopters, some of them Polish-built.
In the 1970s Romania began once more to develop its own military aircraft including a joint Yugoslav-Romanian attack aircraft built in Romania as the
IAR-93 Vultur
The Avioane Craiova IAR-93 Vultur (''Eagle'') is a twinjet, subsonic, close support, ground attack and tactical reconnaissance aircraft with secondary capability as low level interceptor. Built as single-seat main attack version or combat capa ...
, and the
IAR-99 Șoim trainer – the first jet of wholly Romanian design. Helicopters such as the
IAR 316
The IAR 316 is a Romanian license-built Aérospatiale SA 316B Alouette III manufactured by Industria Aeronautică Română (IAR).
Design and development IAR 316
IAR began manufacturing the IAR 316 in 1971 at its plant near Brașov, Romania. P ...
and
IAR 330
The IAR 330 is a licence-built version of the Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma helicopter, manufactured by the Romanian aerospace manufacturer IAR Brașov.
The IAR 330 was produced under a licensing agreement with the French aerospace firm Aérospati ...
were built under license from
Aérospatiale
Aérospatiale (), sometimes styled Aerospatiale, was a French state-owned aerospace manufacturer that built both civilian and military aircraft, rockets and satellites. It was originally known as Société nationale industrielle aérospatiale ( ...
, and the
ROMBAC 1-11 passenger aircraft under license from
BAC
BAC or Bac may refer to:
Places
* Bac, Rožaje, Bac, a village in Montenegro
* Baile Átha Cliath, Irish language name for Dublin city.
* Bîc River, aka ''Bâc River'', a Moldovan river
* Baç Bridge, bridge in Turkey
* Barnes County Municipal A ...
.
Astronautics
Dumitru Prunariu
Dumitru-Dorin Prunariu (; born 27 September 1952) is a Romanian cosmonaut. He flew in space aboard Soyuz 40 spacecraft and Salyut 6 space laboratory. He teamed with the Soviet cosmonaut Leonid Popov. The backup crew was made of Romanian candidat ...
is the only Romanian astronaut who participated in a space mission (
Soyuz 40
The Soyuz 40 mission was a 1981 Soviet crewed spaceflight and the final flight of the Soyuz 7K-T spacecraft. It was a collaboration between the Soviet Union and Romania.The mission report is available here: http://www.spacefacts.de/mission/english ...
– May 14, 1981).
Romanian air transport operators
Flag carrier
Active Romanian carriers
Former Romanian carriers
*
Acvila Air
*
Alfa Air Services
*
Angel Airlines
*
Dac Air
*
Jaro International
*
Jetran Air
*
LAR Romanian Airlines
LAR ( ro, Liniile Aeriene Române; Romanian Air Lines) was the second national airline in Romania, created primarily as a charter flights and inclusive tour airline, apart from the Romanian national airline, TAROM.
The company operated between ...
*
Romavia
Compania Română de Aviație Romavia R.A., usually referred to as Romavia , was a state airline from Romania, owned and controlled by the Romanian Ministry of National Defense. It operated VIP and charter flights, serving the demands of the Ro ...
Airports in Romania
Romania has a well-developed airport infrastructure compared to other countries in
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russ ...
, but still underdeveloped compared to Western countries standards. There are 16 commercial airports in service today, most of them opened for international traffic. Four of the airports (OTP, BBU, TSR, CND) have runways of in length and are capable of handling
jumbo jets
A wide-body aircraft, also known as a twin-aisle aircraft, is an airliner with a fuselage wide enough to accommodate two passenger aisles with seven or more seats abreast. The typical fuselage diameter is . In the typical wide-body economy cabin ...
. Six of the airports (BCM, CRA, IAS, SBZ, SCV, SUJ) have runways of in length, while the rest of them have runways of in length.
In 2011, air traffic reached 10.7 million passengers, 5.1% more than the previous year when there were 10.2 million people flying by plane.
Romania: Air traffic to grow by 5 percent in 2011, up to 10.7 million passengers
at aviationnews.us
Manufacturing
The industrial facilities for aircraft building and maintenance are located in Bacău
Bacău ( , , ; hu, Bákó; la, Bacovia) is the main city in Bacău County, Romania. At the 2016 national estimation it had a population of 196,883, making it the 12th largest city in Romania. The city is situated in the historical region of ...
( Aerostar), Brașov
Brașov (, , ; german: Kronstadt; hu, Brassó; la, Corona; Transylvanian Saxon: ''Kruhnen'') is a city in Transylvania, Romania and the administrative centre of Brașov County.
According to the latest Romanian census (2011), Brașov has a popu ...
(Industria Aeronautică Română
Industria Aeronautică Română (IAR) (now IAR S.A. Brașov) or Romanian Aeronautic Industry in English, is a Romanian aerospace manufacturer. It is based in Ghimbav, near Brașov, Romania.
IAR was founded in 1925 with the aid of the Romanian g ...
