Henri Coandă International Airport: a Romanian Beacon of Hope

DALLAS - The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 forced airports across Eastern Europe to adapt to accommodate refugees fleeing war. Perhaps no airport better exemplifies such adaptation than Henri Coandă International Airport (OTP).

Located just outside of the Romanian capital of Bucharest, OTP is both the largest and busiest airport in the country and soon became a focal point for refugees and evacuees of all nationalities fleeing Ukraine.

In an exclusive interview with Airways, George Dorobanţu, CEO of the Bucharest Airports National Company (BANC), described how the airport accommodated a surge of refugees and repatriation flights without jeopardizing the efficiency of regularly scheduled passenger operations.

Repatriation Flights to India and Beyond

Many of the evacuees who arrived in Romania and ultimately reached OTP were not Ukrainian and needed repatriation to their home countries, countries that ranged all the way from Nigeria to India and China.

Dorobanţu said the airport coordinated repatriation flights with "requests received through the embassies" focused on "transferring refugees or their own people from Ukraine."

India served as the largest and "most significant" destination for repatriation flights. Dorobanţu said that many Indians were "students and workers" in Ukraine. He mentioned that "five to ten Chinese flights" departed from OTP and that Turkish Airlines operated repatriation flights "for Turkish people but also for other nationalities."

Narrow-body aircraft are used on the majority of flights operating out of OTP. Dorobanţu admitted that the airport "experienced some issues with parking positions" as some of the repatriation flights operated with widebody aircraft.

The mere volume of widebody flights at OTP, which "had days with 15 refugee flights," created a situation that was "very, very difficult to accommodate," according to Dorobanţu.

Dorobanţu said that the BANC "had to ask for some specific permission for some widebody planes to operate in the airport" as they were "not included" in the "standard authorization" at OTP. The local flight authority "provided those permits very easily to accommodate the parking on the platforms."

He said that some flights even operated out of the nearby Aurel Vlaicu Airport (BBU), also a part of the BANC portfolio, to ease the load at OTP.

Operations amid a Crisis

Henri Coandă is a very busy airport in terms of scheduled passenger operations, especially as the aviation industry recovers amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dorobanţu said that repatriation flights did not impact the efficiency of airport operations as they were scheduled around "rush hour" periods. He specified that they usually came between "2:00, 3:00, 4:00 in the morning or during the day but somehow between 9:00 and 12:00 in the afternoon around 4:00, 3:00."

However, the conflict in Ukraine has affected airport operations in a broader sense. Dorobanţu said that some "investment projects" at OTP "are delayed due to the fact that one of the key suppliers [comes] from Ukraine."

Dorobanţu added that further indirect impacts include an "increase in expenses with utilities, gas, electricity, and so on" in addition "to the steel" that could not arrive from Ukraine.

Henri Coandă is not a major air freight hub, and Dorobanţu said the crisis did not have a "direct impact in terms of cargo" and that if OTP "lost some commercial cargo," it was replaced as the airport received "a lot of military cargo."

Dorobanţu noted that "for some of the military cargo" the BANC is "charging the handling," ensuring that the airport maintains a consistent revenue stream from cargo operations. OTP hosts a Romanian Air Force base.

Ukraine to Henri Coandă and Beyond

Escaping Ukraine amid the horror of the Russian invasion served as a challenging experience for refugees and evacuees, Dorobanţu said that Ukrainian refugees consisted primarily of women and children as "the men remained in Ukraine to fight."

Many entered Romania "through the northern customs at Siret by road," Dorobanţu said, adding that they continued their journey on "dedicated busses that were arriving on specific dates in the airport."

Some refugees, Dorobanţu pointed out, came by train to arrive at "Gara de Nord, which is the main train station in Bucharest, and from Gara de Nord to Henri Coandă Airport by train or by public transportation."

Dorobanţu said that "the customs provided them some specific letters that they were already using when coming to the airport here to reembark" before adding that the airport put many refugees "in touch with the embassy and the embassy provided them specific, legally binding documents" to facilitate their entry into European Union territory.

Many refugees also needed visas but many "didn't apply for a visa during the war."

Further Services

While many Ukrainian refugees and evacuees in need of repatriation required embassy assistance with documentation, they also needed a place to stay as many had to wait a few days before continuing their journeys.

"Heated tents" were set up in the parking lot at OTP to ensure that refugees and evacuees were adequately accommodated during their stay. Dorobanţu added that different nationalities were usually separated within the tents as they usually "had separate flights."

Refugees and evacuees need a diverse array of interpretation services. Dorobanţu said that the Nigerian ambassador even "facilitated the translation" for Nigerian citizens.

