Approximately 600 million euros are now being spent on airport expansion and modernization projects in 11 cities in Romania. Another billion euros would be needed to develop the Otopeni Airport as well, but the projects in the regional cities already have financing, execution contracts signed and work started, some with completion dates in 2023-2024. Who are the performers, what will the effects be?
An article part of the cover story in TB 111 magazine – “Oradea: Business Next Level & LifeNouveau” available here.
The design and execution contract for “Extension and modernization of Craiova International Airport” has a value of 85 million euros and was awarded to the Erbașu company. The project includes the construction of a new passenger terminal with a constructed area of 12,791 square meters, a new parking lot, roads access roads, the development of the level surface of the runway strip, the development of the safety area, technological roads, an aircraft de-icing platform, a boarding-disembarkation platform, taxiways, equipment and security control systems, as well as some equipment. The work will have a total design and execution duration of 25 months and will be executed together with the companies Grup Primacons and Váhostav SK. After the completion of the entire project, Craiova International Airport will be able to process up to 2 million passengers annually. Sorin Manda is at the beginning of 2021 general director of Craiova International Airport and has the responsibility of managing the most re contract implemented at airports in the country. “The project brings a new perspective both for the airport and for the county and the entire area, a true pole of economic development. We have a number of investments here, including an intermodal cargo and freight terminal. It is the largest contract in terms of value carried out by CJ Dolj at this moment”, stated the president of the Dolj County Council, Cosmin Vasile.
Iași Airport is carrying out also a project with a record amount: the value of the financing contract is approximately 72 million euros and will ensure the construction of the T4 terminal, which will be the largest terminal in the country, after the one in Otopeni – with an area of 31,210 square meters, on three levels, with a length of 200 meters and a depth of 50 meters. The expansion project of the Iași International Airport also includes increasing the parking capacity to almost 500 spaces. The Iași County Council promised to invest in the modernization of the road transport infrastructure in the northern area, in order to facilitate access to the airport. Thus, the county road will be modernized DJ 282G: Lim. Mun. Iași — Aroneanu — Rediu Aldei and the connecting road from DJ 282G (Aroneanu) to Iași International Airport will be built, a total of 6.5 km. Modernizing the area of the road from the airport will also ensure the connection with the future arm of the A8 Motorway, as well as access to the Regional Emergency Hospital.
55 million euros for Sibiu
In June, the design and execution contract for the objective “Modernization and development of airport infrastructure – economic activities”, Phase I, was initialed at the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure and at the headquarters of the Sibiu County Council. According to CJ Sibiu officials, the tender was won by the association CON-A S.R.L. – BOG’Art S.R.L. and UTI Construction and Facility Management SA. The total value of the project is 272,493,421.67 lei, and the total eligible value is 193,637,593.69 lei. The construction completion deadline is December 31, 2023.
The terminal will have a built-up area of 22,400 sqm, with a total processing capacity of appx. 2.5 million passengers, 6 security filters, 7 self-check-in machines, 10 manned check-in counters, one of which serves the VIP flow, 7 boarding gates, as well as other equipment necessary for international air traffic intra and extra community, plus public spaces for commercial and utilitarian use.
“The airport managed to pass through the pandemic period without significant losses and today, to be operational 24 hours a day and to recover passenger traffic in a proportion of over 87%, compared to the similar period in 2019. This trend imposes the need to expand and the modernization of Sibiu International Airport in order to ensure quality services and maximum safety for the growing number of passengers. The conditions are being created for the Sibiu International Airport to be among the competitive airports on the European market, with all the positive consequences for the people of Sibiu and Sibiu county”, said Daniela Cîmpean, president of CJ Sibiu.
Extensions to Târgu Mureș, Oradea, Timișoara
At the beginning of the year, the financing contract was signed between the Ministry of Transport and “Transylvania” Târgu Mureș International Airport for other modernization works, in the amount of 25.75 million euros, of which 18.33 European co-financing from the European Fund for Regional Development through Large Infrastructure Operational Program 2014–2020. The implementation period envisages completion on 31.12.2023. The project provides for the expansion of the aircraft parking platform and the expansion of the passenger terminal.
