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Baia Mare (Maramureș) and Bălți-Leadoveni

Analysis published on the occasion of the twinning of the municipalities of Baia Mare and Bălți

Baia Mare (Maramureș) and Bălți-Leadoveni: two comparable runways, a greater strategic potential for LUBL

Maramureș–Baia Mare International Airport shows that regional airport infrastructure can be modernised in stages and supported through public investment even with annual traffic below 100,000 passengers. In the case of Bălți-Leadoveni International Airport the argument is even stronger: LUBL would not be merely a regional airport, but could become the country’s second functional international airport for scheduled traffic in the Republic of Moldova.

This analysis is prepared on the occasion of the twinning of the municipalities of Baia Mare and Bălți. That framework of cooperation opens the way to a concrete exchange of experience in infrastructure development, in attracting investment, and in making the most of the role of regional airports. The evolution of Maramureș International Airport is a relevant example for the relaunch of Bălți-Leadoveni International Airport, and the comparison shows that LUBL’s technical starting point is in fact more favourable than Baia Mare’s was before modernisation.

In short: an airport that started from a runway smaller and weaker than the one at Bălți was modernised step by step, with public money, and operates successfully today. Bălți-Leadoveni starts from a better technical position. Below, the technical terms are briefly explained, and at the end we show what the Baia Mare airport cost and how much Bălți-Leadoveni could earn on the basis of its own tariff schedule.

Mini-glossary (in plain words):

  • PCN – a “strength score” of the runway. It shows how heavy an aircraft the runway can safely bear. The higher the number, the heavier the aircraft the runway can accept.
  • MTOW – the maximum take-off weight of the aircraft (aircraft + passengers + baggage + fuel), measured in tonnes.
  • 4C standard (ICAO) – the airport category able to receive ordinary commercial aircraft such as the Airbus A320 or Boeing 737.
  • Runway lighting (balizaj) – the lights on the runway that allow landing at night and in poor weather.
  • Taxiways – the “roads” on which the aircraft moves between the runway and the terminal.

From a 1,400-metre runway to a modernised airport

Baia Mare airport was inaugurated in 1966 with a concrete runway only 1,400 metres long and 30 metres wide.

Between 1977 and 1979 the Romanian authorities decided to extend the runway by about 400 metres. Before the 2015–2018 modernisation, the airport’s runway had:

  • 1,790 × 30 metres;
  • PCN 22/R/D/W/T;
  • shoulders of 7.5 metres;
  • infrastructure that did not fully meet the requirements for developing modern air traffic.

Instead of abandoning the airport because it had low traffic, the Romanian authorities chose to develop it in stages.

Through the project “Extension and modernisation of airport surfaces at Baia Mare International Airport”, the runway was extended by 360 metres, widened by 15 metres and brought up to reference standard 4C. The taxiways, apron, lighting and navigation installations were modernised at the same time.

Today, the runway of Maramureș International Airport has:

  • 2,150 × 45 metres;
  • an asphalt surface;
  • PCN 57/R/D/W/T;
  • taxiways 22.5 metres wide;
  • infrastructure suited to operating medium-haul commercial aircraft.

The PCN 57/R/D/W/T value is published in the AIP of Romania, edition in force on 3 September 2026, for both runway directions, 09 and 27.

LUBL already has a larger physical base

Bălți-Leadoveni International Airport was built in the 1980s and opened to traffic in 1989. Its runway has:

  • 2,240 metres in length;
  • 42 metres in width;
  • a rigid concrete structure;
  • a known constructive layer of about 49 cm;
  • a reported PCN of 16/R/A/W/T, a value that must be verified through a current technical expert assessment.

The geometric comparison is telling:

CharacteristicBaia Mare before modernisationBaia Mare todayBălți-Leadoveni
Runway length1,790 m2,150 m2,240 m
Runway width30 m45 m42 m
PCN22/R/D/W/T57/R/D/W/T16/R/A/W/T (reported)
Structure typeRigidRigid, asphalt surfaceRigid concrete
Subgrade categoryDDA

LUBL’s runway is therefore 90 metres longer than the modernised runway at Baia Mare and only 3 metres narrower.