Ukrainian refugees usually speak Ukrainian or Russian, and Dorobanţu mentioned that a dedicated information kiosk staffed by volunteers speaking Ukrainian, Russian, and Romanian provided refugees interpretation and other assistance free of charge.

Coordination, Dorobanţu said, was the key to enabling OTP to aid refugees and evacuees. He mentioned a WhatsApp group "with the Ministry of Transportation" that included him along with "state secretaries and also the heads of other companies" in the Romanian transportation system.

Furthermore, Dorobanţu added that "centralized communications" also included a "crisis team from the government" and "Ilfov County, which is the county where the airport stays."

Accessibility for Refugees

Evacuees from around the world had access to organized repatriation flights but Ukrainian refugees had neither a country nor homes to return to.

Henri Coandă is far from the Ukrainian border, but the BANC ensured that airport services were easily accessible to Ukrainian refugees.

Leaving Dorobanţu's office, Airways toured the airport. Walking between the arrival and departure terminals, hallways are adorned with signs in Ukrainian guiding refugees to the information kiosk, a bank, and a pharmacy among other necessities.

Some refugees and evacuees were even accommodated in the hallway closer to the beginning of the Russian invasion, any available space was useful.

Bridging the Language Gap

Nestled among check-in counters but easily distinguishable with the colors of the Ukrainian flag along with signs in Ukrainian, Romanian, and English was the information kiosk.

At the kiosk, Airways spoke with Viorel Savva, one of the coordinators responsible for the volunteers at the kiosk who described a "language barrier" at OTP as "Ukrainians often speak very little Romanian and Romanians often speak very little Ukrainian."

Around 70% of the volunteers staffing the kiosk are Moldovan. Savva said the community that "understands both languages most often are Moldovans" due to the fact that at one time "it was obligatory in school for Moldovan people to be learning Russian."

The kiosk is designed to bridge the language barrier, operating 24/7 to provide Ukrainian refugees with interpretation services along with assistance with everything from aid with documents to the acquisition of plane tickets.

Savva, a Moldovan lawyer, described how the volunteers, numbering around 500, organized on social media and actually presented the kiosk idea to the BANC. In turn, the volunteers were granted space in the departures terminal along with free parking at OTP.

Volunteers work in shifts to ensure the continuous operation of the kiosk and volunteers hail not only from Moldova, but around the world. Brandon Patterson, an Irish missionary fluent in Romanian, described working shifts in the early am hours at the kiosk.

Many Ukrainian refugees showed gratitude for the dedication and zeal with which the volunteers at the kiosk day in and day out.

One Ukrainian couple flying out of OTP to visit their daughter in Spain actually donated their car to the volunteers at the kiosk, a move that Savva described as an expression of gratitude for "the help they had given them."

Their "good act" touched and impressed Savva, who noted that the couple "were not rich people by any means." He continued, saying they "did not have homes and anything that they had on with them was only what they were carrying."

With the help of the volunteers at the kiosk, Dorobanţu noted that many Ukrainian refugees like the couple heading to Spain took "regular commercial flights" to destinations around Europe.

Dorobanţu continued, saying that the airport provided refugees free parking along with aid for "specific boarding procedures" as "some were coming with kids with no documentation."

Some refugees came with their pets and Dorobanţu noted that OTP assisted them in boarding their flights.

Many of the refugees who arrived at OTP ultimately decided to stay in Romania. Dorobanţu said that the airport put them in touch with "dedicated centers from Ilfov county" and provided them with transportation as necessary.

Looking Forward, an Indispensable Airport at the Ready

As of May 2022, the influx of refugees and evacuees arriving at OTP from the Ukrainian border, while still accounting for one to two flights a week, has largely diminished.

Dorobanţu said that the "busiest period was the last two weeks of February and then from the beginning of March until the end of March," adding that no new staff was needed to accommodate the influx as the BANC did not conduct layoffs at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While integral, Dorobanţu noted that Romania and OTP "became the second option for refugees" after Poland, which was able to accommodate "a significant number of refugees coming by train" from Ukraine.

Dorobanţu also said that there "are some discussions with the Republic of Moldova" now as OTP stands at the ready for any course the conflict in Ukraine may take.

Through the embrace of collaboration and adaptation, OTP successfully accommodated a surge of refugees and evacuees, becoming a Romanian beacon of hope in the process, one that continues to shine amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Featured image: George Dorobanţu, BANC CEO, sat down for an in-depth discussion with and granted an airport tour to Airways.
Photo: Valentin Iordache/BANC

Special thanks to local photographer Radu Popovici for providing photos of aircraft operating repatriation flights. Follow Radu on Instagram @radp13.