Satu Mare International Airport

History

One of the oldest airports in Romania, the one in Satu Mare, was founded on the 15th october of 1936 by a Royal Decree, on a lot of 600X600 meters, on the site wich is today the Samus aeroclub.

One year later the construction of the hangar and the aerostation is finalised. In 1938, after the official grand opening, the first plane which landed on the new airport was a Junkers 34, what flew on the Cluj-Satu Mare-Oradea-Cluj route.

Until the year of 1940, on the new airport we find operanting the planes of the LARES (Romanian State Exploited Airy Lines) with daily passenger, mail and transport flights. The type of planes used then were Junker 13, Junker 34, Avia-Fokker, Lockheed Electra and other of the most modern planes of the time.
In 1940, after the horyst ocupation, the activities are intrerupted. In 1946 the airport is re-opened for 3 years. After 9 years of inactivity, it's re-opened, at the same time as the establishment of the TAROM. There were regular flights from Bucharest with Li2 and IL 12 planes.

In 1973 the construction of a concrete runway of 2500x60 meters. The runway is inaugurated in 1975. Excepting Concordes and Boeing Jumbos, any other type of airplane can land or take off on the new runway. The aerostation is erected between 1980 and 1982.

On the new airport, regular flights are operating on the Satu Mare-Bucharest and Satu Mare-Constanta routes, using AN24, IL 18 and BAC 1-11 type planes. There are also postal, military and utilitary flights.
External traffic is handled by external charter flights, especially in summer, with the tourists from the nordic countries coming to Baile Felix. the planes used were IL 18, BAC 1-11 and TU 154.

After 1989 the structure of the airport is split by two activities, the fueling (Romar Fuel) and the conduction of the aerian traffic (ROMATSA).

In june 1998, the airport becomes international. After that, the first regular external flight on the Bucharest-Satu Mare-New York and retour route is inaugurated. The schedule is 7 AM - 7 PM. The planes used were the Airbus A 310. From april 1999, the Bucharest-Satu Mare-Chicago and retour route, with an put in at Amsterdam, and by june with an put in at Montreal. The second put in was surpressed 7 month later.

During the summer and fall of 2000, GRIVCO Air is operating flights two times a week on the Sibiu-Satu Mare-Brescia and retour route, with YAK 40 planes.

In november 2000, because of the same reasons the flights for New York and Brescia are surpressed, allthough they were as advantageous as the flights for Chicago.

CONTACT

Satu Mare International Airport

Tel: +40 61 768640
Tel: +40 61 768846
Tel: +40 98 600392
Fax: +40 61 768776
AFTN: LRSMRAYD

e-mail: aeroportulsm [at] xnet ro

URL: http://www.aeroportulsm.ro/

Images and information placed above are from:
http://www.aeroportulsm.ro/
We thank them for the data!

The content above was published at Airports-Worldwide.com in 2008.
We don't guarantee the information is fresh and accurate. The data may be wrong or outdated.
For more up-to-date information please refer to other sources.