Bucharest, Baneasa Airport, Romania, (BBU)
40 Bucuresti-Ploiesti Avenue, Sector 1, 013685
Bucharest, ROMANIA
Phone: +40 (0)21 232 0020
Email: airport@baneasa.aero
Directions: The airport can be easily found by following the signs from the Bucharest ringroad (Highway 1).
Website: http://www.baneasa-airport.ro/ (in Romanian)

The airport is located some 8 km to the north of the Bucharest city centre. It is accessible by RATB buses 131, 335 and Airport Express 783, RATB tramway 5 and taxi. An extension of Line M4 of the Bucharest Metro to Aurel Vlaicu International will eventually join it to the main railway station and the larger Henri Coandă International Airport. This received approval in June 2006 and is currently being planned.

In 2001 to 2002 there were as few as 20 to 30 passengers per month through BBU. Those numbers increased to 40,000 passengers in 2004. By 2005 there was an astounding 330 percent increase in passengers totally about 385,000. That is the largest increase that has been recorded in one year for all of modern air transportation. There were over 700,000 passengers and more than 8,000 flights in 2006.

This late 1940’s building design was never intended to manage 800,000 passengers per year with departures every 25 minutes. Therefore the facilities are extremely undersized and can get very crowded. The airport is trying to accommodate the traffic it now receives, however there is only one conveyor belt on arrival and there is often a large queue for passport control. The building cannot be expanded, because of its status as a city landmark, and because of sheer lack of space in the airport area

The main concourse is the centre of the airport. There are only six check in desks for the airport this can create long queues for check in. There is a kiosk that sells refreshments, a rental car agency, ATM, Bureau De change and ticket counters for the airlines. There is a bar in the centre concourse to relax between flights.

The departure area consists of one tiny lounge that fills up quickly and a tiny duty free shop. There is another duty free shop that sells tobacco and refreshments.
There is really no arrival waiting area or lounge. The passengers pass through the passport control, claim their bags and exit onto the lawn in front of the airport.

There are numerous hotels in Bucharest including a Crowne Plaza. Other types of accommodation are also available.