Bucharest’s main airport Henri Coandă installs new air conditioning after being fined

The management of Henri Coandă Airport, Bucharest’s main one, announced that new air conditioning equipment has been installed following last week's failure, which resulted in a RON 10,000 (EUR 2,000) fine from the Consumer Protection Agency.

"Two additional air conditioning units have been put into operation to address the situation caused by the failure of the air conditioning system in the Departure terminal boarding area. Two more units will be operational tonight," the company stated on July 2, cited by Profit.ro.

They also mentioned that a high-capacity unit will be operational on Wednesday, July 3, and another on July 4.

"The maintenance service provider for the air conditioning system has been penalized for not ensuring the climatic conditions in the terminal as stipulated in the contract," the airport's management added.

The National Authority for Consumer Protection (ANPC) announced on Saturday, June 29, that it fined Henri Coandă Airport RON 10,000 because the ventilation system was not functioning and demanded that the issue be resolved within 48 hours. Inspection teams found that temperatures reached 31 degrees Celsius in the Departure and Arrival terminal areas.

"Following the public reports of malfunctions in the ventilation system at Henri Coandă International Airport and the current heatwave, the National Authority for Consumer Protection conducted an operational inspection at this facility managed by the National Company Bucharest Airports. The inspections confirmed that the ambient temperature exceeded the normal limit, ranging from 24 to 31 degrees Celsius in the Departure and Arrival terminal areas, as well as in the Schengen and non-Schengen international lounges," ANPC representatives announced last weekend.

The Consumer Protection Agency also looked into the delays that many flights had recently.

"These issues are due to a situation in the European airspace, severely affected by multiple and simultaneous weather events across Europe. For example, on one day, the European airspace registered approximately 450,000 minutes of delay, of which 360,000 were due to weather conditions, leading to significant delays of over 3 hours and resulting in flight cancellations and rescheduling," the source added.

ANPC advises passengers to stay informed about weather conditions in their destination country and their departure country and to stay in contact with the airlines.