Timisoara International Airport suspended its operations on Monday, November 2, for almost three weeks, during which work will be carried out on the landing and takeoff runway. Most flights have been transferred to Arad International Airport, where approximately 50,000 passengers are expected by November 22.
Arad Airport began handling flights on Monday morning and will manage between 7 and 10 flights per day, including to Brussels-Charleroi, Barcelona, Milan-Bergamo, and Rome, according to Agerpres.
However, passengers must arrange their own transportation between Timisoara and Arad, as there is no transfer service provided between the two cities.
To cope with the large number of travelers, Arad Airport has made investments of 1.5 million lei, mainly for expanding parking capacity and installing an automated payment system. The parking capacity has been nearly tripled.
Additionally, the airport’s 57 employees have been temporarily joined by 90 employees from Timisoara, from where equipment has also been transferred.
This is an important change for Arad Airport, which has not had regular passenger flights since 2015. In the last decade, only seasonal charter flights and cargo flights have operated here.
The Timisoara Airport runway will remain closed until November 22 at 9:00 PM, according to the previously announced schedule.
Wizz Air moves flights to Arad. There are also a few exceptions
Wizz Air has temporarily transferred its flights from Timisoara to Arad International Airport, after announcing this measure as early as October 15.
However, there are a few exceptions during the first and last days of the closure period.
On November 2, flights to Dortmund and Memmingen (Munich West) will depart from Timisoara, but return flights will land in Arad.
On November 22, planes arriving from Rome Fiumicino and Bari will land in Timisoara. All other Wizz Air flights scheduled for that day will operate from Arad Airport.
What happens with TAROM, HiSky, and AnimaWings flights
TAROM will also temporarily move its operations to Arad, where it will continue to operate flights RO 601/RO 602 and RO 607/RO 608, which provide connections to Bucharest.
TAROM passengers who have already purchased tickets for the affected period can opt for flights from Arad, change their destination to another domestic airport served by the company, or request a refund under applicable conditions, according to a company statement.
HiSky and AnimaWings will also operate flights between Arad and Bucharest. According to the schedule communicated by Arad Airport and cited by Buletin de Timișoara, the two companies will also provide charter flights to Hurghada, Egypt.
On the other hand, Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines have canceled their flights to and from Timisoara during the works period.
What passengers who already have tickets need to do
Passengers with reservations for the period November 2-22 must check the information received from the airline, as the departure or arrival airport may differ from the initially indicated one.
Wizz Air recommends those who purchased tickets directly from the company’s website to check their email and confirm the changes received.
Those who booked through travel agencies or online platforms should contact the provider from whom they purchased the tickets.
In the case of TAROM, passengers can request changes to their trip or refunds through the agency that issued the ticket.
Representatives of Timisoara Airport recommend that all travelers check the updated flight schedule and contact the airline before traveling to the airport.