Bucharest International Air Show
The Bucharest International Air Show and General Aviation Exhibition is one of the Eastern European events that as really caught the attention of enthusiasts in recent years, not least because it offers the opportunity to see many aircraft from the Romanian Air Force; an air arm that makes only limited international air show appearances. It is also the main showcase for the Romanian Aero Club which hosts the event with the aims of promoting aviation as a career and a past-time.
Paul Johnson/Flightline UK reports. All photography by the author.
The Bucharest International Air show must be one of the most convenient events to attend for international visitors. It takes place at Bucharest Băneasa – “Aurel Vlaicu” International Airport situated within the outskirts of the Romanian capital. Like most international visitors, I arrived at the new Henri Coandă International Airport which is situated just to the north of Bucharest at Otopeni. From here, it is just a short transfer to many hotels around the new airport, or some nearer the centre of Bucharest; all of which are in easy reach of the airshow. Bucharest Băneasa is well served by an excellent public transport system, and the show offers no car parking as result. This does not stop locals or international visitors using their cars which does mean the streets around the airshow entrance do get quite chaotic – particular as the event closes. Apart from attempts the close the roads immediately around the entrance, there does not seem to anything to stop people parking on the pavements! Also, if you are using an UBER or other taxi services, it worth noting that their drivers are particularly resistant to being near the event for fear of getting stuck in the traffic.
The City of Bucharest is certainly worth a visit too. Situated in the south-east of the country on the River Dâmbovița, it is fast gaining a reputation as a popular destination for city breaks with a burgeoning hospitality and night-life scene. The Old Town hosts several very well priced restaurants and bars. There are also areas of parkland and lakes too which are quite reminiscent of Berlin is terms of layout and the small kiosk cafes within them. There is also the opportunity to see the heaviest man-man object in the world and the third largest administrative building in the world, the Palace of the Parliament, construction of which started in the 1980s under the rule of communist dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu which originally ordered the building as his residence – the ‘People’s House.’
Bucharest Băneasa Airport is surrounded by the Bucharest urban sprawl which is perhaps the first of many surprises for the western visitor. The second is the event, which this year as a one off was held over three days, is entirely free to attend. There is no ticketing at all, and apart from a quick security check at the gates on the Saturday, just seemed like an extension of the public areas of the city! Another surprise for western visitors is the general lack of traders. Infact, outside the hangars the only ‘stalls’ were selling airshow or squadron merchandise. There were though plenty of catering outlets for a wide variety of tastes as well as some very large ‘Airshow Bars’ – essential in the south-eastern European heat.
The hangars that surround the showground area contain the bulk of the General Aviation Exhibition. Here you may find the odd isolated trade stall, but in the main it is all the local aviation companies and organisations promoting careers and various aerial activities as past times. Outside of the hangars were a few select static displays from various flying clubs and schools plus manufacturers such as Cirrus and Tecnam. There was also some notable contributions to the static from the Romanian Aeroclub including their Antonov An-2 – a type once ubiquitous on the airshow circuit. There was also the somewhat surprising sight of a BAC 1-11 which was one of the many aircraft to open its cabin to the public. Băneasa based Romaero had geared up to licence produce the British jetliner as the Rombac 1-11 but in the end only a handful were produced. This particular aircraft was an ex-Mali Government BAC 1-11 and was grounded at Băneasa several years ago.
Adding to the civilian contributions to the static displays was the Romanian emergency services organisation, SMURD – “Serviciul Mobil de Urgență, Reanimare și Descarcerare“. This organisation comes under the control of the Romanian General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations and carries out various tasks supporting incidents across the country. In the static they displayed one of their examples of a Sikorsky S-70i Blackhawk which proved very popular with the crowds.
