100 Years Since The Establishment of the French-Romanian Air Transport Company

On April 23, 2020, a memorial board was unveiled at “Aurel Vlaicu” Bucharest Băneasa International Airport, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the French-Romanian Air Transport Company - CFRNA, the first international air transport company in Europe and in the world.

The plaque was placed on the monument marking the establishment of this airline, which was inaugurated at Baneasa Airport in 1923, one year after the opening of Paris - Bucharest - Constantinople international air route and three years after CFRNA was set up.

Mr. Dragoș Preda, Secretary of State in the Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure and Communications, passed the message of Minister Lucian Bode, who thanked for the event.

"It’s been one hundred years since then... In the meantime, transports and the means of communications have developed greatly thanks to science and technological innovations. That is why we have a duty to support finding effective solutions that allow, on one hand, a wide access to the benefits of the technological revolution, and, on the other hand, to keep a balance of life. Within this general effort, the cooperation between nations, between Romania and France, along with other EU states, acquires a special meaning. And long traditions, such as aeronautical collaboration, are a fundamental reason for that", said Mr. Dragoș Preda.

We remind you that, on April 23, 1920, the act of settlement of the French-Romanian Air Transport Company was signed in Paris. It was an endeavour of Romania and France. CFRNA operated commercial passenger flights on Paris - Strasbourg - Nuremberg - Prague - Vienna - Budapest - Arad - Belgrade - Bucharest – Constantinople route.

The French-Romanian Air Transport Company preceeded the setting up of the further AIR FRANCE and TAROM.

Considering the restrictions imposed by the COVID 19 pandemic, the event had a small attendance: Dragoș Preda - Secretary of State in the Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure and Communications, Florin Dimitrescu - General Manager of the Bucharest Airports National Company, George Barbu - General Manager of TAROM and Alexandru Bartoc - Chairman of the Bartoc Cultural Foundation.