Craiova International Airport Aeroportul Internaţional Craiova
IATA: CRA ICAO: LRCV
Summary
Airport type	Public
Operator	Consiliul Judeţean Dolj
Serves	Craiova, Romania
Opened	1938 (1938)
Focus city for	Wizz Air
Elevation AMSL	626 ft / 191 m
Coordinates	44°19′05″N 023°53′19″E / 44.31806°N 23.88861°E / 44.31806; 23.88861 (Craiova International Airport)
Website	www.aeroportcraiova.ro
Map
CRA Location of airport in Romania
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 09/27 2,500 8,203 Asphalt
Statistics (2021)
Passengers[1] 191,510 20.0% Aircraft movements[1] 5,260 39.9%
Source: Romanian AIP at EUROCONTROL,[2] Statistics[3][4]

Craiova International Airport (IATA: CRA, ICAO: LRCV) is located in the south-western part of Romania, 7 km (4.3 mi) east^[2] of Craiova municipality, one of Romania's largest cities. The airport area is the headquarters of Avioane Craiova (formerly known as IRAv Craiova), the company which built the Romanian IAR-93 and IAR-99 aircraft.

History

The airport was established in 1938 following a decree issued by King Carol II. Through the decree, the airport was meant to be used both as a public airport and a military one in case of war. The airport had a dirt runway with dimensions of 1000×200 m. Between 1950 and 1952, a 2,000 m (6,600 ft) concrete runway, as well as the first airport facilities were constructed. On 6 May 1957, Li-2 aircraft began flying on the Craiova - Bucharest route. The control tower was built in 1959, and between 1959 and 1972 the runway was extended to 2,500 m (8,200 ft). Between 1972 and 1989, other airport facilities were built.^[5]

From 1995, the airport was opened to domestic and international traffic, serving only charter flights.^[5] A new terminal was opened at Craiova airport in December 2010.^[6] Runway renovation works took place in summer 2015. Since July 2014, Craiova Airport is the base for Wizz Air which serves 7 destinations in 4 countries. In March 2018, Ryanair announced it would terminate all services at Craiova by October 2018^[7] which had operated since November 2016 and consisted of a single route to Valencia.

Airlines and destinations

The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights at Craiova Airport:^[8]

Statistics

Year	Passengers	Change	Aircraft movements	Change
2007	5,133
2008	12,988	153%
2009	15,130	16.4%
2010	23,629	56.1%
2011	32,006	35.4%
2012	29,626	7.4%	3,394
2013	40,291	35.9%	2,246	33.9%
2014	138,886	244.7%	3,506	56.1%
2015	116,947	15.8%	2,999	14.5%
2016	222,320	90.1%	4,018	33.9%
2017	447,227	101.1%	5,960	48.3%
2018	493,056	10.2%	6,793	14%
2019	514,544	4.3%	6,779	0.2%
2020[1]	159,552	68.9%	3,758	44.5%
2021[1]	191,510	20.0%	5,260	39.6%

Busiest Routes from Craiova International Airport (2019)

Rank	Airport	Passengers
1	London - Luton	142,678
2	Bergamo	84,970
3	Rome - Ciampino Airport	43,856
4	Madrid	40,183
5	Bologna	35,368

Military use

Between 1940 and 2004 the airport was used as a military air base. During the Cold War, the 67th Fighter Aviation Regiment was headquartered at Craiova. It was equipped with MiG-15 and MiG-17 fighters, as well as IAR 93 ground attack aircraft. From 1991, the MiG-15s and 17s were replaced with MiG-21s. The 322nd Aviation Maintenance Centre also functioned at the base between 1970 and 2004.

Ground transportation

The airport is connected to the city via bus route 9 (Metro-Central Market-Craiovița Nouă) of the public transport company RAT Craiova. There is a station in front of the airport with all-day service time.^[12]