Equally popular were the exhibits from the Romanian Air Force and armed services. As well as aircraft, these included Hawk and Patriot missile batteries plus a ground radar station – all very pertinent considering Romania’s proximity to Ukraine and the tensions with Russia. Joining the ground machinery were examples of the IAR 330L/M transport helicopters, a IAR 330 SOCAT gunship, a Yakovlev Yak-52 trainer and a Lockheed Martin F-16AM Fighting Falcon. The static park was also the only opportunity this year to see an example of the IAR 99 Șoim jet trainer and light attack aircraft. These indigenous aircraft are quite the attraction for western enthusiasts as they rarely travel far from home and there was some disappointment there were no IAR 99s in the flying displays. Subsequently we have read further participation from the IAR 99s were not possible as an upgrade programme to make them suitable for training pilots for the F-16 ramps up.
It would be fair to say the Polish Radom International Air Show which should have taken place the same weekend rather overshadowed Bucharest and reduced the international military participation available. This was reflected in the static display with saw a smaller international contingent than previous years, but Bucharest did attract an Austrian Air Force Lockheed C-130K Hercules, Royal Jordanian Air Force C-130H Hercules, a pair of Italian Air Force Eurofighter F-2000 Typhoons and a Slovenian Air Force Let L410UVP. However, dominating the static display was a Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker of the 117th Air Refuelling Wing, Alabama Air National Guard. The 177th ARW are normally based at Sumpter Smith Joint National Guard Base, Birmingham, Alabama but are currently deployed to Europe in support of operations to police NATO’s borders. Those attending the Friday also saw a Luftwaffe Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules II from the joint Franco-German transport unit based at Evreux in support of Patrouille de France.
For 2025, the showground was open over three days. The Friday was the ‘open’ training day where spectators could see a few of the rehearsals for the main show days on Saturday and Sunday. The Sunday was an additional day to usual and from publicity for the 2026 event, appears to be a one-off. It saw a shorter flying display than the Saturday too, though it was also somewhat further reduced due to poor weather. Saturday was the main show day, and is quite the epic with flying displays running from 9am to 9pm with little break. Even after 9pm, the entertainment continued with first a fireworks display and then a pop-concert into late evening. The live music does mean the show has rather an over-powering sound system for the commentary which is certainly lively throughout and the near constant background music. In previous editions of BIAS, there has been a fair degree of repetition in the flying displays with items flying more than once. However, there was much less repetition this year which just an handful of items appearing twice, and even then some of the their second displays were very different to the first.
The sad events that took place at Radom on the Thursday prior did also have an impact on Bucharest with the withdrawal of the RAF Red Arrows which had been due to overnight at the show on Friday and perform some flypasts on their departure back to Radom on the Saturday. During the opening ceremonies on Saturday, there was a moment of silence for Major Maciej ‘Slab’ Krakowian ahead of the main flying displays.
The flying display did attract a handful of international military acts. The sole visiting fast jet display was the Luftwaffe Eurofighter EF2000 from Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader 31 “Boelcke.“ Pilot ‘Bam Bam’ flew twice during the afternoon with a very precise, powerful display of Germany’s main combat jet. There were also two solo displays by turboprop training aircraft. The Hellenic Air Force ‘Daedalus’ Demo Team made the relatively short hop north to demonstrate their striking Beechcraft T-6A Texan II. Captain Vasileios “Bill” Ntintis’ display has been developed from the former USAF display routine with some crisp aerobatics and tight turns enhanced by an impressive smoke system. For a small air arm, Slovenia punches well above its weight on the display circuit fielding two pilots to demonstrate its Pilatus PC-9M Hudournik aircraft. At Bucharest it was the turn of Sašo Šebuk to fly the display which is a constant flow of precision aerobatics.
It was however the French Air and Space Force’s Patrouille de France which stole the show for many in the crowd. Their display on Saturday evening drew whoops and gasps throughout their twenty or so minute routine as they once again demonstrated they are the best smoke artists in the world with their eight Dassault Alpha Jet Es.
