120 Years After Traian Vuia's First Flight, Romania Is Looking to the Sky Again

BIAS 2026 brings international aviation to Bucharest — and reminds us that Romania has an aviation story worth remembering.

Today, Bucharest is looking at the sky.

And if you are anywhere near Băneasa, it is almost impossible not to.

BIAS 2026 — Bucharest International Air Show — has brought together more than 200 aviation participants, military and civilian aircraft, aerobatic teams, parachutists and thousands of people.

I was there today, and beyond the noise, speed and spectacular manoeuvres, one thing stayed with me:

how quickly something extraordinary can become something we take for granted.

120 years ago, flying was still an extraordinary idea

This year's BIAS is dedicated to Romanian aviation pioneer Traian Vuia, marking 120 years since his 1906 flight.

It is difficult to imagine today just how radical the idea of powered flight was at the beginning of the last century.

Now we watch aircraft cross continents, fighter jets perform extraordinary manoeuvres and technology push aviation further every year.

Standing there today, I couldn't help thinking about the distance between those two worlds.

120 years sounds like a long time. In terms of technological progress, it really isn't.

From aviation history to today's technology

The BIAS 2026 programme brings some remarkable names to Bucharest.

Italy's Frecce Tricolori returns after 14 years. The Turkish Stars are back after an eight-year absence.

There are also appearances from the Rafale Solo Display, Eurofighter Typhoon, F/A-18 Hornet, alongside aircraft of the Romanian Air Force, including the F-16 Fighting Falcon.

But for me, BIAS isn't only about identifying aircraft or watching impressive demonstrations.

It's also about seeing what human ambition, engineering and years of development can produce.

Every aircraft in the sky represents thousands of hours of work, training, decisions, mistakes, improvements and people pushing a little further than before.

There is something about looking up

Last year's BIAS attracted around 250,000 spectators, according to the organizers.

I understand why.

There is something surprisingly simple about an air show.

People stop.

Children look up.

Phones come out.

And for a few minutes, thousands of people are watching exactly the same thing.

In a world where our attention is constantly divided between screens, messages and notifications, I found that rather refreshing.

Romania has an aviation story worth telling

When people outside Romania think about our country, aviation is probably not the first thing that comes to mind.

But perhaps it deserves to be part of the story.

Traian Vuia. Aurel Vlaicu. Henri Coandă.

Pilots, engineers, aircraft manufacturing and generations of people fascinated by flight.

And today, an international air show bringing some remarkable aircraft and teams to Bucharest.

For me, that's what made BIAS 2026 interesting.

Not only the spectacle.

The connection between where aviation started and where technology has taken us.

120 years ago, Traian Vuia was trying to prove that a machine could leave the ground under its own power.

Today, thousands of people in Bucharest watched machines doing things he could probably never have imagined.

And yet, somehow, they belong to the same story.

Sometimes it's worth looking up.