), Craiova
Craiova (, also , ), is Romania's 6th Cities in Romania, largest city and capital of Dolj County, and situated near the east bank of the river Jiu River, Jiu in central Oltenia. It is a longstanding political center, and is located at approximatel ...
(Avioane Craiova
Avioane Craiova S.A. ("Craiova Airplanes" in English) is an aeronautical company based in Ghercești, near Craiova, Romania. It has been involved in the manufacture of various military aircraft, including the IAR-93 Vultur ground-attack fighter ...
) and Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
(Romaero
Romaero, formerly Intreprinderea de Reparatii Material Aeronautic or IRMA ('Enterprise for the Repair of Aeronautical Material'), is a Romanian aerospace company, headquartered in the Băneasa neighborhood of Bucharest. In recent years, it has ...
, Turbomecanica).
Future development
Following the ascending curve of the economy growth, the air transportation in Romania experiences a favorable trend. Carpatair
Carpatair S.A. is a privately owned Romanian charter and former regional airline headquartered in Timișoara.
History
Carpatair was established in 1999 and started operations in February 1999 in Cluj-Napoca. The present title was adopted in ...
is the Romanian airline with the most spectacular growth; the national carrier TAROM is recovering from a difficult period at the beginning of the 2000s, 2004 being the first profitable year in the last 10 years, but with a price: the cancellation of the long-haul flights to New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
, Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
and Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
. In 2006 the company started a fleet update program with the acquisition of 4 new Airbus A318
Airbus SE (; ; ; ) is a European multinational aerospace corporation. Airbus designs, manufactures and sells civil and military aerospace products worldwide and manufactures aircraft throughout the world. The company has three divisions: '' ...
airplanes, 2 new ATR 72
The ATR 72 is a twin-engine turboprop, short-haul regional airliner developed and produced in France and Italy by aircraft manufacturer ATR (french: Avions de transport régional or it, Aerei da Trasporto Regionale), a joint venture formed b ...
turboprops in 2009 and two new Boeing 737-800 NG in 2017. The first Romanian low-cost airline, Blue Air, is going through a development phase, while other low-cost airlines are ready to start their operations.
There are many investment projects also in airport infrastructure: the upgrading of the existing airports (major rehabilitation programs for OTP, TSR, CLJ, CND, the airports with the most significant traffic growth) and the construction of three new airports in Brașov
Brașov (, , ; german: Kronstadt; hu, Brassó; la, Corona; Transylvanian Saxon: ''Kruhnen'') is a city in Transylvania, Romania and the administrative centre of Brașov County.
According to the latest Romanian census (2011), Brașov has a popu ...
, Galați
Galați (, , ; also known by other alternative names) is the capital city of Galați County in the historical region of Western Moldavia, in eastern Romania. Galați is a port town on the Danube River. It has been the only port for the most par ...
– Brăila
Brăila (, also , ) is a city in Muntenia, eastern Romania, a port on the Danube and the capital of Brăila County. The ''Sud-Est'' Regional Development Agency is located in Brăila.
According to the 2011 Romanian census there were 180,302 pe ...
(a 600,000 inhabitants urban area without airport access) and Deva
Deva may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Deva'' (1989 film), a 1989 Kannada film
* ''Deva'' (1995 film), a 1995 Tamil film
* ''Deva'' (2002 film), a 2002 Bengali film
* Deva (2007 Telugu film)
* ''Deva'' (2017 film), a 2017 Marathi film
* Deva ...
– Alba Iulia
Alba Iulia (; german: Karlsburg or ''Carlsburg'', formerly ''Weißenburg''; hu, Gyulafehérvár; la, Apulum) is a city that serves as the seat of Alba County in the west-central part of Romania. Located on the Mureș River in the historical ...
(Southern Transylvania).
Currently (dec. 2006) the most advanced project is the construction of the new Brașov Airportbr>
the construction site opening was planned for March 2007 but construction was halted. Construction restarted in April 2013. The project consists of a 1 mil. passengers/year terminal and a runway of 2,800 m long.
Cultural significance
National Aviation Day is celebrated on 17 June, the anniversary of Aurel Vlaicu's first flight.
Early pioneer aircraft have appeared on postage stamps, and Vlaicu on a bank note.
See also
*Transport in Romania
Transportation infrastructure in Romania is the property of the state, and is administered by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, Constructions and Tourism, except when operated as a concession, in which case the concessions are made ...
*Romanian Space Agency
The Romanian Space Agency (ROSA; ) is a public institution with extra-budgetary funding which coordinates Romania's national space technology research programs and space research-related activities. ROSA was founded in 1991 and is subordinated t ...
* Science and technology in Romania
* Romanian air tours over Africa
References
Notes
Bibliography
*Green, W. and Swanborough, G. (ed.); "Oil Well Top Cover – Sixty Years of Rumanian Military Aviation", ''Air Enthusiast'' Vol.1 No.1 (June 1971) Pages 25–35, 43.
External links
Romanian Airports Association
ROMATSA – Romanian Traffic Services Administration
Romanian Space Agency
{{Romanian aerospace industry