As well as the international military displays, there were some civilian performers from outside of Romania. The Austrian Flying Bulls brought five of their fleet to Bucharest. Their aerobatic MBB Bo105 delighted the crowd with its incredible display of loops, rolls, half Cubans and much more that helicopters really should not be able to do. The rest of their contribution was from their historic fleet with the first display featuring three World War Two fighters, the North American P-51D Mustang ‘Nooky Booky IV’, Chance Vought F4U Corsair and the Lockheed P-38 Lightning. The three aircraft flew a very smooth aerobatic routine with the P-38 as a solo and the two single engine fighters flying as a close formation pair. For their evening display, the fighters were in the air again, but this time joined by the gorgeous Douglas DC-6B which did look magnificent set against the sunset.
More aerobatics came from that great showman from Lithuinia, Jurgis Kairys. He displayed his Sukhoi Su-31 which is now a rare sight at airshows. I first saw one his displays at the Farnborough Airshow in 1992 when he was the factory pilot for the Sukhoi Design Bureau demonstrating the Su-29. Since then he has displayed across the world with his own unique take on barnstorming aerobatics starting with an incredible series of flick rolls while diving into the display area. From there he revels in the performance of the Su-31 with cobras, tumbles and everything in between.
Some eastern European nostalgia came in the form of the PZL-Mielec Lim-2 (or MiG-15bis) from FUBAR Aviation of Poland. Pilot Bartosz Maciejczyk flew twice on Saturday, first as a solo display and then latterly in a tailchase with a F-16AM Fighting Falcon of the Romanian Air Force.
Completing the international civilian contributions were the Baltic Bees Jet Team from Latvia with four Aero-Vodochody L-39 Albatros. They have been in a period of rebuilding after world events created a challenging period for the team over the past five years. As just a fourship, they do struggle a little to fill the skies, but their display proved to be very popular with the audience.
For me though it was the Romanian acts, both civilian and military, that were the biggest draw to Bucharest. The Romanian Aeroclub (or Aeroclubul Romaniei) who host the event have quite the most incredible array of displays. They even welcomed the audience before the formal start of the flying displays with their Pelicans Formation Team and a pair of Zlin 242s (which were equipped with air horns) flying a series of flypasts for a good while ahead of the opening ceremony. The Pelicans also appeared later in the display flying quite an eye-catching non-aerobatic routine in their three Ikarus C42B ultralights. The Pelicans also appeared in the evening show with their aircraft kitted out with LEDs and coloured smoke reflecting Romania’s tricolour flag.
Their cadre of displays also including gliding with a majestic formation routine by the White Wings flying two IS 28 B2 sailplanes and a solo display from a MDM-1 Fox glider with LEDs and pyrotechnics fitted to the wingtips. The club also looks over civilian parachuting sports in Romania which was represented in the display by the Blue Wings Team showcasing some impressive canopy relative work and flag flying.
For 2025, the aeroclub also had a new team, the Escadrila Zlin flying three Zlin 526Fs. The team of Mihnea Istrate, Valentin Caval, and Mircea Olteanu presented their aircraft wearing the colours of World War Two fighters from the Luftwaffe, United States Army Air Force and the Royal Romanian Air Force. What ensued was quite the madcap dogfight between the Czech aerobatic aircraft and given Romania’s allegiances during World War 2, the Mustang did not get things all his own way! Rather than a Duxford style re-enactment, this was a display which had a Commando comic book quality to it – Highly entertaining!
By far their biggest team though is Șoimii României – The Hawks of Romania. Flying five Extra 330SCs, the team are almost Romania’s national display team. The team is led by George Rotaru and flies a punchy display of close formation passes and solo aerobatics for their standard display. They also presented a solo display from Andreea Bănesaru who was something of star on local television during the airshow promoting that aviation is open to all in Romania together with a female F-16 pilot from the Romanian Air Force.
A further Romanian based team was also included in the show the Iacarii Acrobati or Aerobatic Yakkers. They fly three Yakovlev Yak-52TW aircraft and have duel personalities. The first is a pretty nice daytime formation aerobatic show. The second comes after sunset when they are joined by Jurgis Kairys and his Sukhoi to form “The Air Bandits.” Cue the heavy metal mix of the Imperial March from Star Wars, cue the explosions and 10 minutes of utter bedlam in the skies – fantastic stuff!
