#WingsToTheWorld. Craiova International Airportmanager: "We believe that it will be operational at the end of October". See here what new destinations await us!
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Craiova International Airport (CIA), which has undergone an extensive expansion and modernization process, with a new passenger terminal, a photovoltaic park and many adjacent facilities, is set to reopen its full activity for passengers very soon.
"The airport construction will end on September 9, as specified in the contract. Afterwards, the reception period will follow, which we anticipate will be quite long, considering that we have to make a reception for 1,000,000 square meters. After that, comes the operationalization and accreditation part. Optimistically, we believe that it will be operational at the end of October. For 2025, we expect to have over 600,000 passengers, and for 2026, we anticipate an increase of 10-15% compared to 2025, depending on what is happening on the civil aviation market," said the director of Craiova International Airport, Sorin Manda.
Naples, Paris and Barcelona, among the new destinations
The project is one that will position the city of Craiova and Dolj county even more strategically, both from a touristic and economic point of view, giving more people the opportunity to travel, to get to know our area and to discover new opportunities here. Especially in the context in which many new destinations are also prepared.
"We are in constant discussions with various airlines, including the company that currently operates from CIA. We know very well which destinations everyone wants - and I am referring here to the Valencia-Alicante area and Barcelona (Spain), Paris (France), Turin and Naples (Italy) - and we are working hard to bring them into the AIC portfolio. I really hope that, by the end of this year, we will announce regular routes to some of these destinations. This does not mean that we are neglecting any other destination., whether we are talking about destinations where there are very large communities of oltenians, or whether we are talking about holiday destinations or city breaks. It is the most important project of Oltenia, which goes hand in hand with the Craiova-Pitești expressway, but also with the development, soon, of the road infrastructure to the other county capital municipalities of Oltenia. The project will lead to economic development, to better visibility of an entire region, and in addition to the seven or eight counties in Romania, we are also talking about northern Bulgaria and northwest Serbia. We really want things not to stop here and to be able to offer some cargo in a short time, in the sense that the terminal we have now in operation can be transformed into a cargo area. The entire infrastructure that we have modernized in recent years will increase accessibility and will develop economically what is happening in Southern Romania”, Sorin Manda also explained.
Currently, from June 1, from Craiova International Airport you can fly to the following destinations: Bari, Memmingen, Dortmund, Madrid, London, Birmingham, Brussels, Rome-Fiumicino, Bologna and Bergamo. As for charter flights, those interested can fly to Antalya, Heraklion, Hurghada, Monastir, Larnaca, Palma de Mallorca, Rhodes. In the meantime, the route Craiova-Istanbul will be active starting this October.The exact frequency of flights can be consulted on the airport's official website, and packages can be purchased directly from partner agencies as well as from all travel agencies in Oltenia.
With the completion of this project, Craiova International Airport will become the second largest airport in Romania after „Henri Coandă” International Airport Bucharest and will spread its wings even wider to the whole world.