To bring it to the standard width of 45 metres would require, in purely geometric terms, an extension of only 1.5 metres on each side. That is an increase in width of about 7.1%.

At Baia Mare, by contrast, the runway was widened from 30 to 45 metres, an increase of 50%, and extended by 360 metres at the same time.

LUBL does not have to be built from scratch. The main infrastructure already exists.

The PCN 16 value must not be treated as a final verdict

The difference between PCN 57 at Baia Mare and the PCN 16 reported for LUBL is significant, but it cannot be analysed in isolation.

The full runway code at Baia Mare is 57/R/D/W/T, while for LUBL 16/R/A/W/T was reported:

  • R indicates a rigid structure in both cases;
  • D indicates at Baia Mare a subgrade of very low strength;
  • A indicates at LUBL the higher category of subgrade strength;
  • W means that no specific tyre-pressure limit is imposed;
  • T indicates a technical evaluation.

Therefore, the historical PCN 16 value assigned to LUBL must be verified through modern investigations: HWD/FWD tests, core sampling, examination of the slabs and joints, assessment of the drainage and recalculation of the bearing capacity in line with the current ICAO ACR-PCR methodology.

The Baia Mare experience shows precisely that the PCN is not an immutable limit. Through technical investment, the Romanian airport’s runway went from PCN 22 to PCN 57, a numerical increase of about 159%.

The same principle can be applied at Bălți-Leadoveni: professional diagnosis, design, strengthening and staged modernisation.

The essential difference is the role in the national airport system

Baia Mare airport is a regional airport in a country that already has an extensive network of international airports.

It is not Romania’s second airport, nor the only alternative to the main national airport. Passengers in the region also have access to other airports in north-western Romania, such as Cluj, Satu Mare, Oradea or Suceava.

Even so, the Romanian State and the county authorities considered justified:

  • extending and widening the runway;
  • increasing the PCN;
  • modernising the lighting and navigation systems;
  • expanding the apron;
  • building a new terminal;
  • granting public support for the operation of the airport.

The airport recorded about 94,000 passengers in 2025, yet it continues to be treated as strategic infrastructure for the mobility, economy and tourism of Maramureș county.

In the Republic of Moldova, the situation is fundamentally different. 

Reopening LUBL would allow the creation of the country’s second functional international airport for scheduled flights, offering for the first time a genuine territorial alternative to Chișinău International Airport.

LUBL would serve not only the municipality of Bălți, but:

  • the whole north of the Republic of Moldova;
  • the central and northern districts;
  • citizens from the border areas of Romania and Ukraine;
  • the diaspora originating from northern Moldova;
  • the temporary passenger flows generated by the war in Ukraine;
  • cargo transport, aeronautical services and related industrial activities.

In the case of Baia Mare, the public investment serves a regional airport within a national network that has multiple alternatives. In the case of LUBL, the investment would help eliminate the whole country’s dependence on a single operational commercial airport.

A market potential greater than the population of Bălți suggests

LUBL’s potential must not be calculated solely by reference to the population of the municipality of Bălți.

Its real catchment area covers a considerable part of the Republic of Moldova and may exceed one million inhabitants if the northern and central districts, the diaspora, cross-border traffic and the passengers who currently travel hundreds of kilometres to Chișinău or Iași are included.

LUBL’s location about 15 km from Bălți, near the M5/E583 and R12 roads, an airport area of about 145 hectares, and the possibility of developing road and rail connections give it a solid base for staged development.

A realistic programme could begin with:

  1. a full survey of the runway and the establishment of a current PCN/PCR;
  2. rehabilitation and widening of the runway to 45 metres;
  3. modernisation of the lighting, drainage and approach systems;
  4. installation of navigation and security equipment;
  5. certification for commercial operations;
  6. gradual launch of the routes with the highest demand;
  7. subsequent development of the terminal, cargo and technical services.

Baia Mare proves that staged development is possible

In 1966, Baia Mare had a runway of only 1,400 × 30 metres. Today it has a runway of 2,150 × 45 metres and PCN 57.

