The Romanian capital's airports registered a record number of passengers last year - more than 17.7 million - an increase by 10.26% against 2024, the Bucharest National Airports Company (CNAB) informs on Tuesday.

'In 2025, the capital's two airports - the Bucharest Henri Coanda International Airport and the Bucharest Baneasa-Aurel Vlaicu International Airport - saw a record number of 17,700,242 passengers, by 10.26% more than in 2024,' a press sent to AGERPRES shows.

The increase in passenger traffic was also reflected in a rise in aircraft movements, with Bucharest airports recording 142,728 landings and takeoffs last year - 5.96% more than in the previous year.

'The results we achieved in 2025 are the direct effects of the new managerial approach, aimed at attracting new airlines, expanding the number of routes operated from Bucharest, increasing operating frequencies on existing routes and, last but not least, optimising the quality and safety of airport infrastructure,' said CNAB General Director Bogdan Mindrescu, quoted in the press release.

In 2025, the Henri Coanda Airport exceeded the historic threshold of 17 million passengers, being transited by 17.006 million passengers, 6.64% more than in 2024, but the absolute record is held by the Baneasa Airport. Reopened last year, after 13 years, to operate regular passenger flights, the Baneasa Airport was transited by 694,718 passengers, 548.74% more than in 2024.

The main objectives of CNAB in 2025 were: the modernisation of Runway no. 1 take-off/landing area at Henri Coanda Airport - the most important investment project in the history of the airport, with the complete reconstruction and modernisation of Runway 08R-26L of AIHCB, the construction of five new aircraft taxiways, the modernisation of two existing taxiways, the complete replacement of the beaconing installations, the modernisation of underground cable trunks, etc.; the design of the new Terminal of the Henri Coanda Bucharest International Airport, with an area of approximately 176,000 sq m, which will accommodate a traffic of 30 million passengers/year, a processing capacity of 6,500 passengers/hour, 48 new aircraft parking spaces, 20 boarding bridges, multimodal road and rail connectivity, with stations for public passenger transport, buses and taxis.

CNAB has started implementing the Strategic Airport Infrastructure Development Programme at 'Bucharest Baneasa - Aurel Vlaicu International Airport' 2025 - 2035, which foresees tripling the airport's operating capacity by reorganising the current passenger terminal (ensuring a processing capacity of at least 800 passengers/peak hour), developing another passenger terminal, with a similar capacity, of at least 800 passengers/peak hour and modernising the aircraft movement area.

At the same time, CNAB has started implementing a strategic project to produce electricity from renewable sources for the own consumption of Henri Coanda Bucharest International Airport. The project has a total estimated value of 283.765 million lei (excluding VAT) and involves the construction of a photovoltaic plant with a total planned capacity of 31.5 MWp, integrated with a 30 MWh energy storage system.

'CNAB's efforts in the field of environmental protection are also recognised at European level. Bucharest Henri Coanda International Airport has obtained Level 3 accreditation within the Airport Carbon Accreditation programme, run by ACI Europe. According to the accreditation certificate, this distinction confirms the airport's exemplary activity in managing and reducing CO2 emissions, as well as the involvement of other entities in this effort, as a response of the global airport industry to the challenges of climate change,' the press release also states. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Oana Tilica, En - writing by: Cristina Zaharia)