Iași International Airport

Iași International Airport (IATA: IAS, ICAO: LRIA) is an international airport located in Iași, Romania, 8 km (5 mi) east of the city centre. One of the oldest accredited airports in Romania and the most important in the historical region of Moldavia, Iași Airport is the third-busiest airport in Romania in terms of passenger traffic.

Iași International Airport Aeroportul Internațional Iași
IATA: IAS ICAO: LRIA
Summary
Airport type	Public
Operator	Iași County Council
Serves	Iași
Location	Iași, Romania
Opened	1926 (1926)
Focus city for	Wizz Air
Elevation AMSL	411 ft / 125 m
Coordinates	47°10′44″N 027°37′12″E
Website	aeroport-iasi.ro
Map
IAS Location of airport in Romania
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 14/32 2,400 7,874 Asphalt
Statistics (2023)
Passengers 2,338,377 Aircraft movements 15,435
Sources: Romanian AIP at EUROCONTROL,[1] aeroport.ro,[2][3][4] Aircraft movements data[5]

History

The Iași region earned its commercial representative status on 24 June 1926, when scheduled flights commenced on the route Bucharest – Galați – Iași – Chișinău. The flights were operated by Compagnie Franco-Roumaine de Navigation Aérienne - CFRNA, in 1930 renamed LARES (which became TARS in 1945, and TAROM in 1954).^[6]

In 1966, a north–south concrete runway, 15/33, with a total length of 1,800 m (5,906 ft), and a modern lighting system, were built, followed three years later by the construction of a passenger terminal.^[7] In 2001, the passenger terminal was upgraded to use separate flows for domestic and international flights.^[7]

In June 2012, a new passenger terminal, named T2, was added, increasing the total processing capacity to 215 pax/hour.^[7] The terminal was designated to be used for domestic flights.^[8] The old terminal was renamed T1.

In 2013, Iași International Airport started a long-term, multi-stage upgrade program.^[9] Module I of the project (an estimated €57 million investment) was completed in November 2015,^[10] and involved the construction of a new runway, a terminal building, and the extension of the apron.^[7][11][12] On 20 August 2014, the first 1,800 m (5,906 ft) of the new runway 14/32 went into operation,^[13] whilst the entire length of 2,400 m (7,874 ft) became fully operational on 16 October 2014.^[14] The old runway 15/33 was converted into a taxiway. On 17 October 2015, the third terminal building (T3) with a processing capacity of 320 pax/hour and two boarding gates, was inaugurated.^[15] A project which included the expansion of T2 (that would double the terminal's area) was also proposed, in October 2015.^[16]

On 13 November 2017, Iași Airport exceeded the 1,000,000 passenger mark.^[17]

In March 2021, an extension of the apron was completed and a new taxiway was inaugurated.^[18]

The airport experienced a surge in traffic in February 2022, as Moldova closed its airspace following the Russian Invasion of Ukraine. Due to the airport's proximity to the Romanian-Moldovan border, some airlines decided to reroute their flights from Chișinău Airport to Iași Airport, while other airlines announced plans to increase the number of destinations served from Iași.^[19]

On 9 May 2022, a contract of over €66 million was signed with Strabag for the design and execution of the T4 passenger terminal and the extension of the parking lot.^[20] Opened on 29 March 2024,^[21] T4 has an area of 31,210 m² (335,942 sq ft), a processing capacity of 950 pax/hour, and seven gates (three jetways and four ground-level gates).^[22][23][24]

For the long term, the development project proposes other modules for the construction of a new apron, two rapid-exit taxiways, a cargo terminal, an aircraft fuel depot, a new access roadway, as well as of a 600-metre (2,000 ft) extension for the runway to a total length of 3,000 m (9,843 ft).^[9][11]

Facilities

Terminal

The airport facilities consist of four terminals. Passenger operations take place in the main terminal T4, used for all domestic and Schengen flights, and T3, used for non-Schengen flights. The old terminal T1 functions as office/administrative and storage space, while there are plans for the former domestic terminal T2 to be converted into a cargo terminal.^[25]

Runway

Iași Airport sits at an elevation of 411 feet (125 m). There is one runway at the airport, aligned in the north–south direction.^[26][27]

Number	Length	Width	ILS	Notes
14/32	2,400 metres (7,874 ft)	45 metres (148 ft)	Cat. II (14)	Equipped at both ends with Approach Lighting Systems (ALSF II).

