Romania has a surprising number of international airports scattered throughout the country. I am going to list them all here, complete with their codes and a map, so you can make better decisions on where to land, depending on your destination.
Romania is a large country with infrastructure that is still catching up. Taking a train from Bucharest to Timisoara takes over 9 hours. Getting to Cluj-Napoca can take even longer.
So why waste a full day of your vacation staring out a train window when you could land just 30 minutes away from your hotel?
We have more than just the famous “Henri Coandă” in Otopeni. We have Cluj for the heart of Transylvania, Iasi for the East, and the rapidly growing airport in Brasov for mountain lovers.
I will break down the details for each airport below, but for starters, let’s look at the cheat sheet. Here is the full list of Romania’s international airports and their codes.
| Airport Name | Airport Code |
|---|---|
| Bucharest Henri Coanda Airport aka Otopeni Airport | IATA: OTP ICAO: LROP |
| Avram Iancu International Airport in Cluj | IATA: CLJ ICAO: LRCL |
| Iasi International Airport | IATA: IAS ICAO: LRIA |
| Traian Vuia International Airport in Timisoara | IATA: TSR ICAO: LRTR |
| Ștefan cel Mare Airport in Suceava | IATA: SCV ICAO: LRSV |
| Craiova International Airport | IATA: CRV ICAO: LRCV |
| Sibiu International Airport | IATA: SBZ ICAO: LRSB |
| Brașov-Ghimbav International Airport | IATA: GHV ICAO: LRBV |
As you can see, flying is now a great alternative to traveling by train, bus or car. It also makes following my itinerary for Romania easier to follow.
If you want to get to your destination faster, you will surely need to rent a car to get from the airport to your hotel and to explore the city. You should check out Discover Cars, a website that lists the best car rental options for the largest cities in the country.
There are no hidden fees, and you can choose vehicles from over 30 companies, costing as low as 4 Euros/day. Another advantage with Discover Cars is that you can pick up and drop off cars in different places, so you do have more freedom.
If you don’t drive, don’t worry. Most of the major airports listed below now have improved connections. Otopeni has a direct train to the city center, and cities like Cluj and Timisoara have express bus lines.
These being said, below is the map of the international airports in Romania, followed by some details afterwards:
Now let’s get a bit more in depth with some important details about each of these places, ranked from the most popular to the least:
The list of major Airports in Romania
Bucharest Henri Coanda Airport (Otopeni)
This is the largest and busiest airport in Romania. It has the largest number of connecting flights and destinations and is usually the best option for those looking to get into the country from anywhere in the world.
However, if your final destination is Western Romania or the North-West, you should look below for alternatives.
It is listed as OTP airport (or the Otopeni Airport) as it is actually located in Otopeni city (about 17 km away from Bucharest). If you’re looking for great places to stay, I have an article listing the best hotels near the airport.
Pro Tip: Don’t get scammed by taxi drivers! There is a direct train from the Arrivals terminal to Gara de Nord (the main train station) that runs 24/7, costs very little, and takes only 20 minutes. Read more about taxis in Romania here.
Cluj: Avram Iancu International Airport
The second largest International Airport in the country in terms of passengers, it should be the perfect choice for those looking to get into the North and North-Western parts of the country, as well as the Transylvania region (although for Transylvania, you have more options and even the Bucharest airport is a good choice).
It has a solid number of destinations, but mostly from other European countries. Its IATA code is CLJ.
Iași International Airport
The Iasi International Airport has solidified its spot as a top-three airport in Romania. A massive new terminal opened recently, making the experience much smoother than in previous years.
If you are looking to get into the Moldova region or the North-Eastern parts of the country, this is your best choice. Its code is IAS, and it is a major hub for flights coming from Italy, Germany, and the UK.
Timisoara: Traian Vuia International Airport
The fourth largest airport in Romania in terms of passengers, it used to be the third before the rise of the Iasi airport. This one is perfect for those looking to get in the South-Western part of the country (also ideal if you’re planning to visit nearby Serbia or Hungary).
We already know that Timisoara is beautiful, so it’s definitely worth visiting. You will find the airport listed as TSR.
Brasov-Ghimbav International Airport
This is the new kid on the block that everybody loves. Officially called the Brașov-Ghimbav International Airport (Code: GHV), it opened in 2023 and has rapidly become a favorite for tourists.
Why? Because it lands you right in the middle of the mountains. Before this airport existed, getting to the ski resorts in Poiana Brasov, seeing Bran Castle or Peles Castle meant landing in Bucharest and fighting traffic for 3+ hours. Now, you land just 20 minutes away from the city center – and this changes everything!
With Brasov being such an important destination in Romania – I’ve listed the top things to see and do here, as well as the best bars and pubs for perfect night out – it’s nice to finally see it open its international airport.
Suceava: Ștefan cel Mare Airport
In the past few years, this airport grew and became one of the larges in the country, serving well over 800,000 passengers each year. Also located in Moldova, close to Iasi, it has a relatively small number of flights, but the number of destinations increases each year.
The airport’s code is SCV and it offers flights to various European cities (including London, Rome, Milano or Heraklion), but also direct flights to Antalya in Turkey or Monastir in Tunisia.