The construction company Concelex won the tender for the design and construction of the new terminal for international flight departures from Timișoara International Airport, worth 89 million lei, and the works will have to be completed by the end of 2023. The new terminal will have an area built of 12,000 sq m, 6 security filters, 18 check-in counters, 6 automatic document scanning gates. The new construction will complete the Foreign Arrivals terminal which has been in operation since July 29, 2021 – it has a total area of 4,383 sqm, and the investment amounted to 30.35 million lei, non-refundable European funds, from the state budget and the airport’s own revenues. The old buildings, still used today to serve passengers, were built between 1960 – 1964.
Oradea Airport, subordinate to the Bihor County Council, has an ongoing project of over 132.7 million lei (approximately 27 million euros) for the extension of the runway of take-off/landing, the extension of the disembarkation/boarding platform, the enclosure of the premises, the creation of a security road and the acquisition of the necessary equipment for carrying out maintenance and upkeep activities. Another approximately 5.7 million euros cost the new passenger terminal, with an area of almost 3,000 square meters, inaugurated in 2020. Also here, the CTP company invests 37 million euros for a cargo terminal, 3 buildings that will total 60,000 square meters, from the first two of which will be delivered in 2022.
30 million euros, in Tulcea
Concelex announced that it will start the works for the modernization and expansion of Tulcea Danube Delta Airport, providing design services, technical assistance and execution of works for: the modernization and expansion of the passenger terminal; modernization of the boarding-disembarkation platform and the Alfa taxiway (built in 1973); building a platform dedicated to aircraft de-icing/anti-icing activities. The value of the investment reaches almost 30 million euros, for the work, with the design stage of 2 months and the execution stage of 16 months. And George Enescu Bacău International Airport has recently completed projects to modernize both the runway and the terminal, after investments of over 50 million euros.
The first flights from Brasov?
Brașov – Ghimbav International Airport will be ready for use on November 1, 2022, according to the promises of the authorities who have estimated that in the first year, there will be 300,000 passengers.
Around 130 million euros have already been spent here in the last decade from government and local funds, even if at the beginning CJ Brașov announced that it would look for a partner – a private operator. The association Bog’Art SRL – UTI Construction and Facility Management SA built the terminal of the Brașov-Ghimbav Airport, and from June 2021, work began on the creation of auxiliary elements for the passenger terminal. Porr worked on the construction of the runway, and the Swedish company Saab Digital Air Traffic Solutions will provide the remote tower solution for the remote control of air traffic at the Braşov-Ghimbav International Airport.
Bucharest Băneasa International Airport – Aurel Vlaicu, 110 years old
The National Company of Bucharest Airports completed the works on the investment objective “Rehabilitation and re-functionalization of the interiors of buildings A, B and Rotunda at Bucharest Băneasa International Airport – Aurel Vlaicu (AIBB-AB)”. The value of the contract was 66,629,040 lei without VAT, the settled amount being 96%.
The contractors of these large-scale works were SC Bog’Art SRL (association leader), UTI Grup SA (associate), UTI FM (subcontractor), the guarantee of the work being 73 months. Bucharest-Băneasa International Airport is the third oldest airport in the world still in operation and the oldest that has not stopped its aeronautical activity.
48.2 million euros for Maramures Airport?
The Maramureșs County Council voted on the project – “The growth of the degree of safety and security of the Maramures International Airport through the purchase of specific equipment”, in value of 103 million lei, VAT included, and will deposit it through Large Infrastructure Operational Program – POIM. Also through this program, the new terminal, which will have a capacity of 450 passengers per hour, a total area of 12,209 square meters, and its completion period is 2 years, is in public auction. The estimated value of the project is 138.12 million lei, VAT included. With the construction of the new terminal, the airport area will also develop by building facilities such as: a car park – 450 places, minibus parking – 10 places, coach parking – 8 places, VIP and business parking, the area for parking taxis, bus station area – 2 places, cargo area and a hotel.