Other facilities

On the airport grounds, Aerostar provides aircraft maintenance services at its center opened in September 2020.^[28] In 2022, Heli Avia Service concessioned an area of 1.54 ha (4 acres) for the construction of a new hangar for helicopter maintenance.^[29]

Airlines and destinations

The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights at Iași Airport:

Airlines	Destinations
Animawings	Bucharest–Otopeni (begins 2 March 2025)[30] Seasonal: Heraklion
Austrian Airlines	Vienna
HiSky	Dublin
Ryanair	Beauvais,[31] Bergamo,[32] Charleroi,[31] Dublin[33]
Sky Express	Seasonal charter: Heraklion[34][35]
TAROM	Bucharest–Otopeni
Wizz Air	Barcelona, Basel/Mulhouse, Beauvais, Bergamo, Berlin,[36] Billund, Bologna, Charleroi, Copenhagen (ends 26 October 2024), Dortmund, Eindhoven, Istanbul,[37] Larnaca, Liverpool, London–Luton, Madrid, Malmö (begins 29 October 2024),[38] Memmingen,[39] Rome–Ciampino, Tel Aviv, Turin,[40] Venice[41] Seasonal: Catania

Traffic and statistics

Annual passenger and aircraft statistics

Year	PassengersA (% change from previous year)	Aircraft movementsB
2000	5,302(+?%)	499
2001	7,811(+47.3%)	510
2002	9,858(+26.2%)	880
2003	25,106(+154.7%)	1,291
2004	27,574(+9.8%)	1,405
2005	41,960(+52%)	1,796
2006	70,592(+68.2%)	2,377
2007	126,334(+79%)	3,442
2008	144,043(+14%)	3,860
2009	148,538(+3.1%)	4,961
2010	159,615(+7.5%)	4,755
2011	184,311(+15.4%)	–
2012	173,248(-6%)	4,800
2013	231,731(+33.8%)	4,723
2014	273,047(+17.7%)	4,851
2015	381,709(+39.5%)	6,088
2016	881,157(+131.2%)	10,269
2017	1,146,218(+30.1%)	11,752
2018	1,256,640(+9.6%)	12,749
2019	1,314,244(+4.6%)	12,493
2020	468,125(-64.4%)	–
2021	639,532(+36.6%)	–
2022	1,538,585(+140.6%)	12,652
2023	2,338,377(+52%)	15,435

Month	Passengers[3][47]						Change	Passengers cumulatively (YTD)	Change
	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022
January	76,781	83,323	95,452	93,224	19,180	53,756	180.3%	53,756	180.3%
February	73,783	74,070	90,687	85,025	12,457	44,901	260.4%	98,657	211.8%
March	82,009	81,707	95,003	39,528	14,063	119,387	748.9%	218,044	377.1%
April	87,850	92,522	102,211	6,631	23,868	139,187	483.2%	357,231	413.5%
May	89,796	95,304	111,247	5,103	34,308	159,813	365.8%	517,044	397.7%
June	101,615	100,930	122,409	9,576	53,726	173,719	223.3%	690,763	338.3%
July	118,362	131,917	132,721	48,600	89,292	177,642	98.9%	868.405	257.17%
August	125,605	142,839	134,975	61,128	116,390	181,400	55.9%	1,049,805
September	114,954	132,800	124,593		96,444
October	107,114	124,040	112,718		69,165
November	85,354	102,035
December	83,318	95,070

Annual passenger traffic at IAS airport. See Wikidata query.

Notes: A.^ Passengers data sources:^{[4][42][43][44][45][46][47][48]}
B.^ Aircraft movements data sources:^{[4][42][43][49][50]}

Note: C.^ Data statistics: 2014,^[51] 2015^[52]

Ground transportation

Bus

CTP, the public transit operator in Iași, provides non-stop service on route 50, to the city centre (Union Square) and the Iași railway station (also, nearby the main (Transbus Codreanu) coach station). The buses run every 30 minutes, and the journey time is approx. 20 minutes.^[53] As of December 2023, the fare is 3.50 RON (€0.71), for a ticket valid for 120 minutes with multiple trips on any route within the urban area.^[54]

Operator	Route	Destination	Main stops	Schedule
CTP Iași	50 Aeroport	Service from Iași railway station to Iași Airport	Gara Iași - Piața Unirii (city centre) - Tg.Cucu - Aeroport	Every 30 minutes 24/7 service[53]

Taxi

Various taxis have access to and from the airport. The charges vary between 2.44 and 2.99 RON/km.^[55]

Being located near the border, the airport can also be reached from the Republic of Moldova by road.

