Craiova International Airport
Airport
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
Craiova International Airport Aeroportul Internaţional Craiova | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Operator | Consiliul Judeţean Dolj | ||||||||||
| Serves | Craiova, Romania | ||||||||||
| Opened | 1938 | ||||||||||
| Focus city for | Wizz Air | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 626 ft / 191 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 44°19′05″N 023°53′19″E | ||||||||||
| Website | www.aeroportcraiova.ro | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  CRA Location of airport in Romania | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2025) | |||||||||||
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| Source: AIP at the Romanian Airports Association (RAA)[1] | |||||||||||
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.[3]
From 1995, the airport was opened to domestic and international traffic, serving only charter flights.[3] A new terminal was opened at Craiova airport in December 2010.[4] Runway renovation works took place in summer 2015. Since July 2014, Craiova Airport is the base for Wizz Air which serves 14 destinations in 7 countries. In March 2018, Ryanair announced it would terminate all services at Craiova by October 2018[5] 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:[6]
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| AlbaStar | Seasonal charter: Palma de Mallorca[7][better source needed] |
| Nesma Airlines | Seasonal charter: Hurghada[7][better source needed] |
| Animawings | Istanbul[8] Seasonal: Heraklion[9] |
| Cyprus Airways | Seasonal charter: Larnaca[7][better source needed] |
| HiSky | Seasonal charter: Heraklion; Antalya[7][better source needed] |
| Nouvelair | Seasonal charter: Monastir[7][better source needed] |
| Sky Express | Seasonal charter: Heraklion[7][better source needed] |
| SkyUp MT | Seasonal charter: Heraklion[7][better source needed] |
| Wizz Air | Athens,[11] Barcelona ,[11] Bari,[12] Beauvais,[11] Bergamo,[13] Birmingham,[13] Bologna,[13] Charleroi,[13] Dortmund,[12] London–Luton,[13] Madrid,[14] Memmingen,[12] Naples,[11] Rome–Fiumicino,[13] Venice (begins 23 May 2026)[15] |
Statistics
Passengers
| Year | Passengers | Change | Aircraft movements | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 5,133 |  |
|
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| 2008 | 12,988 | 153%  |
|
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| 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[16] | 159,552 | 68.9% |
3,758 | 44.5% |
| 2021[16] | 191,510 | 20.0% |
5,260 | 39.6% |
| 2022 | 476,613 | 148.9% |
6,459 | 22.8% |
| 2023 | 597,990 | 25.5% |
7,604 | 17.7% |
| 2024 | 424,976 | 28.9% |
6,722 | 11.6% |
| 2025 | 578,701 | 36.2% |
7,320 | 8.9% |
Routes
| 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.[17]
