Air travel in Romania experiences a 8.1% increase during the first three months of 2025
Romania experienced a significant increase in air passenger traffic during the first quarter of 2025, with a total of nearly 5.6 million passengers, marking an 8.1% rise compared to the same period in 2024. This growth was reflected in the bustling activity at Romania's 17 international airports, each equipped for air traffic.
Among the busiest airports, Henri Coandă in Bucharest and Cluj-Napoca's Avram Iancu Airport stood out, offering a wide array of international destinations. Common routes often included flights to European cities like London, Milan, Istanbul, Brussels, Munich, Madrid, Paris, and Rome.
By examining the air traffic data for Q1 2025, we can infer that popular international routes from Romania likely included London, Milan and Rome (Italy), Istanbul, Western European hubs like Paris and Brussels, and other destinations with strong economic or cultural ties to Romania.
London Luton was the most popular international destination from Romania on regular flights, with 261,327 passengers. Milan Bergamo was the second-busiest airport of origin and the second-most popular international destination, while Istanbul International was the fifth-most popular. Brussels Charleroi was the third-most popular international destination.
The domestic air traffic in Q1 2025 was concentrated around three main airports: Henri Coandă in Bucharest accounted for 49.4% of all domestic passengers, Cluj-Napoca for 18.7%, and Timișoara's Traian Vuia Airport for 13.1%. However, the number of passengers at Timișoara's Traian Vuia Airport in Q1 2025 was not specified. Iași International Airport had 452,400 passengers during this period.
Air travel remains the preferred mode of transport for long distances in Romania, but is increasingly used for medium and even short distances. The most frequent destinations for passengers departing on scheduled international flights from Romania in Q1 2025 were Italy (539,547 passengers), the United Kingdom (452,839), Germany (337,022), Spain (242,808), France (183,120), Belgium (104,121), Turkey (97,219), the Netherlands (93,958), the United Arab Emirates (77,074), and Austria (66,923).
London Luton was also the busiest airport of origin for passengers landing in Romania on scheduled flights in Q1 2025, with 236,137 passengers. Further detailed travel statistics or surveys from Romanian airlines and travel agencies would be necessary to gain more precise information on specific destinations.
[1] Data sources: [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7], [8], [9], [10] [2] Source: [Romania-Insider.com](https://romania-insider.com/romania-airports-passengers-q1-2025/108235/) [3] Source: [Aeroportul Cluj](https://www.aeroportulcluj.ro/en/passengers-statistics/) [4] Source: [Aeroportul Internațional București-Henri Coanda](https://www.bucharest-airport.ro/en/passengers-statistics/) [5] Source: [Aeroportul Iasi](https://www.aeroportuliasi.ro/en/statistici/) [6] Source: [Aeroportul Timisoara](https://www.aeroportul-timisoara.ro/en/statistici/) [7] Source: [Romanian Aviation Authority](https://www.autoritateaaviationului.ro/) [8] Source: [Romanian Tourism Authority](https://www.romaniatourism.com/) [9] Source: [Eurostat](https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/air-transport/data/database) [10] Source: [International Air Transport Association](https://www.iata.org/)
In light of the highlighted growth in Romania's air passenger traffic, it is plausible that popular lifestyle destinations among Romanians include London, Milan, Rome, and other cities with strong ties to Romania, as evidenced by the increased traffic to these locations. Furthermore, travel data indicates that travel for leisure and cultural exploration continues to be a significant factor, with popular travel routes including destinations in Italy and the United Kingdom.
