The Brassó/Brașov airport will open its doors in June 2021 and expects traffic of up to 1 million passengers. The project will create more than 7,000 jobs and enhance the region’s economic and tourism developments as well, leaders of Háromszék and Brassó County said at a press conference.
Brassó is surrounded by mountains thus finding a location for the airport wasn’t easy and for a long it was served by the Szeben/Sibiu airport 144 kilometers away or Marosvásárhely/Târgu Mureș at 171 kilometers. The international Brassó-Vidombák airport hopes to solve this problem for an estimated 1 million people, according to Adrian Veștea, president of Brassó County Council. Currently, the airport is located 35 minutes from Sepsiszentgyörgy, but this time will drop to less than 25 minutes as the infrastructure between the two counties is modernized.
In the past five years, flight traffic has doubled, rising from 10 million to 20 million passengers per year. This means at least one flight per citizen. By comparison, the average in Europe is 2.5 flights per citizen, so the Brassó airport has high potential for growth. It is estimated that within eight years of opening its annual turnover will reach one million passengers.
The project was financed from a variety of sources. Brassó County started developing the airport using its own resources and loans but received a major boost from the lobbying efforts of politicians from the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania, otherwise known by its Hungarian acronym of RMDSZ. The politicians, from Háromszék, succeeded in getting the government to allocate RON 23.7 million for the project, and this year, the government has allocated another RON 50 million from the country’s budget. The total cost of the airport will be around EUR 100 million, Vestea says.
Brassó and Háromszék are interested in working together to grow their economies, specifically on the tourism front. So the two administrative regions have joined forces and invested in infrastructure development, Sándor Tamás, the President of Covasna County Council says.
Árpád Antal, Mayor of Sepsiszentgyörgy/Sfântu Gheorghe, highlights that Brassó County’s leaders have always treated the local Hungarian community with respect, despite the fact that Hungarians account for only some 20 percent of Brassó’s total population. For example, you’ll readily find Hungarian inscriptions on signs in the area, while in other parts of Transylvania, Hungarian inscriptions are defaced. Brassó Mayor George Scripcaru adds that there are no Hungarian or Romanian problems; instead, there are joint issues that must be solved together.
Update: Six airlines may launch flights from Brassó/Brașov airport