Craiova International Airport
If you want to travel to the heart of the Oltenia region, then this is the airport you should visit. Also perfect if you’re planning to visit Craiova’s Christmas Market, one of the best Christmas markets in Romania and Europe.
It’s a small, nice airport with the IATA code: CRA.
Sibiu International Airport
Another smaller international airport, but a great choice for those to visit Transylvania from the South. Plus, Sibiu is close to some of the main areas in the region and a really nice city overall, with plenty of things to see and do.
It only serves a bit over 500,000 passengers each year, and it doesn’t have a huge amount of destinations, but it remains an important one. Sibiu International Airport’s IATA code is SBZ.
Smaller international airports in Romania
The airports below are smaller and usually offer very few options when it comes to destinations from around the world, but they’re still worth checking out since they might still have direct flights to and from your destination.
Most of them are growing quickly, as air travel becomes more popular in Romania, and new destinations are added regularly.
I’m listing them based on the number of passengers they have each year:
Targu Mures: Transilvania International Airport (TGM) – Official website here
Bacau: George Enescu International Airport (BCM) – Official website here
Oradea International Airport (OMR) – Official website here
Constanta: Mihail Kogălniceanu International Airport (CND) – Official website here
Baia Mare: Maramures International Airport (BAY) – Official website here
Satu Mare International Airport (SUJ) – Official website here
Bucharest: Aurel Vlaicu International Airport in Baneasa (BBU): This one is currently operating private flights only. I’ve seen rumors that it will start offering regular flights to starting March 2023, but we’ll see if that is true.
Danube Delta Airport (Tulcea) – Official website here
Arad International Airport – Official website here – I wasn’t able to find any flights for this one, but the good news is that Timisoara is very close with a ton of connections. Apparently this airport is now used for irregular cargo flights.
Other smaller cities have airports (this is the case of the city I am currently living in – Drobeta Turnu Severin) but there are no plans for them to start operating any time soon.
Still, there is a fair number of working airports right now, offering you options to reach the various regions in Romania with relative ease.
Even if you don’t manage to find a direct flight to a specific city, getting to Bucharest or one other major city in the Romania, and then catching a bus or train is a solid option.
I am a journalist and local expert who has been documenting life in Romania since 2013. Based in Constanta (after living in Bucharest and Drobeta Turnu Severin), I provide up-to-date, on-the-ground advice for expats and travelers. My articles are based on real life experiences and plenty of research – from paying Romanian bills to exploring the wild “Rawmania” countryside.
I see Ryanair flies from London to Oradea. Very good info. I’m finally retired and am either going to spend most of the year in Georgia, or 90 days at a time between several countries, Romania included. Done quite a bit of research, one of numerous things about Romania I like is they are far and away the best country to go to the movies. I’m currently in Mexico, will be looking at flying over next March. Great website as always!
Happy to hear that, Wade! Yay for the adventure to come! 🙂 Regarding Georgia, it’s very likely that you know about the blog already, but I am mentioning it just to be sure: ReinisFischer.com – he’s been living in Georgia for quite a while and has a lot of useful info about the country.
Thanks C. That is a very good blog and I should mention I like the new look of your website!
Wizz Air seems to have pretty good coverage of Romania. However, they fly from really obscure airports in Germany which take forever to get to by bus. Although Wizz Air has very low airfares, they charge extra for checked baggage. I envisioned myself wearing all my clothes at the same time instead of putting them into a suitcase. I would look like the Michelin Man! That’s probably not a good idea in summer when it is very hot in Romania but maybe in winter I would try it. That’s a shame that the Romanian train system is so slow. I was amazed at how extensive the railroad network is. I keep hearing that the EU wants to give Romania lots of free money for infrastructure improvements but the Romanians can’t get their act together to submit proposals in time. Lots of EU money has been “left on the table.”
Indeed, it’s really sad that so much money has been left on the table. Not only railways-wise, but speedways as well… we are really lacking in that department and there’s a scandal related to them every month 🙂
Another solid low cost company in Romania is Blue Air which is very similar to Wizz. Ryanair also has some amazing discounts and offers but yes, in most cases, you have to try and wear all your clothes unless you want to pay extra for the luggage 🙂
Stuart’s comment made me laugh as l have indeed seen a lot of people wearing tons of stuff on the flights then heading to the bathroom to take them off. There have even been accounts of people fainting due to the heat from all the clothing :-). I was asking you about Craiova remember as that is where the direct flight from Valencia goes, but it seems Wizz Air might have one going straight to Bucharest so l am watching the prices and will book when it gets reasonable :-). With any luck, we’ll see you this year! 🙂
Many of my friends do this as well. When they’re leaving for just a weekend break, it makes little sense for them to pay extra, so they put on as many clothes as they can. Everybody does what they think is best :))
Hi is there an airport in Târgu Mureş ? Saw something that Wizz would fly there… would be great!
Thanks if you have any info on that.
Hello. Yes, the Targu Mures airport exists – and it is listed in the article as well. It’s official name is Transilvania Airport.