Bucharest Airport. Photo: Shutterstock Romania's main aviation gateway continues to soar to new heights, with Bucharest's airports recording one of their busiest first halves of the year.
According to figures released by the National Airports Company of Bucharest (CNAB), Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport and Bucharest Băneasa Aurel Vlaicu International Airport handled a combined 8,459,576 passengers between January and June 2026. The total represents a 5.08% increase compared to the same period last year.
Aircraft movements also continued to climb, reflecting the sustained growth in demand for air travel. During the first six months of the year, the two airports recorded 68,367 takeoffs and landings, up 3.37% year over year.
The strongest performance came from Bucharest Băneasa Airport, which continues to experience a remarkable revival. The airport welcomed 745,674 passengers in the first half of 2026 alone, surpassing its entire passenger total for 2025 by more than 50,000 travelers.
Meanwhile, Henri Coandă Airport, Romania's largest and busiest airport, exceeded the 7.7 million passenger mark, reinforcing its position as the country's primary international hub.
Earlier this month, we announced that Romania launched its biggest airport infrastructure project in its history, with plans for a new terminal at Henri Coandă International Airport.
CNAB General Manager Bogdan Mîndrescu attributed the growth to the company's strategy of expanding air connectivity and improving airport operations.
"The results we have obtained are the effects of the new management strategy, oriented towards attracting new airlines, expanding the number of routes operated from Bucharest, increasing operating frequencies on existing routes and, last but not least, towards optimizing the quality and safety of the airport infrastructure," Mîndrescu said.
The increase in traffic comes as airlines continue to expand their presence in Romania, adding new destinations and increasing frequencies on popular routes across Europe and beyond.
Airport officials say maintaining high safety and security standards remains a top priority as passenger numbers continue to rise.
"The National Airports Company of Bucharest has recorded solid and sustainable growth, with the priority being to ensure optimal conditions for this development while maintaining the strictest standards of safety and security for passengers and air operations," Mîndrescu added.
With passenger numbers continuing to trend upward, Bucharest appears well positioned to strengthen its role as one of Eastern Europe's fastest-growing aviation markets in the years ahead.
Cluj Airport also followed the ascending trend and reached 2 million passengers for the eighth time in its history, reporting its busiest July day ever on the 18th.
Cluj Airport, Romania. Photo: Alexanderstock23 / Shutterstock.com