See also

• Aviation in Romania
• Transport in Romania

References

1. EAD Basic
2. Iași Airport in 2013 at aeroport.ro (in Romanian)
3. Anna.aero database
4. "Traficul de pasageri pe aeroporturile din România a crescut în anul 2022 cu 87,53%". airportaar.ro. 27 January 2023.
5. "Aeroportul Iași este pe primul loc în zona Moldovei". ziaruldeiasi.ro.
6. Airline companies in Romania (1918-1945)
7. "2013 Project presentation" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2013-12-14.
8. "A new terminal for Iasi International Airport". Archived from the original on 2011-05-19. Retrieved 2012-06-14.
9. Airport modernisation project Archived 2013-03-18 at the Wayback Machine
10. Pistă de 3.000 de metri, un nou turn de control și un nou drum de acces la Aeroport (in Romanian)
11. Etapa a II-a a proiectului de modernizare a Aeroportului Iași a trecut de verificarea tehnico-economică Archived 2014-10-16 at the Wayback Machine (in Romanian)
12. Development and modernization - Module I Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine (in Romanian)
13. Inaugurarea pistei Aeroportului (in Romanian)
14. New runway at Iași International Airport
15. Inauguration of T3 at ziaruldeiasi.ro (in Romanian)
16. Note fundamentare Archived 2016-08-28 at the Wayback Machine (in Romanian)
17. Președintele CJ Iași recunoaște meritele conducerii Aeroportului Iași (in Romanian)
18. "Aeroportul Iași a finalizat o investiție de 10 milioane euro: lărgirea parcării și noi căi de rulare". economedia.ro. 23 March 2021.
19. andreich (2022-02-28). "Traffic on Romania's Iasi airport surges as Moldova closes its airspace". Romania Insider. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
20. "Se semnează contractul de modernizare a Aeroportului Iaşi". ziaruldeiasi.ro. 9 May 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
21. "A fost inaugurat noul Terminal T4 al Aeroportului Internațional Iași". ziarulevenimentul.ro. 29 March 2024.
22. Laurentiu Cotu (20 April 2022). "Strabag a câştigat un contract de peste 66 mil. euro pentru construirea noului terminal de pasageri al aeroportului din Iaşi". zf.ro. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
23. Matei Ionescu (27 October 2021). "Contract de 70 de milioane de euro pentru extinderea Aeroportului Iași". economedia.ro. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
24. Daniela Malache (5 February 2024). "Noul terminal de la Aeroportul Internaţional Iaşi, operaţional de la 31 martie".
25. "Terminalul T4 de la Aeroportul Iași va fi deschis pe 31 martie 2024". 7iasi.ro. 23 January 2024.
26. AD LRIA Archived 2017-03-31 at the Wayback Machine
27. AIRAC AIP Sup Archived 2017-03-31 at the Wayback Machine
28. "Hangarul Aerostar de la Aeroport și-a deschis porțile". 1 September 2020.
29. "Au început demersurile pentru construirea unui nou hangar la Aeroport, lângă cel al Aerostar". apix.ro. 15 February 2024.
30. https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/240902-a2mar25
31. "Rute noi: Iași - Paris BVA și Bruxelles CRL din martie 2023 cu Ryanair". 9 December 2022.
32. "Oficial: Ryanair va zbura spre și dinspre aeroportul din Iași în 2023". 6 December 2022.
33. "Ryanair NS23 Network Additions Summary – 26MAR23". Aeroroutes.
34. "SKY EXPRESS NS23 ROMANIA CHARTER NETWORK EXPANSION".
35. "SKY EXPRESS NS24 ROMANIA CHARTER NETWORK EXPANSION".
36. "Wizz Air suspendă zborurile spre și dinspre Chișinău din 14 martie 2023". 27 February 2023.
37. "Wizz Air lansează rutele din București, Cluj Napoca și Iași spre Turcia". 19 January 2023.
38. "Wizz Air NW24 Network Additions – 14SEP24". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
39. "Wizz Air: Patru rute noi din Iași și Craiova din decembrie 2022". 18 August 2022.
40. "Wizz Air NS24 Turin Service Changes – 04FEB24".
41. "Wizz Air suspendă zborurile spre și dinspre Chișinău din 14 martie 2023". 27 February 2023.
42. "Aeroportul Iasi in anul 2016". newsair.ro. Archived from the original on 2017-10-21. Retrieved 2017-01-10.
43. "Transportul aeroportuar pe anul 2015" (PDF). INSSE.
44. Topul aeroporturilor din Romania in 2012 Archived 2014-02-17 at the Wayback Machine (in Romanian)
45. Access to European funds and the strategy for 2010, priorities for Iași County Archived 2018-01-09 at the Wayback Machine (in Romanian)
46. ORDIN 169/1.801. Planul national de actiune privind reducerea emisiilor de gaze cu efect de seră în domeniul aviatiei civile Archived 2021-06-17 at the Wayback Machine (in Romanian)
47. "Aeroportul a fost cu 10% mai aglomerat anul trecut decât în 2017". ziaruldeiasi.ro.
48. "Aeroportul Iaşi prinde din nou aripi: +37%". ziaruldeiasi.ro.
49. Press release for 2013 Archived 2014-02-22 at the Wayback Machine (in Romanian)
50. Proiect de hotărâre privind aprobarea structurii organizatorice ale R.A. “Aeroportul” Iași.^{[permanent dead link]} (in Romanian)
51. Eurostat database
52. "Transportul aeroportuar pe anul 2015" (PDF) (in Romanian). INSSE.
53. Conexiuni cu aeroportul, gările şi autogările (in Romanian)
54. CTP Iași fares
55. Cât costă să mergi cu taxiul (in Romanian)

External links

Media related to Iași International Airport at Wikimedia Commons

• Airport website
• Google Map - Aerial View
• Analiza diagnostic și prognoză de trafic (in Romanian)