In 2009, Bihor County contracted consultancy services regarding the extension of the runway, the construction of a cargo terminal, and the renovation of the passenger terminal. The airport terminal is now renovated to EU standards, and offers various specific facilities and modern amenities such as car rental, exchange offices, various shops, etc. Regarding the runway, the Bihor County Commission completed the final contractual formalities with the EU Commission representatives, as this type of infrastructure work was eligible for European funds. A €30 million financial agreement for the EU funds was signed on 7 February 2014. Works on the new runway, two rapid-exit taxiways and other facility buildings began on 20 October 2014. Concerning the cargo area, the Bihor County Commission has budgeted the resources needed for the first part of the project. The construction works for the runway modernization were completed on 30 October 2015. Ryanair operated flights from the airport to Bergamo, Girona, Eindhoven, Memmingen, London-Stansted and Weeze, but, in March 2018, the company announced its retirement from the airport by the end of October 2018. This happened despite claims by local officials that the company received subsidies under the ex-ante scheme and had a booking percentage of over 85% or 95%, and the fact that the airport had significantly lower tariffs than the other airports in the region.
On 27 May 1971, an Ilyushin 14 operated by TAROM was hijacked after departure from Oradea. The hijackers demanded to go toAustria where they surrendered.
On 20 September 1994 an Antonov An-26 of the Romanian Air Force, registration 508 was written off in a takeoff accident at Oradea. During takeoff roll, the flight engineer retracted the landing gear before the captain's order.
On 16 January 2009, a Gulfstream G200, operated by Ion Ţiriac Air was damaged after it overran the runway. The aircraft suffered damage to the nose and the landing gear was broken. All 12 occupants were reported as having survived and suffered no injuries. The aircraft came to a halt near the fence surrounding the airport
Ground transportation
provides a bus service between Oradea International Airport and the city centre of Oradea. The price of a ticket is 6 RON. The timetable of this route is adjusted to the arrivals and departures of the flights.Currently the bus route is suspended from 28 March 2020 and an exact date of the restart is not avialable. Cabs/taxis are also available. The price of a ride to the city centre is about 30 RON.