Bălți-Leadoveni starts from 2,240 × 42 mExtensibilă până la 3.500 m, inclusiv aproximativ 500 m de teren pregătit încă din 1987 prin lucrări de terasament pentru prelungirea pistei; pista poate fi, de asemenea, lărgită. Configurația amplasamentului oferă suplimentar posibilitatea dezvoltării, pe termen lung, a unei a doua piste pe platoul învecinat.etres.

This comparison overturns the claim that reopening LUBL would mean building a completely new airport or investments impossible to justify. The most important and most costly physical component — the airport site and the runway — already exists.

Romania considered justified the modernisation of a regional airport that is neither the second nor the only alternative airport of the country.

For the Republic of Moldova, LUBL is of incomparably greater importance: it can become the second national airport hub, ensure the redundancy of critical infrastructure, reduce territorial imbalance and connect the north of the country directly with the main European centres.

If the modernisation of Baia Mare airport was justified for the development of one county, the modernisation of Bălți-Leadoveni airport is all the more justified for the development and operational security of an entire country.

What Baia Mare airport cost and what it delivers today

The Baia Mare example shows concretely what “strategic infrastructure supported publicly” means. Here are the figures:

  • Runway modernisation (2015–2018): about RON 63 million (roughly EUR 14 million), of which about RON 53.7 million (approximately EUR 12 million) from European funds (ERDF), the rest from the state and county budgets. The works included extending the runway by 360 m, widening it to 45 m, raising the PCN from 22 to 57, as well as diverting the Băița river over 1.3 km, a new 1 km road and a 36 m bridge.
  • New terminal: about EUR 45 million (European, government and county-budget funds), opened on 29 June 2026, replacing the terminal built in the 1960s.
  • Total public investment in the airport: over EUR 55–60 million, not counting equipment (security, baggage handling, fire trucks, etc.).
  • Operational support: the Maramureș County Council and Baia Mare City Hall finance the operation and development of the airport. Like almost all small regional airports in Romania, it operates with public support — this is considered normal and justified.
  • Flights: from March 2026 TAROM operates 6 flights per week on the Baia Mare–Bucharest route (every day except Saturday), to which summer holiday charter flights are added.
  • The result: 94,226 passengers in 2025, an increase of 8.4% over 2024 (86,928) and a new historical record; Baia Mare even overtook Satu Mare airport.

The simple conclusion: even at traffic below 100,000 passengers a year, the Romanian State and local authorities considered it worthwhile to invest tens of millions of euro and to support the operation of a regional airport that is not even the only alternative in the area. For Bălți-Leadoveni, which historically already was, and is destined to become again, the country’s second international airport, the argument is far stronger.

Actual annual revenue of Baia Mare (Maramureș) airport. The turnover grew every year, and the airport remained (marginally) profitable throughout this period:

YearTurnover (RON)Net profit (RON)
20151,188,28312,481
20161,054,6484,573
20171,111,3422,725
20181,345,0269,507
20191,750,28712,885
20201,931,95714,443
20212,004,74613,089
20222,304,61536,669
20232,815,61340,407
20243,897,73629,144
202524,002,807 (≈ €4.76 m)10,701

Net profit was always positive but small (from a few thousand to a few tens of thousands of RON) — the sign of an airport that sustains itself operationally together with public support. The Maramureș County Council’s 2023 evaluation report indicates own revenue of RON 7,487,497 and a profit of RON 201,010. The rise in turnover to about 24 million lei in 2025 reflects the airport becoming operational (new terminal, scheduled flights) and, most probably, an operating subsidy included. The official reference figure remains the audited balance sheet filed with the Ministry of Finance.

How much Bălți-Leadoveni could earn: a calculation based on its own tariffs

To estimate the revenue we do not use invented figures, but the very tariffs already approved for Bălți-Leadoveni through Order No. 074 of 10 June 2019 of the state enterprise “Moldaeroservice” on airport charges. The main charges are:

  • Landing charge: EUR 7 for each tonne of the aircraft’s weight (MTOW), for a landing followed by a take-off.
  • Aviation security charge: EUR 2.5 for each departing passenger.
  • Passenger service charge: EUR 10 for each passenger, both on arrival and on departure.
  • Basic handling (meeting and preparing the aircraft, passenger check-in, flight documentation): between EUR 180 and 500 per operation, depending on the aircraft’s weight.
  • Parking under 3 hours is free (an ordinary flight pays no parking charge).

