Representatives of the Romanian Airports Association (AAR) are meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday in Iasi to celebrate 25 years of activity of the association and, at the same time, to participate in the annual conference on "Geopolitics and Airports in Romania."

AAR President David Ciceo told the press that during the two days of the event the evolution of passenger traffic will be analysed and discussions will be held on the challenges facing airports in the context of Schengen accession, as well as on the financing of airport infrastructure development projects.

"We are proud to celebrate a quarter of a century since the establishment of the Romanian Airports Association. During this time we have witnessed remarkable transformations and developments in aviation, so we can say that it is a moment of pride and reflection for all those involved in the operation and development of airports in Romania. A particularly important event for us was Romania's entry into the Schengen area with air borders. This opening not only facilitates mobility and trade, but also strengthens the strategic position of our airports on the European map," said the AAR president.

According to the programme, this year's AAR Conference will discuss the Romanian aviation market, the competition between European airlines present in the country, national civil aviation in the European context, as well as the development of domestic cargo traffic.

"It promises to be an extremely interesting conference taking place in a reference year for Iasi Airport. In 2024 we have put in operation in record time the new terminal, the largest expansion and modernisation project in the history of Iasi Airport. The new airport in Iasi, a strategic objective in the development of the North-East region, was built through sustained efforts, with the unconditional support of the responsible authorities and institutions (...) The entire investment, worth almost 100 million euros, is a model of good practice in terms of attracting EU funds and implementing a project of such magnitude. I am also glad that other airports in the country, members of the Association, have managed to develop their processing infrastructure, in the context of increasing passenger traffic, and there is interest and commitment to continued development," said Iasi Airport Director General Romeo Vatra. AGERPRES (RO - author: Daniela Malache, editor: Marius Fratila; EN - author: Adina Panaitescu, editor: Cristina Zaharia)