Iași International Airport

Iași International Airport (IATA: IAS, ICAO: LRIA) is an international airport located in Iași, Romania, 8 km (5 mi) east of the city centre. One of the oldest accredited airports in Romania and the most important in the historical region of Moldavia, Iași Airport is the third-busiest airport in Romania in terms of passenger traffic.
The Iași region earned its commercial representative status on 24 June 1926, when scheduled flights commenced on the route Bucharest – Galați – Iași – Chișinău. The flights were operated by Compagnie Franco-Roumaine de Navigation Aérienne - CFRNA, in 1930 renamed LARES (which became TARS in 1945, and TAROM in 1954).
In 1966, a north–south concrete runway, 15/33, with a total length of 1,800 m (5,906 ft), and a modern lighting system, were built, followed three years later by the construction of a passenger terminal. In 2001, the passenger terminal was upgraded to use separate flows for domestic and international flights.
In June 2012, a new passenger terminal, named T2, was added, increasing the total processing capacity to 215 pax/hour. The terminal was designated to be used for domestic flights. The old terminal was renamed T1.
In 2013, Iași International Airport started a long-term, multi-stage upgrade program. Module I of the project (an estimated €57 million investment) was completed in November 2015, and involved the construction of a new runway, a terminal building, and the extension of the apron. On 20 August 2014, the first 1,800 m (5,906 ft) of the new runway 14/32 went into operation, whilst the entire length of 2,400 m (7,874 ft) became fully operational on 16 October 2014. The old runway 15/33 was converted into a taxiway. On 17 October 2015, the third terminal building (T3) with a processing capacity of 320 pax/hour and two boarding gates, was inaugurated. A project which included the expansion of T2 (that would double the terminal's area) was also proposed, in October 2015.
On 13 November 2017, Iași Airport exceeded the 1,000,000 passenger mark.
In March 2021, an extension of the apron was completed and a new taxiway was inaugurated.
The airport experienced a surge in traffic in February 2022, as Moldova closed its airspace following the Russian Invasion of Ukraine. Due to the airport's proximity to the Romanian-Moldovan border, some airlines decided to reroute their flights from Chișinău Airport to Iași Airport, while other airlines announced plans to increase the number of destinations served from Iași.
On 9 May 2022, a contract of over €66 million was signed with Strabag for the design and execution of the T4 passenger terminal and the extension of the parking lot. Opened on 29 March 2024, T4 has an area of 31,210 m (335,942 sq ft), a processing capacity of 950 pax/hour, and seven gates (three jetways and four ground-level gates).
For the long term, the development project proposes other modules for the construction of a new apron, two rapid-exit taxiways, a cargo terminal, an aircraft fuel depot, a new access roadway, as well as of a 600-metre (2,000 ft) extension for the runway to a total length of 3,000 m (9,843 ft).
The airport facilities consist of four terminals. Passenger operations take place in the main terminal T4, used for all domestic and Schengen flights, and T3, used for non-Schengen flights. The old terminal T1 functions as office/administrative and storage space, while there are plans for the former domestic terminal T2 to be converted into a cargo terminal.
Iași Airport sits at an elevation of 411 feet (125 m). There is one runway at the airport, aligned in the north–south direction.
On the airport grounds, Aerostar provides aircraft maintenance services at its center opened in September 2020. In 2022, Heli Avia Service concessioned an area of 1.54 ha (4 acres) for the construction of a new hangar for helicopter maintenance.
The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights at Iași Airport:
CTP, the public transit operator in Iași, provides non-stop service on route 50, to the city centre (Union Square) and the Iași railway station (also, nearby the main (Transbus Codreanu) coach station). The buses run every 30 minutes, and the journey time is approx. 20 minutes. As of December 2023, the fare is 3.50 RON (€0.71), for a ticket valid for 120 minutes with multiple trips on any route within the urban area.
Various taxis have access to and from the airport. The charges vary between 2.44 and 2.99 RON/km.
Being located near the border, the airport can also be reached from the Republic of Moldova by road.
Media related to Iași International Airport at Wikimedia Commons