Comparison with the actual tariffs at Baia Mare. The Romanian model airport in fact charges lower tariffs than those already approved for Bălți (official tariff, aimm.eu):

  • Landing: Baia Mare €2/tonne, versus Bălți €7/tonne.
  • Passenger service: Baia Mare €1/passenger, versus Bălți €10/passenger.
  • Security: Baia Mare €1/embarking passenger, versus Bălți €2.5/passenger.
  • Other Baia Mare tariffs: runway lighting €1.5/tonne, parking €0.15/tonne/hour, a 100% surcharge outside operating hours.

Double conclusion. First, the economic model of Bălți-Leadoveni is realistic: a Romanian regional airport operates (with public support) at tariffs several times lower than those approved for Bălți. Second, the revenue estimates for LUBL in this analysis are conservative on the tariff side — they use Bălți’s tariff, which is higher. If needed, LUBL’s revenue can be recalculated at the (lower) Baia Mare level, for an even more conservative variant.

Example for a single round-trip flight (a regional ATR 72 aircraft, about 23 tonnes, with about 49 passengers per direction, i.e. 70% load):

  • landing: €7 × 23t = €161; security: €2.5 × 49 = ~€122; passenger service: €10 × 98 = €980; handling: €300. Total ≈ EUR 1,564 for a single round-trip flight.
  • Scenario A – a single route, 6 flights per week (exactly like the Baia Mare–Bucharest route): about EUR 488,000 per year, from a single air link.
  • Scenario B – Bălți-Leadoveni reaches the current traffic of Baia Mare airport (about 94,000 passengers per year): about EUR 1.5 million per year in gross airport-charge revenue.
  • Scenario C – holiday charter flights (a larger aircraft, Boeing 737-800, about 79 tonnes, ~161 passengers per direction): about EUR 4,676 euro per rotation; a single weekly charter adds about EUR 243,000 per year.

Phased development scenario for Bălți-Leadoveni (BZY): a realistic operating plan

A prudent operating plan for BZY provides for 3–5 daily flights in the first year of operation, growing gradually to 12 daily flights in the third year. Applying the same tariffs (Moldaeroservice Order No. 074/2019) and the same reference aircraft (ATR 72, about 23 t, ~49 passengers per direction, 70% load factor), the result is:

  • Year 1 – 3–5 flights per day: about 107,000–179,000 passengers per year and gross charge revenue of about EUR 1.7–2.9 million per year.
  • Year 2 (transition) – about 7–8 flights per day: about 250,000–286,000 passengers per year and gross revenue of about EUR 4.0–4.6 million per year.
  • Year 3 – 12 flights per day: about 429,000 passengers per year and gross charge revenue of about EUR 6.9 million per year.

Two important observations. First, even in the first year, at just 3–5 daily flights, the gross charge revenue (EUR 1.7–2.9 million) far exceeds the current traffic of Baia Mare airport (~94,000 passengers, about EUR 1.5 million). Second, the figures are conservative: at 12 daily flights larger aircraft (Airbus A320 / Boeing 737) would naturally be used, which pay higher landing and handling charges and carry more passengers — so the real revenue would be even higher. The comparison is telling: from the third year, BZY could generate annually, from airport charges alone, a sum comparable to half the cost of modernising the Baia Mare runway.

A fair caveat: the amounts above are gross charge revenue, not net profit — they must cover operating costs (staff, energy, maintenance, security). But the order of magnitude is essential: at the traffic of a regional airport that Romania considers worth tens of millions of euro in investment, Bălți-Leadoveni would generate revenue of the order of millions of euro per year — on the basis of its own, already approved tariff schedule. This shows that relaunching the airport is not an expense without return, but infrastructure with a realistic economic model.

Main sources