The airport mainly had a grass surface with a single 940 metres (3,080 ft) long concrete runway built in 1942.

In the early 2000s (decade), TAROM moved all of its activities to Otopeni (renamed Henri Coandă International Airport).

From January 2007, the low-fare airlines Wizz Air, EasyJet, and Germanwings started European routes from Băneasa.

[10] In 2017 and 2018, public talks organized by the managing company took place, suggesting that the airport may be re-opened for regular flights, following renovation works, that may be completed in two years from start.

[15][16] Interest for operating on the new airport has already been shown by airlines such as Ryanair and FlyOne,[17] but also from domestic carriers, such as AirConnect.

As such in the few years before 2012 when the airport was closed to commercial scheduled flights, the facilities were extremely undersized and became very crowded.

The building cannot be expanded, because of its status as a historic monument, and because of the sheer lack of space in the airport area.

[27] The airport has been the set where the Bucharest International Air Show, the largest of its kind in Romania, has been taking place.