In recent years, the Romanian government has invested no less than €70 million in European funds to modernize the Delta Dunării International Airport in Tulcea, which serves an average of 7 passengers per month.
Given that the airport is pretty much never used, the state has invested in transforming the terminal into a facility capable of serving up to 400 passengers per hour, with modern infrastructure covering an area of 9,300 square meters, three security filters, six border police booths, five check-in counters, and three boarding gates.
However, despite this enormous investment, the airport recorded only 47 passengers in the first five months of 2025, and only 1,600 passengers in the whole of 2024, placing Tulcea Airport last in Romania in terms of air traffic. And yet, against this backdrop of inefficiency, the members of the airport's Board of Directors tripled their allowances in 2025, defying ordinary citizens who are now forced to bear a new tax burden to cover the hole in the state budget.
The Foundation For The Defense Of Citizens Against State Abuses (FACIAS) reports this outrageous case as part of its campaign "Turn off the waste tap": the management of Romania's worst performing airport is rewarded with considerable sums of public money.
Concret, indemnizația brută anuală pentru un membru al Consiliului de Administrație a crescut de la 28.980 de lei în 2024 la 69.828 de lei în 2025.
The airport has 63 employees, and the highest gross salary is 16,582 lei per month. The general manager earns over 21,000 lei gross per month. The estimated salaries of the management alone amount to over 1 million lei in 2025.
Although the airport has no regular flights and only a few passengers per year, staff costs have risen sharply, reaching 4.1 million lei in 2024, almost double the 2022 figure.
The "Turn off the waste tap" campaign continues to highlight how public money is being wasted irresponsibly, while citizens are left wondering: who is responsible for this waste?
FACIAS has notified the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) and the criminal investigation authorities in Romania about the use of European funds allocated for the modernization of the Delta Dunării International Airport in Tulcea.
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