Local commercial aviation was also included in the flying programme. Wizz Air are a big airline in the country and presented one of their new Airbus A321neos in a low overshoot and straight flypast down the runway. However, the appearance by national airline TAROM and its Boeing 737-700 was a bit more energetic. It arrived escorted by a pair of F-16s before breaking off into its own solo display with several steep turns and a wing-waving departure. Not something you see too often from an airline-operated aircraft!
The Romanian Police Air Support Unit also presented a display from one of its Sikorsky S-70i Blackhawk helicopters. As well as a general handling display, the Blackhawk also gave a role-demonstration of dropping armed police into a tactical operation.
The level of support the show got from the Romanian Air Force was nothing short of outstanding. The opening flypasts was a statement of intent for the rest of the show with two formations of nine F-16AM/BM Fighting Falcons, three C-27J Spartans, a C-130B Hercules and ten IAR-330 Pumas. The two F-16 formations represented the two air bases from which the fighters operate, the 71st Air Base “General Emanoil Ionescu” at Câmpia Turzii and the 86th Air Base “Locotenent Aviator Gheorghe Mociorniță” at Fetești. Even after their nine-ship flypasts they were not done with the show with three formations of three F-16s returning for several minutes of very noisy circuits! And even then F-16s appeared in later displays, not only escorting airliners and MiGs, but also as part of a Combat Search and Rescue Demonstration and more.
There were solo displays from the Alenia C-27J Spartan and Lockeed C-130B Hercules during the afternoon and both types were also were involving with further parachuting; the C-27J dropping the ‘downed’ airman for the CSAR demo and the C-130 dropping an extraordinary number of parachutists from the Romanian Armed Forces. There was also a fourship of Yakovlev Yak-52s from the Romanian Air Force Flying School at Boboc who flew twice. Once with their own display and a second in formation with Iacarii Acrobati.
But it was the IAR 330 Pumas that were by far the most prolific aircraft in the display. All three variants, the IAR 330L, the IAR 330M and the IAR 330 SOCAT had their own solo displays during the display as well as supporting the CSAR demo. However, on the occasion of each solo routine, the display aircraft was escorted in by further IAR 330s for the first pass and in the case of the SOCAT, arriving in formation with a C-27J. And then the routines themselves were all really impressive. Perhaps the most dramatic however was from the IAR 330 SOCAT gunship – it was very clear the crews had a lot confidence in their aircraft with some aggressive wingovers. The IAR 330L appeared towards sunset and included two crowd-pleasing flare bursts during its routine.
The formal flying displays were concluded after darkness had fallen on Bucharest by the superb Flying Dragons Paramotor Team from Poland. We first saw their display at Sanicole and were immediately impressed by their showmanship combining some very fine formation flying with their use of lights, music and pyrotechnics. However, in the complete darkness their display is on another level and would have been worthy of a any finale. However, there was one final flourish to come before the fireworks and concert courtesy of the Romanian Air Force! Out of the darkness appearance a C-27J Spartan flanked by two F-16 Fighting Falcons dropping a mesmerising amount of flares – in fact so much they were still dropping flares well past the show sight. Quite the most spectacular way to conclude the flying.
We have many great airshows in Europe, all with their own unique attractions. The Bucharest International Air Show is certainly one of those. What really makes the event stand out from the rest is not just some very interesting aircraft, but the whole experience of it all. Everyone around the show was very friendly and it is not much of a burden on the wallet even if you do have pay for food and drink. 12 hours is a long time to fill a flying display with, but somehow there were very few occasions where it felt like it was dragging. And even if it did drag, there was still plenty to see on the ground and in the exhibition. The evening show was a particularly special hour or so going from some sublime glider aerobatics to utter chaos and back to pure magic again! This is certainly an event well worth the consideration of any travelling airshow enthusiast.
With thanks to Chris Janssens for his best travel-guide skills.
