Cluj-Napoca Airport. Photo: Alexanderstock23 / Shutterstock.com Cluj-Napoca’s Avram Iancu International Airport has confirmed a strong start to 2026, handling 709,125 passengers between January 1 and March 31. This performance places the airport, which celebrated its 1,000,000th passenger for the 15th time in its history on a Milan–Bergamo–Cluj-Napoca flight operated by Wizz Air on April 29, 2026, first among regional airports in Romania and second nationwide, behind the Bucharest Airports Company.
Cargo and mail operations also remained strong, reaching 1,654.07 tonnes, which secured the airport’s top position among regional facilities in this category as well.
During the first quarter of the year, a wide range of airlines operated from Cluj, highlighting the airport’s expanding international reach. Scheduled passenger services were provided by TAROM, Lufthansa CityLine, Wizz Air, Turkish Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, Ryanair, HiSky, AnimaWings, and Swiss International Air Lines, among others.
Wizz Air remained the dominant carrier in terms of destinations, operating flights to 35 cities, including London Luton, Rome Fiumicino, Milan Bergamo, Barcelona, Madrid, Paris Beauvais, and Vienna. The airline also expanded its network with new or resumed routes to Antalya, Berlin Brandenburg, Bari, and Naples.
Lufthansa CityLine maintained its Munich connection, while Turkish Airlines operated flights to Istanbul, reinforcing Cluj-Napoca’s connectivity to global transit hubs. LOT Polish Airlines served Warsaw, offering onward connections across Europe, while Ryanair operated key low-cost routes including Brussels Charleroi, Dublin, Milan Bergamo, London Stansted, and Paris Beauvais.
Swiss International Air Lines continued services to Zurich, strengthening links to Switzerland, and HiSky operated routes to Dublin and Bucharest. AnimaWings also contributed with domestic flights to Bucharest Otopeni and international services to Istanbul.
Alongside passenger traffic, cargo operations remained active with carriers such as Swiftair Hellas, SwiftAir, Cargo Air, and Airest, supporting logistics partners including DHL, TNT, and UPS.
Overall aircraft movements reached 6,285, of which 6,117 were commercial flights, and 168 were dedicated to humanitarian, military, or general aviation. Passenger numbers rose by 5.37% compared to the same period in 2025, averaging around 8,000 passengers per day.
Despite the positive trend, officials note that geopolitical tensions, particularly in the Middle East, continue to create uncertainty for global air travel. Even so, Cluj Airport’s performance demonstrates resilience and sustained demand, reinforcing its role as a key regional gateway in Romania’s aviation network.